The College of Humanities and Social Sciences put the human side of food in the spotlight as it launched its new Human Factor Speakers Series with culinary icon Alton Brown. The sold-out event united campus and community in a spirited showcase of food’s power to connect and inspire.

While the atmosphere was upbeat, the event underscored how the humanities and social sciences provide human-centered solutions to serious global challenges such as food insecurity, artificial intelligence and cultural preservation. These themes resonated with the more than 600 attendees as the program unfolded in three segments: Food and Creativity, Food and Community, and Food and Culture.

From the moment CHASS Dean and event host Deanna Dannels introduced Brown, the food innovator captivated the audience with his storytelling and charm. As the premier speaker, Brown’s opening remarks set the tone – a mix of wisdom, whimsy and heart – and challenged attendees to consider why food matters beyond the plate:

“Have you ever tried asking a hungry child if food matters beyond the plate? No, nothing matters but the food on the plate.”

“There are only two things that every people group on Earth prefers to do together – one is laugh, because laughing alone is just crazy, right? The other is, eat,” he continued. “Food’s superpower is connectivity.”

Digging deeper, Brown added, “Perhaps food only matters beyond the plate when everyone has food on their plate. And what’s more, they have food on their plate when family, friends, loved ones, and strangers, political, literal, and ideological strangers, are there to break bread together. Only when we have that can we look beyond the plate.”

The chemistry between Dannels and Brown was undeniable, and their enthusiasm was contagious as they exchanged good-natured banter and insights throughout the two-hour program. Each segment featured a Q&A, guest appearances and audience interaction. Held on Sept. 19 in Stewart Theater, the event featured a talk-show style set, complete with music and food imagery.

Food and Creativity

In the Food and Creativity segment, Brown discussed food and ingredients as never-ending sources of storytelling and history. He also dished out answers on one of today’s hottest topics — AI and its place at the table.

“There’s only one creative endeavor that I know of on planet Earth that AI can’t touch, and it’s cooking, because AI can’t (feel, smell), or taste anything. So, we’re safe. Eventually, cooking will be the only real authentic art,” he said, before joking, “not to mention college term papers.”

“As AI slowly takes over every creative endeavor, I think cooking is going to be even more important as human-connective currency,” he continued.

Asked how media has changed how we experience food, he said: “Whenever technology allows us to take something basic, crucial, critical, elemental, and human, and turn it into something that we just look at alone, that’s not healthy.”

Food and Community

In Food and Community, Brown addressed the communal side of food and food insecurity. He welcomed CHASS alumna Maggie Kane, founder of Raleigh’s first pay-what-you-can restaurant, A Place at the Table, and CHASS Ph.D. student Stevie Kimmet, who directs Pack Essentials, which encompasses NC State’s on-campus food pantry. Their discussion highlighted food access challenges and solutions.

“There’s no excuse for human beings on this planet to not have enough food,” Brown said. “But the main thing we can do – honest to gosh – if you really want to make a difference is stop wasting stuff, stop wasting food.”

About the communal side of food, he added, “Every family meal has an essence of diplomacy. The table is meant to be a place for honesty and to be a safe place. It’s neutral territory. It’s Switzerland.”

Asked if food has the power to reconcile differences, Brown said, “Eating, not food, has the power to reconcile. Food is content. Eating is the medium. Sharing is what’s intrinsic to the experience.”

He added, “The thing about eating and breaking bread and the built-in civility in that is that it puts boundaries on that.”

Food and Culture

The final segment, Food and Culture, explored how food carries history, identity, and, at times, conflict. Brown was joined by CHASS history professor Tate Paulette and Les Stewart, brewmaster at Raleigh-based Trophy Brewing. The pair discussed how they recreated two brews based on 4,500-year-old Mesopotamian recipes, which Brown and Dannels sampled in traditional fashion – through long straws from a large communal jar. 

About food’s cultural role, Brown said: “Any given culture will typically hold a food as precious as part of their identity if it helps them exist and survive, which is a primitive but very effective form of preservation.”

Regarding cultural appropriation in today’s globalized food landscape, Brown said, “The entire appropriation thing comes down to, are you willing to learn about the dish and celebrate it?”

On picking a BBQ style, Brown didn’t hesitate: “If not mutton BBQ from Kentucky, I’m 100 percent Eastern Carolina BBQ, 100 percent vinegar.”

As for his critique of the beers, Brown compared one to a dark malt Saison or sour Belgian ale, another to a stout, and one more to Starbucks coffee. Ultimately, he declared all “utterly delicious.”

‘Thoughtfully Designed’

Throughout the program, laughter, applause and shared moments of discovery filled the theater.   CHASS alumna and Advisory Board member Erica Boisvert described the event as “thoughtfully designed to create experiential enrichment and engagement.”

“Given that we all have food in common, I was curious to engage in a discussion about the way food connects us beyond the plate through creativity, community and culture,” Boisvert said of her decision to attend the event.

Asked what she learned about CHASS, Boisvert said. “Storytelling and inquiry are central to CHASS and were showcased expertly with The Human Factor event. These skills and characteristics are critical and timeless, bringing people and ideas together to address how we think and act to shape the future.”

Brown amplified that sentiment in his remarks at the pre-show reception. “The humanities and the study of humanities, in the end, are still the most valuable study that we can have,” he said.  “You can study technology and science all day long, but until you understand truly how humans interact with every single thing on this planet, you cannot possibly take advantage and responsibility for it.”

Crickets and Pea Flower

The event, funded entirely by private donations, also spotlighted CHASS’s partnerships. Besides Trophy Brewing, the college partnered with Rave Catering to create a menu for the preshow reception that extended the program, blending scholarship, culture and community with a touch of flavor.

Guests enjoyed cuisine from various cultures, including a rustic Italian chicken stew and a dish featuring butterfly pea flowers, native to Southeast Asia and symbolic of peace and calm. The menu also featured foods with protein-rich bugs – from ants and crickets to scorpions – and desserts inspired by poetry and literature as edible works of art.

Building on such collaborations, the conversation about food and the future continues this fall with three follow-up events. Together, they not only extend the goal of the speakers’ series to bring scholarship into the community in meaningful ways but also offer participants a chance to apply their knowledge and make an impact:

• A week of service in October with local organizations that address food insecurity and sustainability.
• An alumni panel on Nov. 12 featuring chefs and restaurateurs.
• A Food as Communication “edible humanities fair” in December from professor Cindy Rosenfeld and her Environmental Communication course. 

Dean Dannels said plans are underway for the second iteration of The Human Factor Speakers Series. The college will share more information in the coming months.

“By blending creativity, culture and conversation, the evening offered the audience a glimpse into CHASS as a college that not only studies the world but also actively works to improve it, one thoughtful conversation and shared meal at a time.”