Mandy Aftel

Mandy Aftel is an internationally known artisan perfumer and educator on natural fragrance and flavor. She was born and educated in Michigan and has been living in Berkeley, California since 1970. She is the owner of Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley, California. The Archive is the first museum in the United States dedicated to the experience of fragrance, including her collection of one of a kind antique artifacts. She participated in many exhibitions, panels and conferences concerning scent, has demonstrated and taught the art of natural perfumery across the nation, and regularly collaborates with top-name chefs and mixologists. She was named one of the top seven bespoke perfumers in the world by Forbes.com. Her work has been featured on CNN and in The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, In Style, Time, Bon Appétit, Food and Wine, W, Self, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Elle. She is the author of eight books, most recently with Chef Daniel Patterson The Art of Flavor: Practices and Principles for Creating Delicious Food. In Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent (2014), through five major players in the epic of aroma (cinnamon, mint, frankincense, ambergris, and jasmine), Mandy explores the profound connection between our sense of smell and the appetites that move us, give us pleasure, make us fully alive. Aroma (2004), the cookbook that Mandy co-authored with chef Daniel Patterson, focuses on the essential link between food and fragrance and includes recipes for both. Essence and Alchemy: A Book of Perfume (2001) has been translated into 14 languages and was the winner of The Sense of Smell Institute’s Richard B. Solomon Award. Scents & Sensibilities (2008) guides the reader through the history and creation of solid perfumes. Mandy is also the author of The Story of Your Life: Becoming the Author of Your Experience; When Talk Is Not Cheap; and Death of a Rolling Stone: The Brian Jones Story.