The World of Taste & Smell

In this episode of the World of Taste and Smell podcast, Stephanie Feuer speaks with Dr. Bob Pellegrino about the intricate relationship between flavor and smell, particularly in the context of smell loss experienced by many due to COVID-19.
They explore the science of olfaction, the importance of multisensory experiences in flavor perception, and practical strategies for enhancing food enjoyment through the six T's: temptation, taste, trigeminal, temperature, texture, and tactile.
The conversation also highlights the social aspects of cooking and eating, emphasizing the joy of sharing food with others. In this engaging conversation, Bob Pellegrino discusses the importance of community cooking experiences, flavor combinations, and the challenges of cooking without a sense of smell.
The discussion highlights the significance of understanding flavor beyond just smell and encourages listeners to explore their culinary creativity.
Key Takeaways:
Takeaways
25% of the population has some degree of smell loss.
Taste can enhance the ability to smell by integrating multiple senses.
Visual presentation significantly influences our expectations and taste perception.
Texture plays a vital role in the enjoyment of food.
Expectations based on visual cues can alter flavor experiences.
Food presentation is a key factor in culinary experiences.
Engaging with food through touch can enhance enjoyment. Crawfish boils are about community and connection.
Flavor combinations can enhance the cooking experience.
Cooking without smell requires a different approach to flavor.
 
 

Welcome to part two of our whisky tasting. Our host, Jenna Troyli, is joined by Tony Moore, co-founder of the FlavSense database, and Dr. Emma Walker, Johnnie Walker Master Blender Together, they guide us through an engaging whisky tasting experience that’s both educational and enjoyable. 
 

Welcome to this episode of the World Taste and Smell Association podcast, where we dive deep into the world of whisky tasting with industry experts. Our host, Jenna Troyli, is joined by Tony Moore, co-founder of the FlavSense database, and Dr. Emma Walker, Johnnie Walker Master Blender Together, they guide us through an engaging whisky tasting experience that’s both educational and enjoyable. This is part one of a two part episode.
 

What happens when your career depends on your senses—and suddenly, you can’t rely on them?
In this episode of the World Taste and Smell Association Podcast, we sit down with Marie Wright, flavorist and co-founder of Mystic Flavours, for a candid conversation about the experience of losing her sense of taste and smell. Marie shares what it means to navigate sensory loss as a flavor professional, the challenges it creates in both her personal and professional life, and how losing these senses can fundamentally change the way you think about flavor.
We’ll explore the science, the emotion, and the unexpected perspective that comes from experiencing the world without taste and smell—and what her experience can teach an industry built around our senses.
 
Marie Wright bio
 
Marie Wright is a renowned flavorist and dynamic industry leader, recognized worldwide for her expertise as an innovator as a technical leader and Flavorist.  Blending scientific precision with creative artistry, she has crafted thousands of innovative flavor solutions across every food category spanning both human and animal nutrition.
 
Beyond her mastery of flavor creation, Marie is distinguished for her ability to build and inspire high-performing technical organizations. She champions growth, drives exceptional customer partnerships, and cultivates collaborative cultures that thrive. With visionary leadership, she empowers teams to set new benchmarks for the industry, transforming bold ideas into market-shaping realities.

WTSA’s Stephanie Feuer speaks with Téa Nicolae about how whiskey can become a tool for sensory exploration, self-knowledge, and community.
Téa Nicolae, PhD researcher at the University of Edinburgh and founder of TasteVera and Women Vitae. She designs and facilitates women-focused whisky tasting experiences that combine guided sensory exploration with structured reflection. She has led over 40 sessions across Scotland, Europe, and South Asia, where she uses TheWhiskyBaba, a tool that  generates sensory projections by mapping individual receptor biology and differences in women’s taste perception against whisky chemistry
In this episode of The World of Taste & Smell you'll hear: 
Whisky as a doorway to embodied awareness
Whisky culture and gender
The Whisky Baba  tool from AshZero
How to get started  with Whisky
Whisky as a training ground for the sense
Find Tea on Linkedin and Instagram (@tasteveralab, @womenvitae) and the WhiskyBaba at thewhiskybaba.com. 
 
“Every dram holds history in it.”
 

Are we already living in the era of JOMO—the Joy of Missing Out?
This deep dive explores the growing movement away from constant stimulation and toward calmer, more intentional living. Inspired by the work of Mindy Yang and the World Taste &Smell Association, this conversation examines why consumers are choosing peace over performance, simplicity over excess, and experiences that regulate rather than overwhelm.
From sensory branding and product design to marketing, hospitality, and consumer behavior, discover how taste and smell quietly influence the way we feel, decide, and connect. If the next generation of brands is built on trust instead of attention, what does that mean for the future of design?
Part of our ongoing exploration leading up to the World Taste & Smell Summit this September, this episode offers a preview of Designing the Feel—where scientists, designers, chefs, perfumers, marketers, clinicians, and innovators come together to explore one of the most powerful forces shaping our lives: human perception.

A scent can pull us back to a moment we thought was lost—but why does smell do this so differently from our other senses?
In this episode, neuroscientist Anne-Lise Saive of the Lyfe Institute's Research and Innovation Centre joins Mindy Yang and Stephanie Feuer of the World Taste & Smell Association to unpack the science of odor-evoked memory: why scent-triggered memories aren't just stronger but qualitatively different, how the limited language we have for smell shapes what we perceive, and whether scent becomes part of our very identity. The conversation widens from the personal to the cultural, asking what we lose when the smellscape of a place or craft disappears, and whether "olfactory heritage" can be archived for future generations. Finally, at the frontier of neuroscience and AI, we ask what remains inaccessible to a machine that has never inhabited a body—and whether we'll one day share smells the way we share photographs and music. 

Featuring Agilex Perfumer Neha Okhade with Guest Host Jenna Troyli
 
What makes a fragrance unforgettable? In this episode of the World of Taste and Smell, Agilex perfumer Neha Okhade joins guest host Jenna Troyli, World of Taste & Smell Association Board Member, to explore the powerful connection between scent, memory, emotion, and wellbeing. From the lasting impact of COVID-19 on our understanding of smell to the future of emotion-driven and sustainable fragrance design, discover how today's perfumers are creating scents with purpose.

In this episode, Stephanie Feuer speaks to  Dr Xander Bertels, Head of Advocacy at Euforea, the European organization dedicated to implementing optimal care in daily practice for chronic airway diseases. In this episode you’ll hear
What Chronic Rhinosinusitis is, how prevalent it is, and the symptoms and triggers
Treatments and cures for CRS
What Euforea is doing to advocate for patients with airway diseases
ABOUT the WTSAThe World Taste & Smell Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing sensory science, education, and public awareness. Through research, storytelling, and innovation, WTSAbridges the gap between science and human experience—helping people rediscover the power of taste and smell in daily life.

In this episode, Stephanie Feuer speaks to Bridger Menlove,  about the 2026 AChemS Hill Day.  Hill Day is an annual lobbying effort. Bridger is a PhD student in Neuroscience at Florida State University. 
The Congresspeople who the AChemS team met with
The issues they raised, notably lobbying for more science funding for taste and smell research and advocating for universal smell testing
ABOUT the WTSAThe World Taste & Smell Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to advancing sensory science, education, and public awareness. Through research, storytelling, and innovation, WTSAbridges the gap between science and human experience—helping people rediscover the power of taste and smell in daily life.