Regional Interests

'The Four Top': Drew Prindle | Chase McPeak | Sam Slaughter

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Katherine Cole

Published July 9, 2018 at 6:30 AM PDT

<p>A worker lifts a lunch bowl off the production line at Spyce, a restaurant which uses a robotic cooking process, in Boston, Thursday, May 3, 2018. Robots can't yet bake a souffle or fold a burrito, but the new restaurant in Boston is employing what it calls a "never-before-seen robotic kitchen" to cook up ingredients and spout them into a bowl.</p> — A worker lifts a lunch bowl off the production line at Spyce, a restaurant which uses a robotic cooking process, in Boston, Thursday, May 3, 2018. Robots can't yet bake a souffle or fold a burrito, but the new restaurant in Boston is employing what it calls a "never-before-seen robotic kitchen" to cook up ingredients and spout them into a bowl.

In this future-forward episode, robots are here, and they're changing farming. In our first course, we talk about robotic bees and more.

Next: For some, progress equals technological advancements across all industries. For others, cooking is as old as civilization and should remain a classic craft. We discuss the tension between robot-run restaurants and traditionalist cooks.

Finally, the food biz isn't the only industry becoming more automized, beverage production is getting a revamp as well. We discuss a Napa winery that's more high-tech than a spaceship and other interesting advances in booze.

Meet our panelists: Sam Slaughter is food and drink editor at The Manual and author of the forthcoming book "Grownup Drinks." Drew Prindle is emerging technologies editor for Digital Trends. Chase McPeak is associated editor of lifestyle at The Manual. Our host is Katherine Cole.