My Food Job Rocks!

I met Darryl at an NCIFT event about a year ago and we talked, and after the event, he invited me to drink with him and I got a free beer out of the deal. I talked his ear off about podcasting and he wanted to start one. Every month, when I saw him at an IFT event, I asked him if he started. 8 months later, this podcast came to life and I’ve been giving Darryl pointers ever since. What’s great is that in almost every IFT event where Darryl and I are there, we gather a group of friends to go and drink at a local craft beer afterwards and it’s always a blast. If you’re in California, you’re welcomed to join us! Just a disclaimer, this is a very long episode! If you want some good career advice, the first 45 minutes are full of that. The rest, we talk about random stuff and as I keep on drinking some really good beer. This includes topics such as marketing craft beers, describing beer in specific detail, slurring my words, and sprinkled in there are bits of wisdom, from all of the knowledge. So the first half, the standard fun stuff about my life. The second half, is a bit more chaotic and sporadic, but I found it pretty fun. You aren’t obliged to listen to the whole episode. Jump around a bit! This is a fun episode. Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Alcohol I talk about Boxed Wine Keystone Coors Light 805 Beer Four Peaks Moose Drool Left Hand Milk Stout Kentucky Bourbon Lemon Drop Cleophus Quealyhttps://www.beertalknow.com/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a bonus episode with Rachelle Boucher (episode 46) as she talks about her experience working as a private chef for the Lucas family and her experience working with the Lucas family including interacting with the kids, Lucas himself, and the actor of Jar Jar Binks. We do this live in Tinker Kitchen!  About Rachelle Culinary Program Developer, Private Chef and Appliance Whisperer  Chef Rachelle knew early on that food would be her medium. With the power to nourish, entertain, unite and delight humans she began to use it as the ultimate outlet for her boundless energy and creativity. As an adventurer and environmentalist, she creates immersive culinary programs, classes and content promoting sustainable food and wellness. She is also the "appliance whisperer", training individuals, architects and designers on how to choose and use modern cooking appliances and technology. She cooks regularly for secret celebrity clients. When not cooking, she and her husband Rob hike and picnic in their glorious new hometown of Pacifica, California watching whales, seals, sea lions, birds and sunsets in a live nature show that renews their mutual commitment protecting the land and sea.  Show Notes DEMA Flavoragentcooks.com @Flavoragent - Instagram LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This interview is with Andy Dratt, Chief Commercial Officer at Imbibe, a Beverage Innovation Company and has had past experiences building flavor divisions in Griffith, FONA, and Sensient. If you want to know all about what it takes to develop an innovative new beverage, this podcast episode is for you! Andy and his team at Imbibe are experts in developing beverages because it’s not just formulating and pay up, but it’s much more than that. It’s a whole system. Learn about the fine line between the possible and the impossible, and new beverage trends in this episode. You’ll also learn about the amazing career path Andy’s went through, and learn how even after some detours out of the food industry, he always ends up back into food. I was fortunate enough to listen to Andy’s talk at the RCA conference and it was really fun seeing him in person. Andy definitively knows his stuff about Beverages About Andy As Chief Commercial Officer at Imbibe, Andy Dratt leads a team with a cutting-edge approach to beverage development for a wide range of customers - from small startups to billion-dollar brands. During the past decade at Imbibe, he’s helped redefine the company’s business model and implemented a strategic vision that has guided the company’s compounding growth in the marketplace. He leverages over 20 years of experience guiding CPG and foodservice operators to conceptualize, develop and launch new products to market in the US, Latin America and Europe. Dratt has a passion for helping customers identify and exploit the “sweet spot” between consumer needs, business wants and product realities. He communicates that passion while speaking at industry events and in articles for industry publications. *NEW* Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I run a beverage development company. What is a beverage?: We work with all forms including alcohol, shakes, etc What’s your favorite product to work on?: We do 300 projects a year. I’m most intrigued on projects that are technically challenging and new to the industry. Operational challenges too (such as alternative dairy) What does it mean by Experience?: Not just product experience, but connections, mindset, locations, etc. What do you do when a customer gives you an impossible