From grunts to grammar: Sustaining novelty in the emergence of a culinary innovation

Novelty is difficult to pursue as returns to exploitation tend to exceed returns to exploration. Novel ideas in the main are bad, incomprehensible, and problematic for labeling and categorization. Further, systems that are good at exploration usually fail to realize the advantages of their discoveries. They need imagination not only to conjure a different world but also to persist in protecting it despite difficulties and unfavorable results. This study seeks to contribute towards understanding the micro-foundations of novelty. It does so by examining the emergence and evolution of a new culinary language, that of avant-garde cuisine. I find two groups of novelty mechanisms in operation: creative encounters and knowledge sharing. Creative encounters assist in the generation of novelty by exposure to and importation of elements from other systems. They are expressed through the space, timing, pace, and form of exchange with members of the culinary profession as well as from other arenas, such as art, design, technology, food industry, science, and business. Knowledge sharing facilitates novelty stabilization and spread. It operates through different means in the culinary profession arena, across generations, geographies and status of chefs, as well as with a range of audiences. Finally, I also account for challenges in the new language emergence and evolution, such as agreement on label, meaning, and border-crossing.