Chef Jozef Youssef
Kitchen Theory
(https://kitchen-theory.com/)
Jozef Youssef is a chef, sensory experience designer, and founder of Kitchen Theory, a London-based gastronomy design studio recognized for pioneering multisensory and immersive dining experiences. His work investigates the intersection of food, science, design, and emotion, challenging conventional perceptions of flavor and the food experience. With experience in Michelin-starred kitchens and more than a decade of collaboration with leading researchers at institutions such as Oxford University and Imperial College London, Jozef Youssef is internationally recognized for his contributions to sensory gastronomy, food innovation, and experience design.
Ivana Carmen Mottola
Design.Food House
(https://www.designfoodhouse.it/en/)
Ivana Carmen Mottola is a Food Experience Designer with expertise in innovation management, multisensory design, and eating design. For more than 20 years, she has developed projects, concepts, and experiential formats that investigate food as a medium for culture, emotion, communication, and social interaction. She is the founding partner of Supperclub Italia and the Founder and Creative Director of DesignFood.house, a multisensory and eating laboratory dedicated to applied research, conceptual food design, sensory experiences, emotional installations, and innovative food and wine narrative. DesignFood integrates design, hospitality, education, tourism, and the food industry through experiential methodologies and mindful food education.
Sonia Massari
(https://www.soniamassari.com/)
The FORK Organization
University of Pisa
ISIA Roma
Sonia Massari, PhD, is a food design researcher, educator, and consultant with over 20 years of experience in food innovation, human-food interaction, sustainability education, and the co-design of agri-food systems. She is a researcher at the University of Pisa and co-founder of The FORK Organization, the international non-profit platform dedicated to food design. Her work connects design, food systems, education, and sustainability, exploring how participatory and transdisciplinary approaches can support more resilient, responsible, and future-oriented food cultures.
Anabela Raymundo
Instituto Superior de Agronomia
University of Lisbon
Anabela Raymundo is an Associate Professor with Habilitation at Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon, and a researcher at LEAF’s Food and Feed Group. A chemical engineer with a PhD in Food Engineering, her research focuses on food innovation, rheology, functional macromolecules, and the development of high-value products from underused resources, including microalgae, seaweeds, insects, and food-industry by-products. Working closely with industry, she promotes knowledge transfer and has coordinated numerous national and international research projects. She is also a board member of PortugalFoods, a founding member of Colab4Food, and a member of Portugal’s National Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation.
Chef Ramón Perisé
Director of I+D at Mugaritz and Director of the Mugaritz
Creativity Program at Madrid Culinary Campus
Since 2011, Ramón has led projects at the intersection of gastronomy, science, art, emotion, and sensory storytelling, exploring food not only as a culinary practice but also as a language, a research tool, and a space for imagining new possibilities.
He is also Academic Director of the Mugaritz Creativity Program at Madrid Culinary Campus and has shared his work at leading international institutions, including MIT, Harvard University, Elisava, and the Basque Culinary Center. Most recently, he completed an artistic and research residency at Stanford University, working across bioengineering, microbiology, sustainability, and the arts. His research brings together creativity, fermentation, complexity, and food systems to explore new ways of understanding and inhabiting the world.
Sumi Baruah
Culinary Medicine UK
Sumi Baruah is Chief Executive Officer of Culinary Medicine UK, an experienced General Practitioner and NHS Clinical Entrepreneur with a strong focus on preventive medicine, nutrition, and behavior change. A graduate of University College London, she has worked as an NHS GP Partner, trainer, and primary care representative, while contributing to initiatives to prevent hypertension through lifestyle interventions. She is also a certified Health Coach and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health. Since joining Culinary Medicine UK’s founding team in 2018, she has helped develop innovative educational programs that enable healthcare professionals and patients to make informed food and lifestyle choices.