About

Museum Curator

Deborah Henson-Conant is the curator of (and founder and primary contributor to) the Burnt Food Museum.

Assistant Curator

Beatriz Harley (here seen with one of the BFM Mugs) is assistant curator of the BFM.

OFFICIAL MUSEUM HARPIST: Katya Herman

Katya Herman is the official Royal Burnt Food Museum harpist.

The museum was founded – or possibly discovered – in the late 1980’s one night when founder D. Henson-Conant put on a small pot of Hot Apple Cider to heat, then received an unexpected . . . fascinating . . . and very long phone call. By the time she returned to the kitchen, the Cider had become a “Cinder” and thus the first, and perhaps still the most impressive, exhibit: “Free Standing Hot Apple Cider” was born.

SINCE THEN, countless other works have entered – and occassionally mysteriously disappeared from – the museum, such as “Thrice Baked Potato,” “Why Sure, You Can Bake Quiche in the Microwave,” the indestructible “Mmmm……Soy Pups,” and the lovely matching set of Pizza Toast.

DOCUMENTATION: The museum, its curator and it’s educational display “Before and After: Toast” were the cover story for the Jan/Feb 1992 “Journal of Irreproducible Results;” the Museum has been toured by the hosts of NPR’s Weekend Edition, Morning Edition, and featured on NPR’s “The Splendid Table.” In 2002, a televised tour of the museum featured on the Food Network’s “Unwrapped”

Please remember the Museum’s Motto: “To Cook the Museum Way — `always leave the flame on low . . . and then take a long nap.”

HOT TIP: Never scrimp on fire extinguishers and smoke alarms. They are decorative, colorful and lend a cozy, warm atmosphere to any kitchen .

How many times have you ‘ruined’ a batch of chocolate chip cookies or a romantic dinner for two?

Turn those culinary ‘failures’ into LIFELONG TREASURES for you and your family to enjoy!  Celebrate the joy of being able to continue enjoying them – knowing that, if ‘successful’, they would have been gone forever in just a few bites.

That’s right – you, too, could have a wing of the Burnt Food Museum in your very own home! Set aside a special shelf in your own kitchen for those surprising and wonderful objects of art that YOU created without even trying!

Like “aleatoric music” in which certain elements (notes, for example) are intentionally left to chance, all Burnt Food Museum exhibits are required to be accidental works of art.

And like musical theater,  the stories of the exhibits are equally – or more –  important than the objects d’arts themselves.  In one case of a slow-cooking Thanksgiving turkey and a woman going into early and extended labor, the art completely disappeared and all that’s left is the story.

BFM Authenticity Requirement & Submission Guidelines

Just remember that the BFM is a joyful celebration of accidental masterpiece and human imperfection. Requirements for Museum Quality Works are that they be self-preserved, and that no works have been intentionally burnt.    

To be included in the official gallery, submit your works via our “Burnt Food Museum: Artwork Submission Form (pdf)” (and don’t worry if it takes us a few years to add them to the exhibit)

Then surprise & delight your friends! Wear your “Museum Of Burnt Food Field Research Team” apron while you display your culinary artwork (Aprons and other BFM delights available at our online Museum Souvenir Shop).

And for girl scouts and boy scouts. . . join our efforts to lobby the Scout Council to include a “Burnt Beyond Perfection” badge!

The BFM contains some of the greatest original carbonized culinary artwork in the world.  It’s been featured on the Food Network’s “Unwrapped,” NPR’s “Weekend Edition” and “Splendid Table,” ABC’s “The View” and countless blogs and programs worldwide.  It has been the answer to questions on “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me!” twice and featured in the Annals of Improbable Research.

The Burnt Food Museum is a private collection, open exclusively by special invitation to major donors of the DHC Legacy Project. These intimate museum experiences include a personalized tour with curator Deborah Henson-Conant and – yes – a private harp concert if requested.

Of course the BFM is available to the public worldwide through the virtual galleries at BurntFoodMuseum.com where visitors can learn more and submit their own accidental burnt masterpieces to this joyous celebration of human imperfection.

The Curator will greet you, guide you through the museum, providing a personal history of each piece and presenting a brief dramatic reading of testimonials from BFM contributing artists. You’ll see original BFM exhibits first-hand, including the seminal “Free Standing Hot Apple Cider” … and upon request, the curator will perform a burning rendition of “I’ll Be Your Sous Chef, Baby” on her harp.

To inquire about a Private Museum Tour Experience, contact the curator using her “Ask a Question” form,