Cooking with IEEE Spectrum: Kevin Weeks

An IEEE Spectrum Radio Special

IEEE Spectrum Radio
16 minutes, 7.3mb, recorded 2007-02-01

On this first edition of Cooking with IEEE Spectrum, Suzan Hassler speaks with Kevin Weeks, the programmer, magazine editor turned chef. Weeks was a software programmer for over 20 years before turning to cooking - but he admits he'd been cooking since age 6. He started out by cooking jello under the tutelage of his mother, and continued cooking ever since.

Weeks, who was one of the first adopters of the C++ programming language, describes how his interest in programming went hand in hand with his interest in food. Cooking, like programming, was another outlet for his creative urges. He was further inspired by the book 'On Food and Cooking' by Harold McGee.

Approaching cooking and food with the mind of an engineer allows you to understand more elements of cooking. For example, what happens when you sear meat and then hot and fast, versus cooking it slowly? Complex chemical reactions make seared meat so tasty, but is it the best way to cook meat?

This program was originally broadcast on IEEE Spectrum Radio.


Kevin Weeks is a food correspondent, personal chef, cooking teacher, and writer in Knoxville, Tennessee who spends too many hours on his feet, cooking. His column, "Paisano" is focused on peasant dishes from around the world. Weeks writes about food and cooking on his blog, Seriously Good.

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