My Food Job Rocks!

I met Lumeng Jin at the now discontinued Heart Healthy Competition in Chicago about 5 years ago. We participated in the same product development competition and kept in touch because that’s what you’re supposed to do as a student. In case you’re wondering, Lumeng’s team won that competition. I’m not bitter at all! Anyways, I wanted Lumeng on the show because she’s on the side of the industry that doesn’t get so much love on the podcast. Sensory Science and Consumer Research are both super important career paths in the food industry because it’s the science that deciphers how people will respond to your product. I would say in the hands of a master, this is one of the most important things to know when it comes to product success. Lumeng has worked many jobs and has even done her masters in this field and now lives in New York City where she conducts and analyzes large-scale consumer tests. So get ready for an exciting episode where we talk about the importance of this field. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Shownotes What do you tell people in a sentence or less?: I do marketing research in food and household products Carrie Arndt – Follow her on LinkedIn makes really awesome graphics on brands Chobani rebrand infographics MMR Research has a lot of sensory research, market research, and global research Steps to take to where you are today: Bachelors in Food Science, Masters in Sensory My masters was in sensory. Tasters verses Non Tasters. I worked with Beverley Tever Sensory testing eliminates all the variables except a couple of them. Any best practices?: What are you really trying to achieve? What about consumer research?: You want to choose your target market. For example, people who love burgers need to be experts on burgers. We also need the environment to be fluid. What kind of statistics tests do you do?: In school, you do the test. Actually, in the real world, you get a statistician to work with you. Usually, food scientists will use ANOVA What kind of software do you use?: Red Jade (cloud based), Compusense (consumer panel) How do you capture sweetness/second?: Using software What was the funnest thing you’ve done?: We got samples of air fresheners in India How do migitiate client expectations: Work with the client and ask the right questions What do you look for most in a job?: I like working in a team. I work in an open environment. I enjoy collaborating to find a solution. I also look for career path and progression. Can you have room for growth on a certain company? Is it hard to ask questions?: Yes, but if it’s a healthy work environment, you should ask questions and people should want to help you What’s your favorite kitchen item?: Instant Pot! I made bone broth, for example. Amazon Echo The best thing you’ve ever eaten: Japanese food. In New York City, there’s a Japanese Hot pot place that has pig feet. Has collegen. Hakata Ton Ton. Any advice to get into the sensory industry?: Network with people in the sensory area. I go to the IFT sensory science division as a start. People are open to help. What I should have done in college: I should have talked to my professors about career aspects earlier. What would you tell yourself if you just started your job?: The world is not that scary Where can we find you for advice?: LinkedIn (inbox or email) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have an exciting episode with Claudia Sidoti, who not only owned her restaurant at 19, but also wrote recipes for the Food Network, and now is the head honcho at Hello Fresh’s North America’s division. As many know, meal kits have gotten a ton of buzz too, but I always wanted to know how the R+D process worked. I asked Claudia how her team develops recipes and wow, I was super surprised how it works. With over 100 dishes ideated a week, while accounting for supply chain, portion size, and ease of use, Claudia’s description of the process was really informative. So get ready for a really cool episode on how to be a culinary super star. Whether you’re in the restaurant industry, magazine writing, or meal kit business. Wanted to give a shoutout to HelloFresh, I’m not sponsored by them, but they gave me some meal kits for free. With moving, I only used one, and they’re very good for the busy professional. If you have no time to go to the grocery store or plan dinner, these are worth it. For me, I can live off beans and rice and free steaks I find, so meal kits aren’t for me, but they can be for you.   About Claudia Claudia’s deep connection with food began in her grandmother’s kitchen and eventually landed her in the kitchens of Food Network where she was the Test Kitchen Director. For more than 8 years she directed the culinary content for Food Network Magazine, which reached over 13.5 million readers each month, and is the 2nd largest magazine in the U.S. From its inception, Claudia launched the magazine and contributed more than 3000 recipes. She also directed a host of other projects including brand extensions, such as Food Network Café’s and large-scale events and festivals. Her start as a young New York City chef and restaurateur at age 19 landed her recognition in Restaurant Institutions and Gourmet Magazine. After eight successful years in the kitchen at Onini restaurant, Claudia decided to shift gears and began food styling for television commercials, editorial and print advertising campaigns. Several years later, she launched Beauty & the Feast, a New York City catering company, which was noted in New York Magazine’s, Best Bests. Over time, the company added several divisions including a wholesale food department that supplied prepared foods to coffee bars and cafes including, Barnes & Noble. In addition, she launched Urban Market an international specialty food shop that featured authentic dishes, inspired by Claudia’s multi-cultural family, which also landed placement in the New York Times food section. As a marketing and catering director, she helped companies such as Eatzi’s, Cosi and Panera Bread, to grow their businesses. During this time, she also developed an interest in food and publishing. She began working as a freelance food writer for the New York Post and other publications in 2002. Currently, with over thirty years of combined experience, Claudia’s unique perspective gives her the ability to lead HelloFresh’s kitchen as the Head Chef and Head of Recipe Development.   Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Shownotes What do you tell people in a sentence or less?: I lead the culinary team of developers at Hello Fresh 5 people on the team Permalancer Freelancer What do you look for in freelancers?: expertise in the industry, temperament, people who work fast-pace Because of the changes in jobs, freelancers are becoming more available and I can hire them for their creativity Not all chefs are recipe developers, not all recipe developers in chefs How to make a Hello Fresh recipeFirst comes down from the top: choose the categories on what needs to be filled We analyze the constraints and the assignments (you must use pork tenderloin, or you must feed a family of 4) We then see what’s actually doable, we have time constraints, kitchen equipment constraints, to vet out the recipe Give the recipes to the team and split into categories. Not only that, but we have to itemize the portions. Each chef has a unique style which must be translated to the consumer. Usually this a week-long process. We use external focus groups to find out what they want How many recipes do you do a month?: Around 100 a month. Not all of them are through the process What’s one of the more popular dishes?: American comfort food dishes like pork chops, burgers, meatloaf Difficulty: We really take pride on how to make the dishes hassle free How do you cook a potato wedge efficiently: 425 in an oven, not too much oil, salt and pepper, roast for 20 minutes. Claudia’s website Steps it took to get to where you are today?: They weren’t not really steps, but dancing I opened up a restaurant at 19 The restaurant industry will teach you how to rush and think fast Grew up in Chelsea (NY?) 8th Ave was becoming restaurant row. I was fortunate enough to meet a chef who was just opening a restaurant. And I forced myself to become a chef. I acquired skills by learning from others and working really hard. How long did you work in the restaurant industry? I worked for 8.5 years at that restaurant What advice would you give someone who wants to open a restaurant: Understand your idea and understand your cost. “Are we actually making money on this dish?”. Most chefs don’t understand recipe development After the restaurant gig, I did a lot of freelance from writing to recipe development. I met a freelancer at the Food Network and we swapped jobs. I worked for the Food Network for 8.5 years and started with their first food network magazine What’s the best way to meet freelancers?: There are networking specific events and alliances such as culinary alliances, women in restaurant tourism, media tourism has a lot of events as well. Staying in it and word of mouth is best. Tips for recipe development: It’s extremely fast pace. 120 recipes per issue. Extremely rigourous testing. Pay attention to food trends and take inspiration anywhere We want people to innovate and build confidence and inspire them to take more risks My Food Job Rocks: The people. Not only my team, but the suppliers we work with and the customers we work with What type of food trends and technologies are exciting you right now?: Food waste and trying to reduce waste in the kitchen What are some initiatives Hello Fresh is doing for waste?: There isn’t really a waste component because everything is portioned very well. The beauty of meal kits One thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Sourcing, and the impact of where our food is coming from and who is it being fed to Who inspired you to get into food?: My grandmother What’s your favorite kitchen item?: Wooden spoon and zesters. I like very simple food tools. At hello fresh, all you need is a cutting board, a knife a pot, a pan, and a baking sheet What’s your favorite food: Pizza. So much I built a pizza oven. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to go into the food industry?: Wear a bunch of different hats and find out what fits the best. There’s a lot of opportunity to failure. How can we find you?:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/csidotifood Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csidotifood/     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you recall in episode 110, I interviewed at the intro to food science class in NCSU and had a blast. Now we continue with Dr. Gabriel Keith Harris’ story. Like many, his path to food science was unconventional, though he’s always had an interest with food, he went through the dietetics path until someone said he was interested in food science! Gabe’s main focus in the academic world is how food is processed through the gut. So get ready for an exciting episode where you’ll learn all about coffee and chocolate, inflammation of the gut, and how you can be a perpetual learner. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Shownotes NCSU Interview Marie Gibbons (spoiler) Don Schaffner Ben Chapman When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them?: I teach food science and nutrition scientice. I teach at the food science and bioprocessing department Bioprocessing: pharmacy, brewery, fermentation, etc Dr. John Sheppard Cal Poly-My school is lumped into Nutrition, we are Food Science and Nutrition Dr. Chris Albert – Dean at Missouri Pharmaceuticals is bleeding into food science so we combine the two Keith’s Area of expertise: What happens when you eat food, particularly plant foods. I get to study chocolate and coffee and see what’s in there. Chocolate benefits: 1000s of years of anecdotal evidence that chocolate was a medicine. Lewis and Clark Coffee isn’t quite as extensive: Arab scholars and coffee houses might have spirred the enlightenment. Prop 65: Coffee as a carcinogen May prevent type 2 diabetes, or Parkinson’s. 3 cups a days Study about not drinking something first thing in the mornings Coffee Chocolate – Tierra Nueva Chocolate Coffee Raw Cacao It’s no surprise that people are drinking cacao. This was its original intent Steps it took to get to where you are today: I grew up with an interest in food and health. Then I joined the navy. In college, I did a bachelor’s of dietetics. I met a professor who moved to food science and he convinced me to go to IFT. The first people I met were NC State Graduate students. I went to the expo floor and ate everything Food Toxicology – Dr. Steve Schwartz. He invited me to be a part of his lab at Ohio state. Cancer center at Ohio State Post-Doc: Center for disease control and prevention. Spent 3 years on how cells deal with inflammation. Inflammatory: How do you feel inflamed?: It’s our body’s immune response like an injury, or sprain. It does good, but can also do harm Low-level inflammation in the gut: You probably can’t feel it. The signals that are produced might be damaging Tenure process: The tenure process is the idea that you arrive as an assistant professor. You set up shop and your work shows that your work is vital. After 5 years, you make a giant packet that shows that you’re worthy to senior faculty. Then you get to Associate Professors. You then have a board of professors from all schools evaluate you to get tenure. Most important skill in the industry: The idea to always keep growing. When you graduate, you are not done. Treat your students to prepare themselves 5 years old. Things change so quickly in terms of how knowledge is communicated and how things work. How do you convince students to learn beyond what’s expected?: Being enthusiastic really helps. Also bringing professionals to talk to students where all of the voices are saying the same thing to push students forward. Why does hour food job rock: I get to give back to the people who taught me to be a great food scientist. I also get to eat my experiments. Food is right there and everyone eats What type of food trends and technologies are really exciting to you?: Sustainability. An example is consuming insects will be the norm. Also Clean Meats and fermentation. Another trend is automation. Where are my students are going to work? The speed the food industry is automating is impressive. The contrast to automation is artisan. Hyperlocal production Vegan trends vs meat trends What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: I’m really fascinated by engineering. Just watching these machines astounds me. Fermentation:  how to get these microbes to make something for you? What do you think is the best way to learn more about it?: To visit as many food companies as possible. Watching how a large company vs a small company produces food. In general, the food industry experts are quite gracious in sharing knowledge. In food science, there seems to be a desire or willingness to share information. It's easier to be friends with people than enemies with people in the food industry In my graduate years, I wish I could have networked with them in the food industry. At the end of the class, we have students get dressed and be technically interviewed Favorite book: the bible, For reading and rereading: The Hobbit. Kitchen Item: rubber spatula Pancake culture: flatbreads, tortillas, naan Bread and beer are a result of noticing things Vanilla and chocolate fermentation is a bit tougher Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to get into your industry: Go on more food tours to give people a sense of what to look for. You should also visit universities. Where can we find you for advice: Through linkedin. Also via email. Contact me at gkharris@ncu.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julie Wilson is a serial entrepreneur who’s started multiple businesses in the comfort of her home. As many know, this is the dream! You see it all the time on facebook and youtube, right? Julie and I dispel the fictions on starting an online business and also talk about the best steps to start your own. But more importantly, Julie is the marketing arm of FreshCheq, a really innovative software that allows restaurants to operate more safely and efficiently. FreshCheq can measure temperature logs, checklist staff tasks, and now recently, can monitor how much food a restaurant is wasting. Learn from Julie’s experience the amazing opportunity in the online space. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Shownotes What do you do for a living?: I create businesses that solve problems. I love remote work because I’m not bound to anything How did you get into the online business space?: I was reprimanded for going to my son’s game and realized it wasn’t worth it. I started my first business at 2006. I bought a foreclosure business and managed it remote. I sold my business then, started an online business There are a lot of scams out there. For someone who wants to start an online business: Do a lot of research and find a mentor FreshCheq: Me and my 4 partners make up FreshCheq. Scott manages restaurants for 20 years. He noticed that recording food safety parameters in restaurants suck. So he digitized it. What did they hire you on as in FreshCheq? The marketing arm of the business. When you were on board, did you have an app?: it was an idea. Our co-founders are great coders How did you build an app?: We did market research, found out what people wanted in the beginning, then they develop a wireframe, and then we start testing things as a team. It took a lot of communication. The first version was created in 6 months. What questions have you asked to refine the app?: We ask our people a lot of questions and we almost have 400 restaurants under freshcheqs. Thanks to Scott’s network, we get really good feedback. Some questions are about accountability when people are busy. Our users said that they need text alerts What do your customers see the results on your app?: We can see how they’re using the data such as food temperature logs. Owners can see immediately who does their texts. Gamification: Using streaks (like snapchat) Rollout of food waste logs: Restaurant owners will be able to log how much food they will waste Ken Burgin Why does your food job rock?: Every day, I make life easier for restaurant owners. With the new food waste rollout, it’s even better. Notable people: Kristin Rainey – Food Acquisition for Google. She sources all the food at Google cafes. She