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When a friend who was also in the Masters of Wine program told me about Hautes de Goutes program I was very excited ... it seemed to represent an opportunity to explore many different areas of gastronomy and the concept of taste. So I sent an application and was admitted.

Just two days back in NYC, thinking back it was such a fabulous experience. Few people in the history of the world have the opportunity in a single trip to venture of to a Medieval dinner ... and a few days later enjoy "Note by Note" cuisine (the next new thing after molecular gastronomy).

Now the friend who recommended this program is one of the most polite and creative people I know, and the other students - who have come from countries around the world - were equally polite. They came from various occupations -- several pastry chefs, chefs, caterers, professors, and food scientists.

Looking over the program, it was a full schedule - classes from 9am through lunch to end at 6pm with a dinner soon afterward.

Our single class at the Sorbonne was interesting - it was a challenge to take the Paris subway (actually, easy!)and hear some thoughts on the concept of "food geography" and the AOC system. That afternoon there was a talk on food contaminants and wine tourism in France before dinner at Le Dirigeable, a well chosen restaurant with pretty good food.

An interesting lecture was Anne Kolivanoff's talk on the French table - tableware through  time, usage, and traditions. This was followed by a talk on tableware in restaurants today by Nicholas Delaby, sales manager for Pillivut.  The afternoon finished with a talk about cheese and  terroir and wine communication.

One surprise was a 2:15 am visit to Rungis International Wholesale Market with Professor Guy Chemla, a professor of geography at the University of La Sorbonne.  The following day, we had a 9am culinary demonstration of "Note by Note" cuisine with the chefs from the Cordon Bleu, and a "Note by Note" dinner that night where chemical compounds were created to look like real food.

The next week was spent in Paris, where we learned more about chocolate, food consumption trends, and bubble dynamics in Champagne wines.

Later that night, Veuve Clicquet Ponsdarin hostedd us to a  champagne and wine pairing dinner.

Mumm Champagne hosted us the next day for lunch and a workshop on how the same Champagne can taste very different - and be paired with different foods - at different temperatures and in different shaped glasses.  Later that afternoon there was a presentation about Chimpanzees -- you might be interested to know they prefer cooked meat to raw (this from an interview with a chimp who knows sign language!)

The rest of the week included talks on sociology and food, history of gastronomy, sensorial communication and marketing, and a Chateau Les Crayeres dinner on wine and food pairings with Mr. Jacques Puisais.

The last day - after a talk about wine, food, and gastronomy, we visited Champange KRUG and had a personal tasting with M. Krug.

Can't wait to go back for graduation and see my HEG friends again.

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