Paula Wolfert, Dr. Lennart Mucke, and Geoffrey Kerchner in conversation with Patricia Unterman
Paula Wolfert’s world travels, and her deep understanding of how we cook and eat are the foundation of many classic cookbooks, including The Food of Morocco and The Cooking of Southwest France. Well-respected by her peers (Ruth Reichl credits Wolfert with “the best palate of anyone [she’s] ever met”) Wolfert is the recipient of numerous industry honors, including five James Beard Awards. In late 2013, Wolfert announced that she had been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment, an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Following this discovery, she became an advocate for Alzheimer’s research and a model for those living with the disease. Urging people to get tested and avowing that “denial is not a viable option,” Wolfert continues to cook as a strategy for fighting the disease. She serves as a member of the Alzheimer’s Association Early Stage Advisory Council.
Dr. Lennart Mucke is the Director of the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease and the Martin Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and a Professor of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Mucke’s research focuses on processes that result in memory loss and other major neurological deficits, with an emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders
Geoffrey A. Kerchner, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford with a special interest in Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and behavioral neurology. He received his MD and PhD from the University of Washington and completed his internship, residency, and fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.