The Umami Taste Development Center
Launched: 2018 in Asbury Park, NJ
Umami (/uˈmɑːmi/) is one of the five basic tastes, after sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. At The Umami Taste Development Center in Asbury Park, NJ, participants received ‘Umami training’ by sampling five different umami broths sourced from the local ecology, including, tomato, seaweed, mushroom, lobster, and finally, a mixture of all.
Umami Gurus, including an activist, a yogi, a chief, and a farmer from the local community, guided the group through a meditation and sharing stories of food-injustice, food-insecurity, and environmental impact at large.
By stimulating participants taste buds and epiphanic realizations, participants channeled other senses and opened new avenues of appreciation for the universe.
Partnership with Marilyn Schossbach (Langosta Lounge) and Merrick Farms
Gurus:
Meditation Guru by Maggie Stultz-O'Brien
Tomato & Seaweed Guru by Marilyn Schossbach
Mushroom Guru by Kasey Sullivan
Lobster Guru by Chuck Tomney
Ultimate Umami Guru by Jenny Vickers
Project assistants: George Payne, Alanna Reeves and Valerie Wiseman
Photographer: Ashley Rosas
Hosted by: Siren Arts and Monmouth Arts
Support from:
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Clean Water Action
Rethink Disposable
The Asbury Hotel
The Andy Warhol Foundation
The National Endowment for the Arts’ Creativity Connects
Transformer
Contributions: Olivia Fredrick and Matt Cohen