Lane Selman, founder of the Culinary Breeding Network, joins Benjamin Ariff to explore how flavor can reconnect agriculture with culture, community, and the land. Drawing on her Italian-American upbringing, scientific background, and collaborative work with farmers, chefs, and plant breeders, Lane shares a vision for a more flavorful and resilient food system.
What if flavor could help transform the future of agriculture?
In this episode of Creative Alchemy, Benjamin Ariff speaks with Lane Selman, founder of the Culinary Breeding Network, about the connections among food, creativity, culture, and community.
Together, Benjamin and Lane explore what can be lost when agricultural systems prioritize yield, uniformity, and scale over flavor. Lane shares how her work brings plant breeders, farmers, chefs, and eaters together to develop crops that grow well, support local economies, and taste alive.
The conversation offers a hopeful look at how curiosity, collaboration, and good seed can create a more flavorful and resilient food system—one that reconnects people with the land and with one another.
Lane is also the author of Radicchio: A Celebration of the Beloved Italian Vegetable. Get it on Amazon for Kindle or in Hardcover here: https://a.co/d/0gaKbOcW