My Food Job Rocks!

Erin Rees Clayton holds a diverse scientific background. A PhD in Genetics, a Masters of Public Health, and is in food. With this skill set, she has a very broad and insightful ability to connect the dots, which helps her a ton in her current job in the Good Food Institute. Erin and I spend a lot of time talking about questioning. I think it’s a really important skill to ask good questions and we go into how to do so. There are so many questions we still don’t know how to answer in food and Erin will share them with you, so you can be inspired to answer them. 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 Did you know: Copper is an essential micronutrient When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I work with scientists and entrepreneurs to make healthy and affordable meat alternatives The GFI works as more of a consulting role. They will analyze the scope, and mobilize the resources What kind of people do you get who come talk to you?: A variety, academia, entrepreneurs, and big companies. We also want other industries to get involves such as the tissue engineering company. Are there any educational hubs that are forming for these industries?: Not really. We’re trying to change it. Tufts, Harvard, and Berkeley have labs and innovation centers are going through this. Allison Burke Everyone is pretty much doing this. Washington and Texas A+M are both universities that are getting involved, probably more. Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today: Not a linear or planned path. Science is really about asking questions Dennis Thiele at Duke University. Copper Metabolism Then got a masters of public health at Michigan to get a more holistic view of scientific impact How did you get interested in GFI?: I stumbled upon it. I loved their mission and I wanted to see what it would be like so I wanted to go into it because I would always wonder if I didn’t What skills were they looking for?: I’m a Scientific Liason. At the time, it was grant writing in which I wrote a lot of during my time working. What are some big questions the GFI is trying to answer?: Plant-Based Meat Questions: The sources of protein. For example, pea protein. We really haven’t explored the vast majority of plants out there. Also, what are we trying to do with plant protein? Can we find healthier ways to create the product? Clean Meat Questions: Clean meat can rely on biomedical to get our questions answered. Yet the price of making Clean Meat has to be drastically lower than biomedical. A big point is to find a media to create clean meat. Media recycling systems or remove waste or add in is also a big questions Do you have any tips for asking good questions?: Not being afraid to admit being wrong. We always want to be right, but with cutting edge technology, we don’t know the answer. No one does but we are all working to solve these answers. Ask questions that don’t have answers and enjoy the process. My Food Job Rocks: 1. I get to learn new things and be challenged on a daily basis 2. I can make a difference in a very positive and big way. I’m one small part of that, but the potential is impactful 3. The people that I get to interact with. My colleagues are super cool. What would be your dream job title?: Similar to what I’m doing now. Food Systems Strategist maybe? Can you name one specific gap that’s stumping you?: I tend to think about what does it look like to develop plant based meats in other countries? Extruders are huge, expensive pieces of equipment and a lot of nations can’t afford it. What companies that don’t get much love are innovating in this space?: American Pulse Association, USA dry pea and lentil council. These are not for profit entities. Pulse protein innovation summit in Oakland: We brough farmers, breeders, food scientists, and plant based meat companies to discuss innovation of plants. Will that summit be there again, next year?: Maybe, not sure. We are actually having our own Good Food Institute Conference Who inspired you to get into food?: It’s more of a what, than a who. I saw GFI as the potential to really change something and this will make an impact. Should Scientists be Idealistic?: Some should be, most have a touch of pessimism. Favorite book: Fiction: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Non-Fiction: Long Walk to Freedom. For the books applicable to my career: Living Down Stream by Dr. Sandra Stiengraber and Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Made an impact on thinking about health from not just inside our bodies, but outside as well. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to get into your industry?: There is a lot of space that needs to be accomplished. People are struggling to find technical talent just because there’s not really a degree for that right now. Don’t be afraid to try something new. If a class sparks your interest, or you find a seminar that’s interesting, go and do it. Talk to people. You never know what you’re going to learn and making connections are crucial. A lot of scientists are introverted. How do you convince them to talk?: Us being scientists and talking is really important. Scientists can talk to other scientists and feel comfortable. What should colleges teach you to be more prepared?: Exposing students to broad applications to their knowledge. Not “If you major in X, you can’t work in Y”. Interdisciplinary collaboration: GFI is not just science and technology. We have innovation, policy, corporate engagement, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aylon Steinhart brings his entrepreneurial grit and amplifies it through convincing and motivating people to start plant-based meat and clean meat companies. But isn’t that hard? To start your own company? The short answer is yes, but it’s something worth pursuing. Aylon and I tag team to break down the tips and tricks to becoming more innovative and entrepreneurial. We go from tips on getting into Expos for free, why it might be a good idea to start corporate for a bit, and the amazing resources the GFI has, to help you start your plant-based or clean meat company. To give you some sort of disclaimer, this interview was conducted before I decided to team up and start my own company. But perhaps this interview was one of the factors that when the offer was presented to me, I accepted.   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 When someone asks what you do for a living, what do you tell them in a sentence or less?: I work for a non-profit that is transitioning to animal alternatives. We’re trying to create a healthy and sustainable food supply through healthy innovation. I help startups and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to go into this space Watch out for Aylon Steinhart at a Stanford video How did you become an entrepreneur?: I was an account manager in Puerto Rico. I was studying business at Berkeley. Afterward, I took a leadership development training course at AT&T. I saw joining a leadership program to explore the learning ground of corporate life. Once I found out about industrial agriculture, things picked up fast and I wanted to make an impact. I saw that Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger were making an impact, and I wanted to be part of it. Impossible Burger vs Beyond Burger Even though I didn’t have a food background, I did a consulting to make a website for a food company. However, it was my innovation skill set that helped me with the GFI. Me not leaving the GFI alone is also another reason How to get to Expo West: Looking at the list and asking anyone to volunteer at their booth Startup Advice: Ask the right questions, make things as simple as possible, you need to think: “how easy will this be for the consumer to understand?”. Think of the end consumer. Are plant proteins premium?: Not really. It depends on a lot of different things Clean Meat is hard to commercialize, right?: Yes, but people are bright. The issue is to find Technical Cofounder Good Dot – Plant-Based Meat India Market Impact on both Plant-based Meat and Clean Meat is much more impactful than Academia How can we get more technical cofounders in the alternative meatspace?: You might know more than you think if you study muscle or plant knowledge. The GFI has 2 really good white papers on alternative meats and just email us. The GFIdeas community Slack Channel Kraft Heinz Incubator Good Catch Memphis Meats Many innovative companies in Israel We need more companies in both fields GFI company database What is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: What do consumers really want? Do they care if the meat tastes exactly like meat? Or can we actually make a better meat? Rennet: used to be gathered form the stomach of calves and then we discovered that we can ferment it with bacteria. Same concept is being explored with clean milk and eggs Who got you into Veganism?: Kip and Keegan. I watched a documentary. Media is important Pat Brown and Ethan Brown convinced me to go to Food. Bruce Friedrich too. Favorite Book: Artisan Vegan Cheese. I'm am making a probiotic beverage made by soaking Quinoa, mixed with a cashew blend and makes a cultured nut product Zak’s Bechamel sauce using cashews Favorite Food: Tom Ka Gai Soup – Coconut Milk based soup using plant based chicken 24 Vegan – vegan fish sauce Any advice for anyone who wants to start a food business: If you want to start a food company, I would urge you to start a plant-based meat and clean meat company Plant-based meat is a quarter of 1 percent of the meat market. In 3 decades, it will be a 1/3 of the total market. This was before the plant-based meat was actually shown. 70 billion dollars of market share is up for grabs But that’s hard: Yes, it’s not easy. Things that aren’t easy are probably worth doing. GFI has a list of white space company ideas for you to start their own company The White Space Company Idea You could import plant based food in Asia and sell it in the US. There is pre-extruded textured products as well GFI Blog. Look for me and find the resources You can email me directly if you ever want to start a food company: aylons@gfi.