Grant Achatz

Should you need something to read over lunch, The New Yorker profiles Grant Achatz, revealing more than ever about the Alinea chef, from the four-year development of his cancer to the subsequent loss—and still developing recovery—of his sense of taste: "I asked him what this loss felt like. He stopped talking, put down his container of Lidocaine, and placed his hands over his eyes—it was like being blind. He explained, 'You make yourself a vanilla milkshake. Grab some Häagen-Dazs vanilla, add whole milk. You think you know what it's going to taste like, and it tastes like nothing. All you get is thick texture' ... Because his ability to taste has come back over time, Achatz feels that he is understanding the sense in a new way—the way you would if you could see only in black-and-white and, one by one, colors were restored to you." [The New Yorker via Eater]