task?: You need to be confident enough to say “no”. If you say yes, you might be wasting your time. Describe the Steps it took to get to where you are today?: I was getting an MBA in France and ended up working in Slim Fast. Moved to Griffith Laboratories and started a flavor division. After a stint in MBA management, I had a lot of flavor stints. Even ran an R+D division. Blow mold garbage Cans Sensient How do you guys grow?: Speaking at conferences is very useful How do you reduce/remove office politics?: You have to cut it out from the leadership level What type of food trends and technologies are exciting for you?: We want to reduce sugar and we work a lot on sugar reduction. CBD is trending, but it’s still illegal Full spectrum hemp extract Nootropics Protein NextGen Stevia and Monkfruit Mouthfeel innovation What is one thing you’d like to know more about?: How chemicals like sucralose are made Who inspired you to get into food?: A bunch. Jackie Levin at Griffith, or even functional cool things in the industry What is your thought about job hopping?: If you set some kind of plan for yourself, it helps. Favorite Food in Chicago: Del Seoul Korean Taco Place Any advice about the food industry?: Look at the back of food labels and google the ingredients. The food industry always needs talented people. You’ll find your niche. There’s so much to look into Where can we find you for advice?: Here’s my LinkedIn. My Email: Andy.dratt@imbibe.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren Joyner used to be a designer for many tech startups and a year ago, dropped all of that to pursue food and is now the founder of LOCA Foods, which is a plant-based cheese dip company. I met Lauren at the Cultured Meat Symposium and our companies were boothed together at the Fancy Food Show and Alternative Protein show. So of course, we chatted and our discussions were so good, I wanted to capture it on a podcast. A big portion of this interview is about year one of building a food company. Being in the thick of it, things can be difficult, but this is why I love talking about these stories not only does it helps Lauren and I to talk it out, but it gives a lens of the hard parts on creating a business from scratch Another cool topic we go over is the concept of Design Thinking, in which Lauren did a presentation about it at the Alternative Protein Show. Lauren explains it in great detail and perhaps you can use these concepts in your next project. *NEW* Sponsor: Salt of the Earth I'm happy to introduce our newest sponsor: Salt of the Earth and their new ingredient,  Mediterranean Umami, an all-natural and clean-label flavor enhancer and sodium reduction ingredient that works amazingly on meats, veggie-meats, soups and sauces and ready-meals. My friend, David gave me a bottle and I use it on my pasta sauces, or rice porridge to give it the satisfying umami depth I crave.  Find the 2017 IFT Innovation Award Winner at IFT19 at booth number 2112 where they will be showcasing fresh food prepared with Mediterranean Umami. If you're interested now, feel free to email them at info@salt.co.il Show Notes Kitchentown Clean Meat Symposium – Nov 2018 Good Food Institute Monthly Entrepreneur call Fancy Food Show Alternative Protein Show What do you tell people in a sentence or less?: Designer turned foodprenuer Print design UX-Design Loca Food – plant-based queso dip Memphis Meats JUST Food Startups Podcast Effective Altruism EA Global How long were you in the design industry?: 10 years When did you change to plant-based?: I ate meat all my life until I moved to New Orleans and became a pescatarian. 2 years ago, I decided to give up cheese and made my own cheese dip What has changed since less than a year ago? Since you started: Whatever seems like a giant mountain today, it’s going to be a small dot eventually. No business plan survives the first impact Design Thinking: Human Centered Design focused on three buckets 1st Bucket: Empathy - Give consumers what they want. Get to know your customer Forced Rank List – a Priority list 2nd Bucket: Ideation phase – let’s find a way to solve these problems Cyclic process: you need to reiterate again and again How are you using design thinking for Loca food?: Mainly the marketing side Vegan vs Plant-based Instagram Ads – for @eatlocafood, we test ads all the time Facebook also does a great job doing this because it targets really specific Instagram How do you make bright Instagram photo’s?: Buy photo papers Why does your food job rock?: Every little step gets you closer to a bigger step What type of food trends and technologies are exciting you right now?: Plant-based meat and cell-based meat What part of the food industry would you like to know more about?: Copacking and R+D Kitchentown Was there a specific person who got you into food?: The animals got me into the plant-based space Food Deserts Favorite Kitchen Item: Gus Modern Simple Fruit Tray Favorite Quote: In a short time, this moment will feel like a long time Any advice for people in the food industry: If you’re not scared of the worst