Technology can do some pretty wild things these days, and it’s even starting to change NYC dining with a new multi-sensory journey through taste at the James Beard House in Greenwich Village.
Aerobanquets RMX is a virtual and augmented reality dining experience that combines art, food and fantasy. Its very first show in the U.S. is right here in New York City—it has only been seen in China and South Korea before.
The experience focuses on taste perception, something we don’t think about much on a daily basis as we shovel food into our mouths at our desks or while staring at our phones! It’s inspired by an Italian cookbook from 1932 called “The Futurist Cookbook,” which suggests “food sculptures” as part of a perfect meal, and is being put on by Indian restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and Chef Chintan Pandya of “Adda and Rahi,” artist Mattia Casalegno and JBF’s Mitchell Davis.
Four guests enter at a time and are given Oculus headsets to wear at the start. Images appear in the goggles and the journey is narrated by Top Chef’s Gail Simmons. Guests experience seven abstract scenes within the VR experience, and each scene ends with a bite from an exclusive menu curated by Chef Pandya. The food is portrayed digitally but eaten in reality, of course!
A press release says that Aerobanquets RMX “reprograms all of our perceptive expectations. Through multi-sensory engagement, participants experience a unique and complex array of feelings, colored by their individual interpretations and responses.”
The experience lasts for 40 minutes, and will be taking place from now until January 26, 2020. You can find out more and purchase tickets on their website here.
featured image: Credit to David Crow