S1E5 - Nina Persson & Staying Creative

In this season's final episode of MAD Talks, José André—chef of Jaleo, minibar, The Bazaar and Oyamel; and the founder of World Central Kitchen and The Longer Tables Fund—talks about the extraordinary trajectory he has been on since he first fell in love with cooking as a child, and the dreams (hint: they aren't small) he has for the future. It's a revealing conversation filled with hope and determination, and it just may convince you that life, as he puts it, "begins at the end of your comfort zone."    

Chef and restaurateur Kylie sits down with René to reveal how she cultivates that sense of purpose, including all the bumps along the way. From changing careers to reconciling difficult family relationships; from connecting with her Chinese heritage to the "miracle" that happened when she came out; from the decision to close her restaurant to her inspiring new work with Sydney's Powerhouse Museum, Kylie is as open and honest with René as she is with herself. And throughout this moving conversation, they connect over their love of food and the creative practice that cooking represents.

Did you know there are places in the United States where growing vegetables is actually a crime? At the fourth MAD Symposium, Ron Finley shared how he learned this firsthand—when he was cited for planting vegetables in his own front yard. What followed was an extraordinary journey of resistance and transformation. Finley took action—not just for himself, but for his entire community. In this powerful conversation, René Redzepi sits down with Finley, a true force of nature, to talk about his life as a guerrilla gardener. They explore why access to healthy food is a human right and how growing your own food can be a revolutionary act.

Redzepi sits down with Nina Persson, the lead singer of the iconic 90s pop band The Cardigans. They talk about her unlikely start as a musician, the impact of mentors who can recognize your talent, and the tension they both feel between staying creative, and giving their fans what they want. And it wouldn't be an episode of MAD Talks without a discussion of foods that changed each of them, including Turkish sausage, corn on the cob, and one very special pineapple dish. 

Redzepi reconnects with Dan Giusti, his former head chef at noma and now the founder of Brigaid, an amazing organization that harnesses the knowledge and skills of chefs to create healthy school lunches for 650,000 kids every day. They chat about how Giusti's chef journey began, why feeding kids can be way more challenging than working in a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, and his long-term vision of transforming America's school food system.

Redzepi speaks with social entrepreneur Chido Govera about launching a farming movement that not only fed her own family but also empowered thousands of other women in Zimbabwe. They discuss her remarkable courage and resilience, the impact she has had as the Founder of The Future of Hope Foundation, and what she has learned about making a difference in the world. Amazingly enough, it all starts with mushrooms.

Redzepi sits down with Harold McGee, the writer who has done more than anyone else to explain the science of flavor to the world, and the author of On Food and Cooking—a book we can pretty much guarantee all chefs have on their shelf. They discuss pleasure, the flavors that have stuck with them since childhood, and what's really going on in your brain when you put something in your mouth.

Magnus Nilsson is a chef and author who earned two Michelin stars and many other accolades for his ground-breaking restaurant in northern Sweden, Fäviken. After speaking at the inaugural MAD Symposium in 2011, Nilsson joins Redzepi once again to reflect on the experiences of opening and closing that restaurant, and the unexpected turns his career has taken since. And like all guests on MAD Talks, he shares what building to last—the theme of the next MAD Symposium—means to him.

MAD's founder René Redzepi—who's also the chef and owner of Restaurant noma—sits down with iconic speakers from our signature event, MAD Symposium, to talk about food, creativity, and the future we hope to build. First episode drops on April 7.