situation, then you should do it Find us on: @eatlocafood or eatlocafood.com. You can go to lhcreativespace.com to see my creative work Send me a message on twitter or LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marc Simony wrote a compelling post at his time at the American Food Innovation Summit. I found it pretty cool, so I asked him to be on the show. What I didn’t know until I did my reach is that Marc is one of the important people in TraceGains, one of the fastest growing supply chain management software programs in the food industry. And that he live din Phoenix, neat! Marc lays on a ton of advice on his experience working for TraceGains such as times pivoting the business and times where taking risks benefitted them. Marc specifically goes into the idea of recognizing weak signals and capitalizing on them I was happy to meet Marc live at the Cactus IFT Supplier’s Night in Phoenix. We talked for a bit, and I picked his brain on some potential new projects I’m working on for My Food Job Rocks. You can see a really cool picture of him on the show notes. VP of TraceGains Network Marc is a holistic brand thinker. He joined TraceGains in the spring of 2008 as head of marketing, where he continuously searched out best practices, stayed atop new market and marketing developments, and relished in devising corporate and competitive strategies that negate competition. That expertise led him to the position of VP of TraceGains Network, where he drives the transition to providing a collaborative industry platform. Marc graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Communication from the University of New Hampshire, and has earned an MBA with distinction in Global Management from The Thunderbird School of Global Management. He occasionally writes on LinkedIn, still listens to vinyl, and cooks Southeast Asian dishes on weekends. Shownote The LinkedIn Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/overheard-american-food-innovate-summit-marc-simony/ TraceGains – Supplier Relationship Management What do you tell people who just meet you?: We make sure that the food you eat doesn’t kill you. Those who kinda know what we're about: We make sure the food you consume to make the quality and regulatory requirements I was one of TraceGain's first employees and it’s been active for 11 years Supposed to be a tracking software but people thought it wasn’t worth it. Recall Insurance We noticed that people wanted document management so we pivoted to that Now we truly serve the entire business innovating every day For example, our program: Post Once – A supplier has to just post once and things happen The article talks about that people want small wins, but we also need to keep in mind that the consumer needs to trust the food Barb Stuckey – To the consumer, clean label/front of pack is more important than nutrition label New trends: protein and fiber Mergers and Acquisitions Anthropologists What is supply chain for you?: logistics moves from point to point but there’s so much going on. It’s actually called a supply web Food is the largest portion of the CPG supply chain Can you describe the steps it took to get to where you are today?: When I was 16, I went to the United States from Germany. Then I started my own radio company and then I interviewed for TraceGains as head of marketing. I liked the description that combined technology and things that were important to me. Mitsua or Yaohan Marketplace What was interesting about growing TraceGains?: I loved to stick my nose into things. I read weak signals and go from there Inbound Marketing – Hubspot What is the most exciting thing in the food industry?: Food startups, also big companys are struggling to innovate What does innovation mean to you?: Finding weak signals and bringing them to life Kimchi smoothie Bimbo Bakery Home delivery kits Smart Fridge What is one thing you’d like to know more about food?: The science Apple Airpods Mitch Stoltz Electronic Frontiers Profile Favorite Food: Dad’s Cardamom from Three Twins Ice Cream Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream from Trader Joes What do you think are some opportunities in the food industry?: There is a talent shortage. In supply chain, I would focus on data and data science with logistics Where can we find you for advice?: LinkedIn. Send me a question or connection. Let me know that you found me through My Food job Rocks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is with Kenny Lao, who worked with the masterminds behind Nobu, created his own restaurant empire Rickshaw Dumplings, and now brings it all together in his new project, Culinary Task Force, a consulting service to help bring new restaurant concepts to life. We have a couple of episodes on My Food Job Rocks that deal with building restaurants so I asked Kenny advice on how to build one. Especially in the New York scene. Kenny did not disappoint telling me the intricate and honest details on creating a restaurant in the city. We go over a lot of things in what you might not actually realize goes into a successful restaurant