Umami in classrooms all over the world

A tasting plate of tea-smoked duck breast, dark cherry chutney, and aged manchego served with a Californian Syrah Photo courtesy of Steven Crisler

Chef Steven Crisler Photo courtesy of Steven Crisler

Lately, the Umami Information Center (UIC) has received several requests for information and literature from culinary school and college educators in North America. In return for feedback, we have provided them with brochures on umami and related information. Steven Crisler, a certified executive chef and High Honors graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, kindly shared information about his class at St. Philip’s College in Texas. As part of this American Culinary Federation Certified Exemplary Program, Chef Crisler teaches a class entitled, The Basic Elements of Taste, Wine and Food Pairing to as many as 120 students a semester. He says that his students have a hard time grasping the concept of umami until an actual demonstration and tasting are done. According to Chef Crisler, after a blind taste test using sweet cherry tomatoes, the students are easily able to recognize umami. In a food chemistry class taught by Dr. James Daniel, Associate Professor of Food Chemistry in the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue University in Indiana, our UIC chart How Humans Experience Their Food is used in his teaching materials. The Umami Information Center offers extensive information about umami by publishing and sharing a wide variety of brochures and DVD’s. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to request materials for your class.

UIC brochure “UMAMI”        UIC brochure   “Sweet,Sour,Salty,Bitter and UMAMI”