The Distiller

The Distiller


#45 – Tony Moore & Lew Weeks On The Flavor Science Behind The Food You Eat

November 14, 2019

Lew Weeks and Tony Moore have great taste.

Okay, pardon the pun, but it’s true. First, they know flavor in a way that is an entire vocabulary. But as a part of their work in flavor science, they also understand what people want, and what makes something taste great. That combination of skill and orientation, the classic “art and science” hybrid, is what makes them great at what they do. And what they (and others in their field) do is create the ingredients that go into so much of what we eat and drink. Seldom do we get to talk about an industry that so many people encounter every day, and about which they know so little. As we talk about in the episode, Tony’s work was actually one of the original inspirations behind The Distiller.

Episode 45: Tony Moore & Lew Weeks – Links & Information

* Flavor Producers (The company they work for)* Overlook Lodge* Facebook: /Overlooklodge* Instagram: @overlooktheridge* Twitter: @overlooklodge

Putting flavor science to work for good and good taste

Obviously there’s a lot controversy about food additives, GMOs, organics, and nutrition and healthy food in general. Tony & Lew’s perspective is unique in that for them, all food, all flavor, is chemical. As Lew describes, Tony’s background is in natural flavors, including organics and essential-oil based flavors. As such, he’s not trying to “back into” naturally derived flavors, it’s where he starts. Hearing both Lew and Tony talk about what it means to eat well is interesting and informative. Both advocate for knowing your food better, paying less attention to the front of the label and more to the back. Hopefully hearing this perspective will help you not only know more about where your food comes from, but help you make better decisions when you take it home.

Flavorists Lew Weeks & Tony Moore at the Overlook Lodge

Photos for this episode by the amazing Angie Lipscomb. Check out her work! Hire her!

Cocktails at the Overlook Lodge