including the importance of foot traffic, to finding an architecture, to having (what Kenny calls) a full bench. Kenny and I also talk about some soft skills like how to improve your stress levels, or how to persistent in getting a call with someone important. We also, of course, talk about Chinese food in great detail, especially how to make a good dumpling. About Kenny As the Principal of Culinary Task Force Kenny’s culinary insights work is informed by his active involvement in creating forward thinking, sustainable F+B Concepts. Prior to Culinary Task Force, Kenny was the Founder and Managing Operator of New York based Rickshaw Dumplings, an Asian fast-casual restaurant group with 3 stores, one shipping container in Times Square, a fleet of 4 mobile trucks and a retail grocery product range for over a decade winning awards and recognitions in publications such as Nations Restaurant News, New York Magazine, New York Times, Monocle and Restaurant Hospitality Magazine. Before opening Rickshaw, Kenny gained vast restaurant industry experience providing consulting services to various well-known clients first as Special Projects Director for Drew Nieporent’s Myriad Restaurant Group as well as through independent consulting.   At Myriad, Kenny oversaw the opening of multiple new restaurant establishments for clients such as Starwood’s W Hotel Brand, Marriott, Sports Club/LA and Neiman Marcus.   Additionally, he has worked with store designers, brand consultants and chefs, as well as with opening teams of management and with managers and staff on day-to-day operations pre and post-opening.  Kenny has taught at the Brooklyn Kitchen and has spoken at the World Economic Forum, Fast Company Summit, Inc. Magazine, French Culinary, ICE, Johnson + Wales Culinary, Brown University and NYU Stern School of Business.  Honors include: UBS Clinton Foundation Fellow, Crain’s 40 Under 40, Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30.  Kenny holds an MBA from NYU Stern and a BA in International Relations from Brown University.  He loves riding his bike, mangoes, watermelon, bacon and seltzer. Shownotes Did you know: Kenny Lao is Google-able Did you also know: Food Network actually helps only retail or consumer-facing brands Foot Traffic for restaurants: sitting at your potential restaurant and count people going in and all ALL DAY. This indicates traffic is good. What do you do now?: I’m a hospitality consultant, The principal of Culinary Taskforce Culinary Taskforce is a collection of all of the services and skills to run a new concept and grow a successful one The landscape today is now about the client’s concept and finds the chef that fits that concept. In the past, that wasn’t the case How did you start in the restaurant business?: My parents loved dining out. My father used to ask me to order from the adult’s menu. I studied international relations. After a few non-restaurant stints, I found out about this new restaurant group at Nobu and I was very very aggressive trying to get Drew (the owner) to call. 411: ask for people’s numbers. I got Drew’s mother instead. Drew’s mother told Kenny that her mother wanted to him, and that’s how the relationship started Became their pro-bono project manager I was doing 3 unique concepts every year Starwood During that time, I got an MBA (you can work while getting your MBA by the way) I was priced out after getting an MBA. So I started Rickshaw Dumplings, a fast-casual dumpling place We grew the brand to 4 locations and 4 food trucks in a decade Anita Lo Any advice from starting a restaurant?: Get referrals, get referrals, get referrals. Get an architect and engineer who is on board with this. You never want to pay rent on a property you’re not opened on yet Would you pay for a premium price to build a restaurant?: I wouldn’t hire the same architect twice. You need to figure out what’s a good fit with your architecture What’s the indicator of starting another restaurant?: Has to be profitable. I mean really has money. You also need a deep bench. It’s ok to have one restaurant, but people are super important. People are very hard to scale and you need to scale things before you start another restaurant Deep bench: a foundational leadership team How much is a restaurant in New York?: I’ve seen $90k restaurant and I;ve seen $5 million restaurants. Typical buildout: $400-$500 square foot Why did you decide to go into consulting?: My husband forced me to. The restaurant industry was taking a toll of my personal life. What’s an important skillset that you need in the restaurant business?: You need to improve your stress tolerance. What do you find unique about New York’s food scene?: I’m excited to see a lot of new ethnic foods. I think it will be a marketplace for experimentation. I’m excited to see what’s coming in from out of the country. I think large conglomerates, families, and entrepreneurs are starting things. Los Angeles is actually is a really exciting a food city. LA and New York is different because LA takes time to plan, New York is easy access so the reward is greater