Burr to host scented dinners in Paris, Rome and Florence

Chandler Burr, NYT scent critic and author of The Perfect Scent will be hosting a series of ‘scent dinners’ in Paris, Rome and Florence, as part of a travelers’ lecture series.The dinners are hosted by Context Travel who tell us:”Chandler Burr has the uncanny ability to unfold something as seemingly silly and ephemeral and perfume in such a way that you see the complexity of human endeavor and aspiration” says Context founderPaul Bennett. “We’re thrilled to have him join our network and apply his unique lens to understanding and appreciating some of the greatest cities in the world.The series begins on June 5 in Paris, with a dinner organized in conjunction with the historic Left Bank restaurant, Laperouse. Working with chef Samuel Benne, Burr will design a gastronomic and olfactory experience that explores the intimate relationship between Paris andthe perfumes it has created-arguably the best and most important perfumes in history. This will be followed by a second event in Rome on June 10, at the enoteca Casa Bleve, located in part of the ancient bath complex of Agrippa, where Burr will look at perfumes that evokethe Italian landscape. And, finally, the series concludes with a special event at the Palazzo Tornabuoni in Florence on June 11.Each evening begins with a discussion of perfume, its history and aesthetics. Burr introduces the fundamental idea that perfumes, like architecture, or a chair, or a dress, are designed and thus can be analyzed and broken down into their constituent parts. Working with a category of perfumes known as culinary perfumes-that is, perfumes that are made from such edible sources as spices, herbs, fruit, chocolates and teas-Burr then begins deconstructing certain perfumes for the group, passing around samples of the perfume itself or its component parts to allow participants to “rebuild” the perfume themselves. In the Paris and Florence events, each perfume will be coupled to a dish designed by the chef in a way that expounds on these themes and ideas, allowing the participants to more fully understand the totalolfactory and gastronomic structure of what they’re sampling.More information at contexttravel.com