From KCRW, I'm Evan Kliman and you're listening to good food.

Well, nerds, this one is for you.

Today's show is a double-headed of deep nerd-dom,

and I say this with pride.

First up, we talk to a flavor scientist.

My life is driven by flavor.

I wouldn't have the intense curiosity I do about food unless the seductress, that is flavor,

led me into the larger rabbit hole of food studies.

When you're in the restaurant business, flavor is power, and it needs to hit in the first few bites of food.

But what exactly is it and how is it created in your own head? We've been

following the interests of Ariel Johnson for a decade.

She's perhaps most famous for her work with Renee Rizepi and Noma,

where she co-founded the restaurant's Fermentation Lab,

and more recently she served as science

officer on Elton Brown's television show Good Eats. Her new book Flabarama is a guide

to unlocking the art and science of flavor.

Hi Ariel, it is amazing to have you here in studio with me.

It is amazing to be here in studio with you, so thank you for having me.

I'm so glad you're here. Okay, so when I hear the word flavor scientist, my mind

goes to the industrialized food world. Someone working for a big company, like Kraft or Kellogg,

who's trying to create the next viral snack food trend.

But that is not what you do. So how does your work differ from most other flavor scientists who are working today?

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