THE SAFARI SERIES

Nathan Myhrvold, founder of Modernist Cuisine and lead author of the Modernist Cuisine book series, has had a passion for science, cooking, and photography since he was a boy. At the age of nine, Myhrvold cooked Thanksgiving dinner for his family, working out of cookbooks from the local library. A plastic camera was also his constant companion at that time. By 11, he had purchased his first real camera—a Zeiss Contax II, which he found at a thrift store.

Unlike many childhood hobbies, his fascination for food and photography did not fade—it intensified. He consumed cooking books and invested in new cameras and lenses even while doing postdoctoral cosmology work with Stephen Hawking. While working as the chief technology officer of Microsoft, he took a leave of absence to earn his culinary diploma from École de Cuisine La Varenne in France.

Nathan retired from Microsoft in 1999 to found Intellectual Ventures and pursue several interests, including his lifelong interest in photography, cooking, and food science. During this time, some of his photographs were published in America 24/7 (DK Publishing, Inc., 2003) and Washington 24/7 (DK Publishing, Inc., 2004). Inspired by the void in cooking literature about culinary science, history, and the cutting-edge techniques used in the world’s best restaurants, Myhrvold decided to share the science of cooking and wonders of Modernist cuisine with others through Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, hoping to pass on his own curiosity and passion for the movement.