Reality bites
A chef mixes food and virtual reality to create unforgettable dining events.
Jenny Dorsey’s previous experience in tech involved going door-to-door in Silicon Valley to spruik cold-pressed juice. Now, the New York chef heads Studio ATAO, a production studio that taps into virtual and augmented reality to create unique eating and drinking experiences.
The studio’s projects demand interaction and encourage conversation. Ultimate First Date uses augmented reality to prompt discussion on topics of escalating difficulty with your date. Hidden, a collaboration with choreographer Kate March, brings the worlds of dance and food together through virtual reality. And Asian in America, which is part-memoir, part-meal, uses virtual reality and Google’s 3D Tilt Brush to build meaning into dishes. “Guests watch a brushstroke by brushstroke re-creation of the dish they are about to eat with audio explaining the symbolism of each ingredient and cooking technique,” Dorsey says. Asian In America
Put on the headset and you’ll learn that “You Make Asian Food, Right?”, a dish featuring rye noodles inspired by the Jewish deli where Dorsey eats matzo ball soup, is designed to question the limitations that culinary schools, the media and society can place on Asian-American cooks.
“Fancy Because It’s French”, meanwhile, is a dish of red-bean mousse, salted duck egg custard, oolong biscuit and fresh soy milk that questions the elevation of French cuisine over others by reimagining a classic Chinese mooncake made with French techniques.
Asian in America has toured North America and Dorsey is interested in taking it Down Under. “If there are museums or art galleries in Australia that would be interested, I would love to bring it there.” jennydorsey.co