focuses a lot of food waste and plant based diets What products are really exciting you right now?: Making food careers cool (thanks!) What is something you’d like to know more about: Food waste and plant-based diets. Expo West Daiya Ice Cream Popsicle – Coconut Based Beyond Meat Sausage Allysa Cowen – Living on live food Raw Diet Clean Meat by Paul Shapiro Why did the FreshCheq team interest you?: I was really excited about FreshCheq’s mission. It solves a problem in all the fields I’m interested in. How do you communicate remote work?: We do an Uber Conference at least once a week. We can screen share We also use Asana We’ve been fortunate with the people we work with What’s your favorite type of food?: Fondue Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to start their own business?: Find a mentor and talk to someone that you trust. What about your mentors?: Mine were serendipitous. People should ask to be mentored though. My old boss did all sorts of crazy side hustles. I watched him and took notes.  I kind of figured out a lot of things on my own, which is something I wouldn’t recommend. What would you say to someone who has an idea but doesn’t know how to start: I don’t think it’s possible to research too much Where can we find you for advice?: Julie@freshcheq.com. I’m very active on Linkedin.  Our goal for freshcheqs is to be involved in the food industry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was recorded at Expo West! Shannon Gomes and I connected on linkedin and just decided to wing a podcast episode while I was there. We found a table early in the morning and just did an episode. The world of Public Relations is something I’ve always been curious about. What do they do? How do they reach out to media outlets? These and many other questions are what I ask Shannon today. So if you’re interested in public relations as a profession, be prepared for a crash course on the day in the life of one. Shannon’s 17 years plus of experience and knowing the in’s and out’s of the industry shines brightly in this interview. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Show Notes How do you feel about expo west?: I ran in here and found 5 people I knew. It’s just so cool to be here. How do you navigate Expo West?: Expo West app… but carry a notebook too The problem is that the booths you want to see are spread everywhere What do you tell people in a sentence or less?; My job is to get clients in the press. At the end of the day, I’m a food storyteller. Let’s talk about your company: I am an independent PR firm and live in California In the agency, then in Williams Sonoma for 3 years. I really liked doing anything and represent who I want to represent How do you go after clients?: I have goals on who to talk to. I have clients who I feel really strongly about. I reach out to them and use the power of linkedin First have an in person coffee meeting What makes you different?: I do everything from the intern to the executive. When clients hire me, they are getting me How do you cold call?: You have to do your research and get to know the outlet Can you give me an example of a session?: I craft 90 day plans. A 1 to two page word documents and add tactical and creative elements. Who are our targets and goals? PR is a creative process and you just have to be very creative, unique. You’re pitching Ideas “What are your dream outlets you’d want to be in?” Wrong answers: Get me famous. Right answers: I want to learn about you Williams Sonoma Agrarian Line We brought in these really cool makers and I had the media get to know these people Harvest tour for my olive oil clients and have the master miller talk about olive oil For towns: You don’t need to go into New York city to be on TV. You can do just as well as you target cities. Birmingham Alabama. Tons of food outlets over there and people are moving from NYC there. There are a ton of magazines there What is the most important skill you need for your job?: Be personable, authentic, be good at human relationship Why Does Your Food job Rock?: I get to tell the stories of farmers Trends and Technology: Rise and interest in Probiotics. I represented Farmhouse Culture and learned all about it there. Proteins Back to the basics @goodfoodgomes Instagram account #kidsinthekitchen My kids love Late July and there are brands like that. Simply Fuel – probiotics Bar in a bag Customization Just Date Syrup – Mejoule date syrup What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Rising above the marketplace noise. How do you rise above the competition? Best is storytelling. Earned Media Paid Media Advertising Instagram Tip: Respond to people and respond quickly What is something in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: The distribution channels and how things are packaged. These are the challenges my clients face. I come in when everything is developed Who inspired you to get into food?: I was born in Sonoma County and it was all about food and wine What’s your favorite quote, book or kitchen item?: Find something you are passionate about and keep on doing it Was there any time where you didn’t feel passionate?: I used to be in tech PR and learned about tech storage. Not really passionate about it, but learned a lot about it Storage World magazine Natural Bay Area not Natural San Francisco Brooklyn Food Stuff Nashville Tennessee and New Orelans are the new foodie cities What’s the best thing you ever ate?: A lot of food comes from Nostalgia Any advice for anyone who wants to go into the public relations industry: Talk to people. You gotta learn the ropes What would you want colleges to do to make people smarter?: bring in the people who are doing the work in the food world. One person might be inspired Shannon@goodfoodpr.com @goodfoodgomes. Let’s connect! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

>>>Win Jessica's book by clicking this link, and in the comments, say you were from My Food Job Rocks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I help Debomitra Dey and Soniya Katekar design their website through a conference call. I’ve done this before, but I wanted to post this up so eventually, if you would like to create a blog, or Instagram account, or podcast, you can use this as a way to motivate you, or at least see how I get motivated to do things. In this episode, I drill down on the purpose on how I structure my website, and then talk about how committed you want this to be. More importantly, what are the steps and processes you need to focus on to go all out? I hope this episode will inspire you to create your own platform! Like Debomitra and Soniya, I’m always happy to chat with people who are trying out ways to educate people on science. After all, we are all in this together. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Show Notes The Food Tech Club Soniya Katekar - Pretzel Baron Food Safety Manager Debomitra Dey - Equinox Lab Sensory Analyst Did you know: In India, if you tell anyone in Food Science, people think it’s cookingMindset: Treat this like a job, the only way you will make an impact is to post every day Website: You should focus on a way to have your reader “binge watch” your content Use bought wordpress themes for a template to get things up and running Spending money on things because it’s an investment SEO is ok, but consistent content is better Example of a good website: Mr. Money Mustache Website Tips Home Tab About Section Articles or other media Contact Tab Social Media Tab Right side of the column is to have: recent or best posts. Category list, banners to buy products Should you tag your posts on your website? I do tags on profession or category Gather people’s emails because it’s much better in the long run to collect emails How to get social media tracking:  Yea just post anything, often Books on Social media (Gary Vaynerchuk) Crush It Crushing It Jab Jab Jab Right Hook You should think about money when you make an online platform because you will be striving for value. This is a very hard thing to grasp. On guest blogging You should invite guest bloggers after you have a bunch of articles under your belt. Guest articles will help bring their audience over to your area On Linkedin posting Just test things out on social media until you find something that ticks On communicating to people about food scientist Talk big about food scientists. Don’t talk daily life. It’s too boring. Talk about how to feed the world through food. You have to take three steps back. Anyone can read a term paper, nobody reads textbooks, but people read stories On getting traction Post every single day Notable food influencers mentioned Meg and Cat Katie Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sure you've heard a lot about Tyson Foods investing in a lot of cutting edge companies. Beyond Meat, Memphis Meats, and Tovala to name a few. I wanted to get to the bottom of this, so I asked Tom Mastrobuoni to talk about the reasons why Tyson is putting a stake into these companies. His answer surprised me. To get ahead and be truly innovative, Tyson knows that it has to be invested in these up and coming companies. I learned the complexities of why it’s a win-win situation for companies to partner with Tyson. For one, Tyson has a vast array of resources to help any food company out. The new food companies just have to innovative. One of the most valuable things in the interview is talking with Tom about the newest trends. Because Tom is at the cutting edge of the industry, I asked for his opinion on plant-based foods, clean meat, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, among others. If you want to know the hottest and most game changing food technologies, this is the episode you should listen to. I hope it inspires you to think big! Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Show Notes Michael Wolfe, The Spoon Fancy Food Show Do you have any airplane tips?: Nope! The aisle seat is better than middle sitting When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you do?: We run the venture arm of Tyson foods and we’re reinventing Tyson Foods What caused this?: We saw a shift in consumer demands and we needed to keep up. Tyson is 80 years old We’re a 2500 team with 100 location We not only do meat, but preprared foods 2nd largest producer of tortillas Tyson Ventures, a subsidiary: Focus on two things, sustainability and the internet of food Reese Schroder: Expert at Corporate Venturing Justin Whitmore: Executive VP of corporate strategy Chief Financial Officer: What does that mean? Well, technically, I’ve extended the role. I’m CFO+ now. Even though I still have to do financials, I love to work closely and source new ideas. Was being a CFO+ a requirement or a passion?: A passion. You have to work with people and connect with people, and understand their story. What is the misconception you like to dispel about Tyson?: If we invest in a company, that doesn’t mean we’re shifting completely to this. Tyson is big, we need to think how to handle disruption, so we look down the road in 5 to 10 years. We’re not shifting, we’re exploring In a theory point of view, investing in “competitors” is easy, executing it is super hard. The top leadership must be on board. Corporate Venture can be a force multiplier Tyson petfood Tyson tannery business (leather) When we approach a company, we don’t want to acquire it, but we want to be around it Describe the Steps to get to where you are today: Villanova University in Public Accounting Worked in New York around the big accounting firms, ended up creating own firm Opportunity for Tyson came up, everyone eats and I’m having a lot of fun. Tyson isn’t about making a profit or sucking up IP, we want to add value to companies and we have the resources How do you get to Tom’s level?: Do deals. Get a degree in accounting or financing. If you audit them, you can do it How did you apply for the job?: I applied for this job at an online job board Advanced Venture Partners Augusta Columbia Capital Good reputations are hard earned, they give the bad ones for free How do you find your deals?: Mainly our two pillars. Sustainability: Either alternative proteins or food waste fits in these pillars. Internet of Food: Disruptive marketing techniques, factory monitoring, enhancement of sustainability Perfect Day Tovalo Foodbytes How do you pitch an idea?: We find them, and they find us. But, we also look for competitors in that space and see who disrupts them. How to find competitors: Pitchbook, google, etc. We find competitors who are doing things more quietly, more thoughtfully, etc. How does interacting a deal work?: We usually email you with info about Tyson Ventures. 98% of the time, the company is super excited. We then have a 60-90 minute interview with a Subject Matter Expert at Tyson to grill the company. The results can range from pilot to non-investment collaborations. We want to add value to day one. Tyson is doing this so intimately because Tyson is a people business. We invest in the network. We make those warm introductions for them and it builds the network. Why Does Your Food job Rock?: Global Corporate Summit in California, my boss said I have a really cool job. I have the opportunity to change Tyson and I’m empowered to do so What is the most prominent or popular place for food companies? There are so many emerging ecosystems 1871 Plug and Play Chicagoland Food and Beverage The Hatchery, Chicago There’s so many and we don’t have the time to go to them Tyson Innovation Lab Let’s talk trends and technologies Plant Based Meat: On the board for Beyond Meat. Because they are targeting a bigger target market, and they have crisp distributions, this made sense. This is proof that this is not going away any time soon Clean Meat: Commercilization is up for grabs, I predict that once someone gets ahead, they will buy up their competitors. Really interesting space, we’d love to talk to people and give them resources. Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas. Though a long way away, we still need to know how to market it. We think food deserts and emerging nations would be the best avenue Complex=Expensive Internet of Things (for Food): Tovala, for example. Direct to Consumer is not a familiar angle for us. In Michael Wolfe’s podcast, you mentioned that you can get data from consumers really fast. Data is king for a consumer product. It’s changed so fast. Before, I had to write a letter to an airline. Now I can send an email and get my rewards points 30 seconds later. By investing in Tovala, we can get so much data on what they like and what didn’t they like. Uber is like hitchhiking on your phone. Tovala has their own forum where they can troubleshoot and innovate. We brought Tovala and Beyond Meat to our R+D Lab and asked how we can partner up. Blockchain: We have had meetings on blockchain to have more meetings about blockchain. We’ve announced IBM and Walmart partnerships. Most blockchain companies are hyper-focused SOX Compliance Someone has to be the certifying body for blockchain Artificial Intelligence, AR, VR: Safety AR VR might help with making the factory more safer We are looking into robotics and exoskeletons. Also market research is important. Upward Academy In all aspects, AI, AR, VR best in safety for the workers. Food Desserts: We’re working on making food cheaper and more affordable. The challenge is that doing this is a triple bottom line issue with profits. We want more community leaders to tell us how we can help. This is important. Do you have any advice for anyone to tackle something big?: Have the passion for it. Any time you do something big, it’ll be hard. Understand their perspective, why they’ll say no, and get them to yes. Books: Good to Great Where can we find you?: LinkedIn. Please make your profile open. I’m on twitter. Google Tyson Ventures that you can submit a form. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fred Hart contacted me after listening to my interview with Hugh Thomas and was so inspired by it, he contacted me to be on the show. Fred’s pretty legit, he’s been a speaker for Expo West, has an awesomely inspiring team, and the dude just oozes passion. We talk a lot about the power of branding, and the nuances it really takes to make a brand stand out. We don’t only say the power of say, words, but the power of color, the power of being different, and small design tweaks to make it stand out. Other big topics are about my favorite topic, how to be more creative, why Boulder has such a powerful natural food community and the beauty of being obsessed with your work. Fred also was generous to share his expo west experience. Attached is his team's massive photo collection of the expo.  And his article about it! Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Show Notes How did you meet Hugh Thomas: Through BevNet. How did you meet Alex Oesterle: I’m in Boulder and he’s in Denver How did we all meet each other?: We’re obsessed When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them?: I build food brands. I work at a creative agency, with 16 people, We work exclusively with the food and beverage company and work on packaging and brand consulting How do you prepare to brand?: Holy trinity: Client, Category, Consumer Client: Who’s the client? Category: For example, water is a commodity but can be branded to anything go to 14 food and beverage trade shows If it doesn’t resonate with the consumer Scenario, what’s more important, more claims or fewer claims?: If I throw you 6 tennis ball at once, you’ll probably not catch any of them. But throwing one is easy to catch. We want you to catch one. However, claims can be used abundantly People don’t read, but they recognize. Romancing the brand: Sprite: Hip hop Artists are like Sprites. Cool, icy or crisp. Bobo’s Oat Bars: Beyond being an oat bar, what makes this product unique?: The bar is named after her own daughter. Coffee shops exude this too so we sell Bobo’s at coffee shop Creativity is so subjective that there’s only variying degrees of wrong Is creativity a muscle?: I do, and I think that as kids we’re the most creative and we lose creativity though most people can build it up How do you train creativity: I break down creative pieces like documentaries and see how I can make it How Adam gets creative: I argue with different people and that’s a good thing. How do you Do people come to you or you go to them?: Clients come to us either through referrals or trade shows. Entrepreneurs who talk to us just get it and want to go forward. At the end of the day, it’s about sharing a vision. If you don’t want to have a beer with them, you shouldn’t be working with them. Did you join Interact in the beginning?: I left San Francisco 2.5 years ago to grow Interact from 3 people to 16 people. We went to their own branding Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today: In college, I didn’t party too much, but I loved the design. For design, do what you love, and the money will follow if you work hard enough. Food and Beverage Industry: Food and beverage is probably the most stimulating and captivating industry because it’s competitive design. No other industry competes with each other for the “share of stomach”. I have to interrupt a consumer’s shopping behavior. Interview with Alex Oesterle What catches your eye in grocery store?: People don’t read, they recognize. For example, Coke is red, Tiffany is teal. Color is huge. Brand identity is huge. For example, Monster Energy Monster claw. Shape too. For example, Voss water bottle. Method cleaning. The tear drop bottle. A lot of natural categories are switching to bright color. You should always challenge your catrgory, but not your consumer. We’d have to find different ways to see if the color is different, but effective Goodbelly – did not want to do white. They owned black and black is the color of efficacy. Color Psychology: We don’t adhere to it a lot because if everyone did it, everything would be red. You have to keep in mind the context of the brand How do you become more innovative?: It takes a willingness and a confidentness to take a leap of faith. Tension leads to attention. If I describe a cookie, it can’t be just any cookie. It has to be unique. Do you guys use small tests to show tension?: Depends. Small brands trust their gut. Big brands is a bit harder. For big brands, you have to maintain equity and give a breathe of fresh air. On buyouts: You have the chobani’s and KINDs of the word where they maintain their independence. The small companies can innovate, the big food has the power of scale. As long as big food leaves their acquisition alone, then it becomes beneficial. Annie’s Foods RX Bar Justin’s Nut Butter Independence is something that big food recognizes is really important. What kind of food trends and tech is really exciting you right now?: Cannabinoids. We’re in the heart of it in Colorado. Adaptogens are popping up too. Rebel Coffee is doing something. Ashwagandha Holy Basil About Cannabis and CBD: No market leader just yet. No one has necessarily been adding it directly to food. Is it legal?: It’s in this weird gray space. The biggest challenge the food industry has to face?: Better defining sustainability. It could be privatized, not heavily regulated, but it can be. Rotten documentary: It exposes the darker side. Boulder Colorado: Has a history of natural food. For example, White Wave Foods. Celestial Seasonings was founded here, a lot of outdoors Naturally Boulder Naturally San Francisco/Naturally Bay Area What is the one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: The supply chain. How does it all work. Saffron Brands Chobani Was there a brand that inspired you to get into food?: Monster Energy Drinks. You can add so much to improve a food brand. Most people think that logos are word-based, but they are actually pictoral. Alex Oesterle’s interview with Brandon Roten and Wendy’s Some brands don’t want to be the best and use it as their advantage CEO of Taco Bell moves to Chipotle Even though Chipotle is taking a beating, it still has a strong brand integrity. If this CEO can activate that, it will work Missy Schaaphok Episode Kardashians tweet about Snapchat Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to go into your industry?: The creative industry is very blue collar. You need to let your obsession drive what you do. What’s your favorite interview question to ask?: If they were a crayon what would you be? Adam’s answer: Dark Blue Describe it to a blind person: Right before the sunset, that is dark blue. What do you think colleges should teach more of?: Soft skills Do you have any advice for speaking gigs?: Having something to say. Don’t talk about yourself but just share knowledge Keep doing some work. Post and talk on forums and blogposts. That’s how you build rapport John Kraven Where can we find you for advice?: Interact boulder Instagram. Fred@interactboulder.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sebastien messaged me on linkedin and said he was impressed by his work. Being the snoop that I am, I checked out his profile and found he was a food photographer! Hmmmm I never had a food photographer on the show…. I decided to interview Sebastien to understand the art of photography and what I got out of it was an interview about the amazing feeling interviewing creative people. Sebastien isn’t just a photographer, I would say he is a sort of historian. He not only takes food photos, but also interviews and documents the works of chefs, hunters, anyone in the food industry really. If you like photography as a hobby, Sebastien gives some great tips not only in a  professional sense like what equipment to use, but also how to up your Instagram game. He also talks about the struggles of being a photography student in college and described the experience of making his family’s lobster bisque. About Sébastien Born into a culinary household and raised in some of the finest kitchens, Sébastien’s passion for food and hospitality runs throughout his veins. Somehow, convinced by his mother to never become a chef, Sébastien’s curiosity and creativity lead him to pursue another artistic discipline – Photography. Later marrying his love for the photographic medium with gastronomy, he quickly found his way back into the kitchen. Today, he utilizes his industry knowledge, kitchen mentality and artistic talent to create stories and visual content for clients around the world. Food | Place | Identity – a compilation of Sébastien’s photo essays, brings awareness to the significant rolls food & cooking have in societies and cultures. From small-town chefs and local farmers, to Three Star Michelin establishments, Sébastien travels the world to capture and tell the stories of the people who feed us. Photo essays from the Food | Place | Identity platform have been published by international publications since its debut in 2014. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an interactive platform where you can hear about different careers, hear from your peers, have a voice and share your story as well as ask specific questions and get feedback from industry experts across the sector. Nicole is offering free job postings in the next two months and I highly suggest taking this offer. Email nicole@foodgrads.com and she'll give you instructions. Join FoodGrads today! Just go to Foodgrads.com Sponsor – ICON Foods Unless you have been living under a rock you can not get away from Halo Top Ice Cream’s amazing success with their under 300 calories per pint ice cream. What’s a frozen dessert manufacturer to do to compete? Pick up the phone and call Icon Foods at 310-455-9876 or find them on the web at www.iconfoods.com that’s what. They have a new HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix that delivers amazing mouthfeel and sumptuous flavor all under 300 calories per pint. But, here’s the best part; you simply add the HiPro dry mix to any milk type, add glycerin and inclusions and you are off to the races with an amazing finished product lickity split. Icon Foods HiPro Ice Cream Dry Mix comes in hard ice cream mix, soft serve, vegan and wait for it… Keto. Call my friends at Icon and let them ReformulateU. 310-455-9876. Show Notes   What do you tell people you do?: I’m a culinary photographer Anyone can be a food photographer, right?: I get this a lot I just make food look pretty. Through a lense and through the light. Other people make the food look pretty. Do you have a studio?: I freelance and I have an agent Can you give me your thought process when taking a picture?: I do both studio and documentary work. I do an interview process, I spend the day with them and capture what comes and find vantage points. What equipment do you use?: Cameras and lights. I use a 5D Mark 2 Canon and I have a  variety of Lenses. Gloss is what sets an image apart. For light, I use Speedatrons. Old but does the job. I shoot off of capture one when I take a photo and I use photoshop to edit them How to take better Instagram photos: Use natural lighting, find a window, play with composition Can you describe the steps to get to where you are today?: I went to university to study photography. My friend told me to shoot food because my family was so into food anyways. The classes I took reflected that I’m good with taking pictures of food. I started look at food from a philosophical and cultural perspective which gave my work depth. A lot of us underestimated get a job. I got an assistantship 4 months out of college. Even though he was a fashion photographer, there were similar principles. My rep officially took me on after that as an artist. How did people notice you?: I assisted the photographer on volunteer shoots in the past. The first shoot is for volunteering to see if it was even worth the work. I just kept in touch with him and developed a relationship. Be a really good assistant and keep hustling a portfolio and small gigs. What do you think is the most important skill you need for a Photographer?: Work on your concept and how you develop concepts. Try to be inspired and keep on being creative. How do you get inspired and creative?: Keep on researching and being aware of what you do. Talk to chefs, read everything. Food philosophy, food science, anything. Being involved in your industry and being passionate about it. There’s a great community in the food industry and we can push our industry forward. Why does your food job rock?: Other than playing with food, I get to meet some awesome people. Being able to talk to so many like-minded people is just an amazing experience. How do you develop your documentary work?: It was an offshoot to understand food and identity. It wasn’t just about food, but also the people and how food shapes their identity I recently documented a hunt What have you noticed to be the most interesting thing about people working for food: They’re all the same yet different. Chefs are crazy in the way. It takes a certain kind of people and it takes over their lives which is a good thing. At the end of the day, food is an act of love and it’s the central point of Creatives talk the same language and from a creative standpoint What would be a dream project?: If I could travel the world and document everything about it, I would love that. What is something in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Food sciences, food history and how it shapes cultures. You can’t learn enough about it. Do you have any book recommendations for food people?: Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. The Raw and the Cooked by Claude Lévi-Strauss One of the important books to read as a foodie. He kind of breaks down recipe writing and when to cook. It’s still very relevant to what food is. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harris Clean Meat by Paul Shapiro Favorite Quote: Luck is a matter of Preparation Meets Opportunity Favorite Kitchen Item: Spoon, a tasting spoon. We use it all the time. It’s the litmus test of food Favorite food: Homemade Lobster Bisque. The process of making it with family and having a specific flavor to it. Every time I have it, it’s been with people I love. Is there any advice you’d tell aspiring chefs?: Assess how passionate and how much you care about food before you get into it. It’s a very tough profession. There are a lot of small industry issues that young aspiring chefs don’t pay attention to. This might apply to all creative professions. If you were to tell yourself something valuable in the beginning of what you know now, what would it be?: Really talk things through with the subject that’s involved. Get to know the person a lot better. Where can we find you?: I’m traveling quite a bit. Online is best. Instagram: @sduboisd . I’m also in Toronto. www.duboisdidcock.com What was your annoying pet peeve on Instagram?: Crazy food fads like unicorn food and weird colored grilled cheese. Social pandering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices