Duff Goldman Is Helping Kennedy Space Center Visitors 'Taste Space'

While he earned the Food Network Title "King of Cakes" with his spaced theme cake in Season One of "Buddy vs Duff" (via Facebook), Duff Goldman will curate another out-of-this-world menu at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Although the popular chef may not be blasting off in that Dragon Crew capsule, an upcoming special event will give guests on the Space Coast a taste of his culinary creativity. Whether or not astronaut ice cream is one of the ingredients remains to be seen.

Food in space is more complicated than staring at the pantry and wondering what to eat. As NASA detailed, having sufficient supplies onboard is vital, but the area to contain all that food is limited. Although an astronaut on the "ISS uses about 1.83 pounds of food per meal each day," the meals cannot be delivered via DoorDash. Growing methods, rehydration, and other scientific innovations ensure that space adventurers get sufficient nutritional benefits while floating in zero gravity.

In addition, other parameters for galactic travel need to be taken into consideration. As CNN chronicled, John Glenn might have been the first American to eat pureed food from a tube, but the dietary options have expanded greatly over the years. Still, one flavor consideration seems to hold true over the years. Astronauts like spicy food and condiments which seem to help make those prepackaged meals more palatable. While it seems that the heat blast-off is only one space travel element, Goldman might add some new flavor. 

While residents of the Space Coast might be accustomed to rockets launching throughout the month, an upcoming special event at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSC) offers guests a taste of three celebrity chefs' out-of-this-world culinary creations. Duff Goldman, Rocco DiSpirito, and Marc Murphy will host "Taste of Space: Celebrity Edition" on November 4, 2022. The popular chefs will be joined by NASA astronauts as the chefs demo their dishes, and guests can sample some of the food offerings. While the complete menu has not been released, Goldman will be creating an "out-of-this-world cake" for the special event. Maybe one of the chefs can do a play on steak and eggs, the traditional first meal eaten before astronauts blast into space (via Space.com).

This special celebrity chef event is an expansion of the KSC Taste of Space. Throughout the year, the Visitor's Complex has offered themed menu items as well as special events that blend food and a space theme. Given that the space industry continues to expand, the interest in both the history and the future of the Space Program is growing. In some ways, food and space have come a long way from Tang and freeze-dried ice cream. Although space might not necessarily be the next trending dining locale, it could inspire some out-of-this-world culinary creativity.