Our mission is to demonstrate and celebrate
that preparing food for others is an act of care
that improves their wellbeing and quality of life.
Why we do this
We aim inspire a global movement that celebrates, elevates and demonstrates that cooking for others is an act of care that promotes positive emotions and improves wellbeing.
Through original research, uncommon collaborations, and advocacy, we will counterbalance the systemic barriers that increasingly hinder humans from giving meaning to their food experiences.
Food made with intention doesn’t just feed the body — it feeds the soul.
When someone prepares a dish with you in mind, it carries meaning far beyond the food itself. People speak of tasting care, recognizing time invested, and feeling remembered. Our work explores this phenomenon not as poetic fluff, but as a legitimate lever for wellbeing, belonging, and resilience in today’s disjointed world. After all, isn’t it love that makes chicken soup good for the soul?
Early Signals: Love as a Recognizable Ingredient
When asked, people consistently report they can sense when food is made with care. This recognition appears shared and visceral — food prepared with love is described as more satisfying, comforting, and memorable.
(please scroll down to understand our project journey)
We will re-center food as an act of care — not a transaction.
In a world optimized for convenience, we champion food as a relationship.
By influencing school curricula, public policy, and industry, we’ll protect what can’t be automated: the emotional power of feeding others.
Cooking will be taught as a life skill, not just a chore. Policy will reflect how we eat, not just what. And industry will rediscover that profit lies not just in speed, but in human connection.
PHASES
Our project journey
PHASE 1
Explore the Resonance on Recipients
In 2024, we set up as a non profit and completed the first step of Phase 1: In conjunction with NYU and UPenn, we conducted an international quantitative survey exploring how positive emotions are transmitted through food. This initial study focused on emotional and psychological responses to food prepared with care and intention.
Get in touch to learn more about the results.
in 2025, we are conducting more qualitative and neuroscience experiments.
PHASE 2
Measure the impact on those who make the food
Next, we will turn our attention to the cooks. In this phase, we aim to measure and demonstrate how the act of preparing food with intention and care benefits the giver, not just the recipient. We’ll explore how cooking can generate positive emotions, foster a sense of meaning, and contribute to personal fulfillment—shifting food preparation from a routine task to an emotionally enriching experience.
PHASE 3
Expanding
In this stage, we explore what happens when food is prepared with care and intention beyond the 1:1 context. We’ll begin to examine scenarios where people might cook for many—whether in public, communal, or professional and commercial settings—and investigate how different contexts shape the emotional depth and meaning carried by the food. This phase invites broader questions about scale, structure, and the limits of human connection through food.
About us
We are a group of passionate experts with diverse backgrounds in food science, innovation, psychology, history, neuroscience, and design, all united by our shared interest in exploring the intersection of love and food. Our team includes:
César Vega
A seasoned food innovator with extensive experience across global companies.
Veronika Stabinger
A creative executive and innovation expert in the food industry, specializing in environmental, service, and experience design.
Amy Bentley
A historian and professor specializing in the cultural contexts of food, deeply involved in food-related academic and applied projects.
Paul Rozin
A psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania studying human relationships to food.
Avani Sanghvi
A health and wellbeing expert dedicated to driving sustainable change through food.
Carol Ann Pflaum
A driven food industry professional specializing in innovation, consumer insights, cultural food studies, and public health.
Events
April 15 2024 , 6:00 P.M. Talk: Is Love a Food Ingredient? @platform By JBF
Teaspoon of Love is a part of Pantry Full of Love, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit.
Get in touch
Want to Share Your Personal Love Food Story?