than LA. Omakase What’s one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: I want to see what Gen Z is eating. What do you know now about it?: Gen Z grew up snacking. I predict that Bodegas will expand Spiderman Homecoming Bodega Vending machines Café X What’s your favorite quote?: There’s no good decisions, there’s only ways to make decisions good Favorite Kitchen Item: Fish Spatula. I use it for everything. Fried dumplings, omelets, pancakes My Book: Hey There Dumplings. Has Anita’s dumpling recipe Dumpling tips: Ratio of dough to meat filling. Some people like thin skins and thick skins. You need a very well-feel dumpling. It’s the balance of flavor from the dipping sauce to the filling. It’s a balance between those two flavors. There’s nothing as good as a home made handwrapped dumpling Dim Sum is southern Northern Chinese is steamed, bready and wheaty Southern: more egg yolks, spices, gravy sauces (Cantonese) Hand pulled noodle: You don’t add anything, but you need the right temperature Any advice for anyone who wants to start a restaurant?: Work at a restaurant. The more you work at a restaurant, the more you’re familiar about it. I think it should be a year. It’s not hard because of what you have to do, but it’s hard because the repetition. I can wash dishes, but can you wash for 4 years straight? Where can we find you for advice?: Culinary Task Force.com kenny@culinarytaskforce.com. I like to talk to people. Even if they’re not ready Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Tara-Ann Dugan gives us a deep dive into the wonderful world of pork which includes barbeque, pork chops, and bacon! We learn how pork is trending and in what ways the consumer eats the meat. We go into the insights on how the data was collected (if you’re into that like I am) and also some market trends that might be related to your field. Tara also has a great history in consumer insights and I loved talking to her about her career journey. Her 4 year McDonald's stint, for instance, was super informative to see how a giant company moves forward. Form all-day breakfast, to food mobile ordering apps. We apologize in advance for any sound issues in this interview. There is a high pitched kettle-like noise sporadically throughout the interview and we’ve tried multiple methods to reduce the noise the best we can. We recommend that you listen to this podcast not using headphones in case you are sensitive to high pitch noises. Other than that, enjoy the show. About Tara Tara-Ann Dugan (Tara) joined the National Pork Board as the Director of Consumer and Marketplace Insights in 2018.  With experience spanning 12+ years across McDonald’s Corporation, IRI working with Hillshire Brands (now Tyson Foods), Nielsen, and Hammacher Schlemmer, Tara has a strong demonstrated background steeped in syndicated research, food and foodservice as well as innovation, and consumer & shopper insights.  Her passion is bringing quantitative and qualitative data together to illuminate the consumer story while making strategic and actionable recommendations to drive growth.  Tara is a proud alum of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Roosevelt University, where she received a BS in Business Administration in 2005 and MS in Integrated Marketing Communications in 2008.  Tara is also a self-proclaimed Foodie! Shownotes  The white paper we talk about: National Pork Board White Paper we talk about When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I help figure out what people buy and why. I leverage consumer and data insights to deliver marketing material What exactly is the national pork board?: For every dollar for pork, a little goes to the Pork Board for research purposes Other organizations such as dairy and cattle What are some cool insights about pork?: Pork makes up about 1/4th of the meat sales. Though bacon is the most popular, there are so many other categories What's bigger than pork?: Beef is about 40% of the share, chicken 20% Are there certain ethnicities that enjoy pork more?: Yes, in Hispanic and Asians. Pork Belly is now trending amongst Millenials. Pulled pork is trending in superbowl cuisine How did you create that research study?: We partnered with Numerator that analyzes purchasing and analyzed their buying patterns. Did focus groups all over the countries. How many responses do you usually get?: 10,000 responses! What are the benefits between large scale and small scale tests?: You get different sets of data. Small groups are much more specific. What did you find out?: We’re very busy, and very mobile. We are also based off of occasions. There are many different needs for food. Sometimes products are create solving one person’s problem Describe the steps to get to where you are today?: I went to Urbana Champaign. I used to be in Finance, but I also loved talking to people so Consumer Research was for me Coming out of college, I went to Hammglershallmer, an eCommerce company I then worked with IRI and worked with Hillshire brands with Jimmie Dean and Ballpark Since you’ve worked with so many different