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Really excited to have the first of 5 interviews from the generous people at the Good Food Institute, the best nonprofit that deals with the plant-based meat and clean meat space. Zak Weston never thought he would end up in food but after finding how much he could impact the world, he persistently networked his way to a job as a corporate engagement specialist at the Good Food Institute Zak convinces companies to put more plant-based options on their menus and clients include restaurants, food service companies, and even manufacturing. One really important topic Zak and I get into is discussing the group, Effective Altruism, a very pragmatic group of individuals who want to do good in the world. This is where Zak found that food was his calling. If you are stuck in your life, then this episode will motivate you to keep going. The food industry is the perfect industry to impact the world. Quick note, I met Zak in person at the Protein Technologies Seminar. It’s always good to put a face with a name. 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 did you do before the food industry?: Sales and marketing in software or non profit. I once started reading about the food industry and found that I could help fix the food industry. When someone asks what you do for a living, what would you do in a sentence or less?: I talk to companies on why you should give plant-based options. Companies all over the world are looking for plant-based products A lot of the job is networking, attending conferences and trade shows and talking. Sometimes we need to cold call but we have noticed companies are very open. We can easily tell people that people are open to plant-based food. We try to ask for a resource How do you find information about plant-based news: We have a team of 33 people who are writing and aggregating about the plant and clean meat industry. Plant-Based Foods Association, Nielsen, other well-respected places. Better Buying Lab, Academic Research, Asking Private sectors for answers. World Resources Institute Faunalytics: A subset of the research and data they’ve aggregated is plant-based and clean meat food Do you think companies who want plant-based options have a moral reason or financial reason?: Both. We take a pragmatic approach and fully expect that they need to make the profit. What is one misconception you want to dispel about the food industry?: The Food industry really does want to repair the world and climate change. GFI works to make sure things can be more sustainable. Consumers such as millennials care about the environment and where food comes from. Describe the Steps it took to get to where you are today?: I majored in business development. I had a job in Ohio and then in Florida. I learned a ton about sales I wanted to get into the food industry so I read a lot and interviewed people a lot. Effective Altruism Bruce Friedrich How did you get your job? Through networking or job application?: I met people in the GFI, did food industry networking, etc Center for Effective Altruism 80,000 hours – career guide to maximizing your impact using your career. Helps when you’re uncertain on your career. What is the most important skill you need for your job?: Being entrepreneurial, also being a great communicator Do you need to learn communication?: You can learn it. You have to put yourself in situations to do that. I used to read books on small talk which I found embarrassing. Once you practice doing it, you become more confident. Adam’s perspective: I only became social because I needed to lead things How many companies do you talk to a day?: 2 to 3 companies. Sometimes small or big. We maintain a product database on plant-based food service and retail to deliver to places who need that Made restaurant scorecards of 100 restaurant chains to evaluate their menu What would be your dream job title?: This is the perfect job. If I wanted to progress, I’d do the but bigger and better. What do you look for most in a job?: Impact on important issues. Most millennials don’t know how to change the world. “I want to change the world and I don’t know how” Trends and Technology: Plant based and clean meat (duh!) Memphis Meats Beyond Meat Regenerative Agriculture Wendell Berry one acre fund Mark Post Mosa Meats Expo West: Improve Nature, Forage, faba bean (chickpea?) butter, there are a lot of starts that blow me away Daiya’s ice cream pop Daiya yogurts Beyond Sausage Who inspired you to get into food?: A set of people that impresse don me that food is important. What books did you read that started you the food path?: The Ethics of What We Eat - Why our food choices matter. It’s probably the most consequential thing we do all day. Clean Meat by Paul Shapiro David Welch Michael Pollan’s book – Omnivore’s Dilemma What the best thing you’ve ever eaten?: On date nights, we try different recipes. We have a lot of dietary restrictions. We found an amazing dairy-free cashew alfredo sauce. Creamy, great consistency, nutty. Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to go into the food industry?: Get into the plant based and clean meat industry. Do as much research as you can and go to conferences. I promise you it’ll be very rewarding as this is the ebst time to get into food. What do you think colleges should teach you to be more prepared?: You should work in companies who value growth because it gives you career capital that will help you build success. It’s important to systematically explore career options. Eventually, you’ll get into a career space: hell yes, I want to do this every day. 80,000 hours career guide So Good They Can’t Ignore You You have to show high quality, passionate work that shows “yes, that person can do the job” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are listening to a bonus episode, a short one, where I wanted to introduce an exciting series we’re doing for the next 5 or so weeks. I’m super excited to be able to interview 5 amazing people from the Good Food Institute. The Good Food Institute, or the GFI, is one of my favorite non-profits in the recent couple of years. I enjoy their pragmatic, and scientific way of describing the innovative technologies behind plant-based and cultured meats. Loyal listeners of My Food Job Rocks know that I am very interested in this type of technology as I mention it in almost every episode. Some of the My Food Job Rocks interviews with people like Deya Trujillo from Beyond Meat, Paul Shapiro, the author of Clean Meat, and Tom Mastrobuoni, the CFO of Tyson amplified this hunger for knowledge. Loyal readers will also notice that once in a while, I write about plant proteins, mainly because they’re interesting and also a pain in the ass. I posted an article about the perils of plant proteins on LinkedIn and David Welch, Director of Science and Technology of the Good Food Institute, said I wrote a good article. Jumping on the chance, I asked to interview him or any other person in the GFI. He then connected me with Matt Ball, who then sent an email to 5 individuals who enlightened many different ways. In terms of food industry and technical works, I was able to interview 5 people who are technical experts in helping communicate, or perhaps a better way to describe it as, digest the complexities of plant-based and clean meat. Here, I’ll introduce them: Zak Weston - Corporate Engagement Specialist An active member of the Effective Altruism community, Zak joined GFI after several years of experience in sales and working with start-ups. He works with leading grocery, foodservice, and restaurant companies to help increase the quality and quantity of their plant-based product offerings.  Aylon Steinhart - Business Innovation Specialist Aylon graduated from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and has co-founded two startups. At GFI, Aylon uses his expertise in entrepreneurship, go-to-market strategy, marketing, and business development to help entrepreneurs launch the next generation of good food startups. He brings significant business leadership experience to GFI and has worked with companies such as Kellogg's, Applebee's, and Nestle. Erin Rees Clayton, Ph.D. - Scientific Foundations Liaison Erin has degrees in chemistry, epidemiology and genetics and has ten years of research experience focused on a variety of topics, including molecular biology, nutrition, poverty, and social disparity. Erin seeks out funding opportunities for plant-based and clean agriculture research, and she is also working to establish a dedicated plant-based and clean food lab at a top research university in the United States.  Isaac Emery, Ph.D. - Senior Environmental Scientist At GFI, Isaac studies the significant environmental and human health impacts of industrial animal agriculture and evaluates the reduced impact of plant-based and clean meat. Isaac has more than a decade of research experience in biomedical science and life cycle assessment of energy and agricultural systems. As a multidisciplinary scientist, he has a passion for discovering and communicating the most effective and efficient ways to reduce the adverse impacts of our diets. Marie Gibbons - Research Fellow, MS Student Marie is conducting clean meat research at Harvard Medical School under Dr. George Church with the support of GFI's REAP Grant funding. She is a MS Physiology student at North Carolina State University with a BS in Zoology, minor in Psychology, and 10 years of veterinary experience. She also serves as a New Harvest Research Fellow. Marie is using her passion for animal welfare and interest in medical science to explore and promote the cellular behavior needed for large-scale muscle cell production in bioreactors using serum-free media.   Each of these guests are extremely knowledgeable in every way possible. If you want to learn more about Plant Based or Clean Meat, I suggest listening to all of these episodes. Once this series is over, I’ll be making a cool category somewhere on the website. This is the future everyone, in My Food Job Rocks, it’s important for us to talk about the cutting edge of food. And these guys are the experts. If you’d like more information, follow the Good Food Institute at gfi.org. Facebook is the best way to get their info, but if you want to learn more about the tech, I recommend downloading their white papers and learn all about the tech. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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