brands, what is the underlying principles within what you’ve done in your jobs?: It’s all about the consumer McDonalds Wraps All Day breakfast Cage Free Eggs I did everything at McDonalds from food to mobile apps and ordering All Day breakfast – The consumers want it, but it is a big ship and it’s hard to move What are the most important skills in your job?: Analytical, yet you need Empathy. You need to see what is going on in their lives How does your data reach farmers?: We kinda work for the farmers. Food Technology: Consumer Electronics Show had refrigerators that could take stock on what consumers have on hand and place orders for them The biggest challenge the industry has to face: How can the meat industry innovate? Not much in the meat isle. We are putting a finger on plant-based and cell-based meat. The innovation is exciting Chicharrones Favorite cut of pork?: Bacon or prosciutto Adam's favorite: All-You-Can-Eat Korean Barbeque One thing you’d like to know more about?: I’m curious about how Artificial Intelligence will evolve. Favorite Book: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Favorite Kitchen Item: Airfryer Can you recall a favorite meal recently?: Escovitch Lobster. I had it in New Orleans and in Jamaica, the restaurant in Jamaica is called Pier 1. What should schools be doing more of?: AP Economics gave me a great foundation and I don’t think those courses are regularly available. Price trends of pork: Someone who eats pork is also more likely to eat beef or chicken The most popular cut: bacon The least popular cut: offal Find me on Linkedin: Tara-Ann Dugan There is a ton of information about consumer insight on LinkedIn Alan Reed - Chicagoland Food and Beverage Quarts Marketing Research Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m a huge fan of the viral videos on social media that teach you how to cook in just a few minutes. The dishes are eye poppingly bright and I personally love trying to replicate them. I caught Matthew’s post on LinkedIn, talking about his layoff from Buzzfeed. As many know, many media companies went through a layoff round, and unfortunately, Matthew was one of them. I reached out to Matt to tell his story and we had an interview that night. I learned about the complexity of creating Tasty videos and the neat tips and tricks that go with it. But what’s even more impressive is Matthew’s culinary journey. He went to the Culinary Insitute of America and graduated with no debt and during that time, he would post a video on youtube every week for 8 years, about his culinary creations! Matt is doing amazingly well, with media deals all around Los Angeles. He’s using his skills in culinary video content creation to freelance for companies such as Viacom and MTV Cribs, and working as a private chef for Pretty Healthy Foods Inc. What’s also pretty cool is that he started to get into Podcasting and has a show called DinnerViews and it’s pretty good! You can check that out in the shownotes. So if you’re interested in culinary school, or creating professional cooking videos, this episode is for you. About Matthew Francis Matthew Francis is a chef and food video producer living in Los Angeles, CA. At age 23, He is most known for his previous work as a BuzzFeed Tasty Producer where he would make their viral top-down recipe videos for 100 million+ Tasty fans around the globe. For each of his videos, he would research food trends, write recipes, cook, and film the food, edit the footage, and then gather audience analytics feedback once it was published. Since leaving BuzzFeed Tasty, Matthew Francis has taken on clients working as a private chef and hosts his own food podcast show called "DinnerViews." Matthew's culinary journey is filled with fascinating stories including losing 110 pounds after coming out, traveling across the country for cooking competitions, and earning $175,000 in scholarships to graduate from the CIA debt free. His long term goal is to be the CEO of his own restaurant group and create a production company that produces television and films that will showcase incredible stories about food and the people who love it. Huge ambitions aside, Matthew Francis just seems like your chatty best friend you want to enjoy a delicious dinner with.   To connect more with Matthew Francis (@matthewfrancisj) follow him Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter or enjoy to his podcast "DinnerViews" on YouTube, iTunes, or Spotify." Show Notes What do people call you?: I’m a chef and food producer and I make viral videos about foods. Culinary Content Producer, chef, video Do you get hand make-up?: Only girls do, but mainly because people bash them online if their hands are not pretty A tasty video is about a minute or 3 minutes. Every video is about a month of work A lot of people in the tasty team went to culinary school. Only I and Rea went to culinary school I started as an intern, then I was contracted as a junior producer and did 2 a week and then we had 6-7 a month and planned in advanced What kind of equipment do you use?: Copycats can’t compare and Buzzfeed as a specific way of doing things. We do use pretty good camera equipment and manipulate lighting well Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today?: I always wanted to be a chef and worked hard to be one. I was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. I got scholarships that paid for school and I was able to pay for all of it. I started making videos at 18 and made a video once a week. By the end of my graduation, I had over 300+ videos. Buzzfeed found these videos and asked me to interview On Scholarships: Plenty in James Beard Foundation, cooking contests, recipe competitions, Elks Scholarships, CIA had video scholarships How did you start your videos: I had an iphone and I just started filming and didn’t stop What camera are you buying for your new gig?: A Canon 80D Cooking and making videoes follow the same vein as you should do it every day to improve Who did you watch in the food network?: Cat Cora, Masuhara Morimoto, Alton Brown, Giada, as a kid, I thought it was awesome. I got to work with Anne Burrel and worked with Wolfgang Puck, Susan Fenniger, JJ Johnson What is an important skill you need for producing videos?: Pulling ideas out of your butt. how do you generate new ideas?: I try to do things that I want to do. I also see a lot of food trends. I try to look into underlying trends and dissect that. Five Spice Powder My Food Job Rocks: I’ve been given an opportunity and I’m going to run with it What’s your dream job?: I want my own restaurant group and media groups What type of food trends are exciting you?: I’m interested in where food comes from. The history and sustainability of classic food What’s your favorite technique for cooking?: Searing. As long as I’m trying something new, I love cooking Adam’s Middle School Cast Iron Skillet What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Authenticity. But it’s more like, people will always complain about dishes in being authentic. You need to treat food authentically How do you make authentic dishes to respect the culture?: We did a black history month, Asian history month, etc. Then do it all throughout the year. We would bring someone who is of that race to make that dish. For me, cultural appropriation is shown offing a cultural dish without giving the culture credit. Who inspired you to get into food?: My parents. Also the people on TV and cook book authors Susie Fogelson What’s your favorite cookbook?: My family has their own cook book. My mom, Shirley Speltz has a lot fo Luxenberg dishes Favorite Kitchen Item: Bench Scraper Secret Chef (not sure what it’s called) Pate en Crut Korean BBQ: Genwa KBBQ – Galbi OO-Kook Koreatown Any advice for anyone going into your field: If you want to be a chef, you have to know what you want and you have to know what sets you apart. They don’t see the long hours and back-breaking work. If you live a life of creating content you’re passionate about, you’ll die happy. What’s next for you after Buzzfeed?: The layoff was a kick in the pants. I’ve always wanted to create my own content and my own business. My work experience taught me how to do it Where can we find you for advice?: @matthewfrancisj on Instagram and twitter. Brainfood production I love talking to people. Send me a message, we’ll talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I met Ethan Beswick at the Prime Root’s panel at IndieBio a couple of months ago and he was just a really cool, chill dude. It helped that he offered me some whiskey before the talk. After he told me what Endless West was about, I was curious to learn more. Ethan himself has an interesting background, especially since he took about a year off to go travel the world. I’ve heard of people do this, whether it’s teaching English, or just because they’re sick of it all. Sometimes I wish I could do that, so I ask Ethan my biggest fear: how do you adjust back after you take your trip? Ethan definitively got back to food science as his journey took him to a few innovative companies until he finally joined Endless West. Over time, he's picked up different innovation tips and tricks, which we dive into as well. So get ready to learn a bit about the alcohol industry, a little bit about hiring, and maybe a few tips and tricks, to innovate in your industry. About Ethan Ethan graduated as a Dean's Scholar with a Bachelor's Degree in Food Science from the University of Delaware.  He has spent his career working with startups and established food companies focusing on quantifying our senses and product design   A food lover at his core, the move to Endless West opened up the depth of exploration of his favorite subjects - food, wine, and spirits- to a nearly unimaginable level. Show notes Ingredion Prime Roots Food Tech Panel Spero Foods A few people telling me I was bad Miraculex When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell people in a sentence or less?: I love food What is your role in Endless West?: Research Director What does Endless West do?: We make Whiskey in 24 hours instead of 18 years Whiskey has so many different components and we will always try and track it. Are you guys currently in the market?: Yes. We’re in California and New York Do you make the whiskey in house?: Yes! TTB – Tax and Trade Bearau – They evaluate formulas Difference between a Spirit or Whiskey?: Spirit – a hard liquor. More than a 0.5% alcohol. First Job:  Beecher's New York Then traveled to New Zealand, Thailand Innovation tips: Ingredient suppliers:  How to do innovate through functionality or mouthfeel? Innovation in consulting companies: How do we innovate to solve a goal? Innovation for product development companies: How do we make something where nobody has made it before? At Endless West: Innovation is creating thingws we recognize but with unconventional materials. For Endless West, it’s different because we have so many components. How do you do research?: The ability to search is spectacular. You can get research papers really easily Why Does Your Food Job Rock?: there is no job I can think of where I can just create What kind of trends and technologies excite you right now?: Impossible Foods and Cellular Agg, and Prime Roots and Spero. Big companies also have the power to create innovative things Charles Spence - Future of Food Tasty by John McQuaid Texture Analyzer What is something in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Flavor chemistry such as reaction chemistry Herve This – Molecular Gastronomy Any advice you for people going into the food industry?: Most universities actually have a focus on what they do. EG: Chocolate, Microbiology, etc. If you transition, just know is that food is not clean and pure, unlike other sciences. Cal Poly Kansas State – Grains University of Sasketchewan- Peas UMass Amherst – Food Chemistry Michigan State – Toxicology Ohio and Wisconsin – Flavor Research Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is with Ziynet Boz, who recently got a job at the University of Florida as an Assistant Professor. Her expertise is on sustainable packaging and she is also a full bright scholar. Ziynet brings a lot of insight into the sustainable packaging realm and teaches me about what type of packaging is truly sustainable, and how you can find more about it online. We also revisit the topic of lifecycle analysis, something in which I feel is becoming a bigger and bigger topic. Last week, at Expo West's Climate Day, I learned the opportunities in the packaging problem. 47% of waste we produce is actually consumer packages. Not only that, but our rate of using these packages are exponentially rising up! Though we see many companies clean up the plastics in our ocean, because we are producing packaging so fast, it won’t even matter how much trash we try to clean up! With this, the speaker Tom Chi, presents us so many opportunities to solve this problem. From alternative packaging material to reducing. It’s definitively something to look into in the future. In this podcast, we just show you a little about the potential of sustainable packaging. Shownotes Sustainable Packaging Behavioral Analysis How do I know if a package is sustainable? : There are a lot of misconceptions with sustainable Greenwashing – companies just paint their package green Life Cycle Analysis Consumers have the ability to research sustainable packaging Plastic is more sustainable and less energy than glass B-Pack – Startup that uses reusable packaging for e-commerce Google Scholar– Write LCA food packaging and you can find food packaging. You can also find the material as well. If you use a package twice, it can improve the sustainability of packaging. It’s really ahrd to recycle plastic single-use bags California banned single-use plastic bags Modified Atmosphere Packaging In Turkey, we have Food Engineer Fullbright Scholarship – Choose 60 people who want to study in the US. You have avery intensive interview Senator Fullbright University of Florida Food Science Program What is the difference between Turkish education and English Univerisity?: research. It’s narutal to get research done with industry at the United States What made you go into packaging?: It’s in everything Silent Salesman Ship Test – Simulations for ship, train and flight shipping What kind of skills do you need to be a packaging engineer?: You can always develop your skillset. Food Technology: Food Printing Guiseppe – Nova Meats What’s the biggest challenge the food industry has to face?: Food waste, but we can make food waste be upcycled IFTNEXT – Food waste competitions Sara Ramirez – Food Waste class What is something in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Innovation. It’s like the meatless burgers Favorite Book: Yuval Noah Harrari trilogy Favorite Quote: Average of the 5 people you hang out Turkish Food: It’s a food country. It harmonizes all cultures Stuffed Grape Leaves What do you think schools should teach people to be prepared for the workforce?: More practical things. Such as cooking or fixing machines. Twitter: @ziynetbot LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziynetboz/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices