My Food Job Rocks!

Food Law is one of those topics I fell asleep at in college. But it wasn’t until working in the industry did I find just how important it really is. If you’ve been a fan of this podcast, you might have heard my frustrations learning about how the Europeans deal with GMOs. If you’re a first time listener, I’ll talk about it again. But Ceasare Varallo is the man when it comes to making me excited about food law. He’s a lawyer in Italy who focuses on such things as food fraud, regulatory compliance, and communicating crises. This is an amazing interview all about being a food lawyer. You’ll learn how to get a job in regulatory, how to get people to trust you as an expert and the amazing food technologies Cesare’s really into. One in particular that I haven’t heard of until recently… block chain technology Sponsor This episode is sponsored by FoodGrads, an interactive platform for the Food & Beverage Industry, which focuses on closing the gap between students and employers with a broader mission to attract and retain people to a meaningful career in food. From Food Scientists to Farmers, Chefs to Plant Managers, QA Technicians to Dieticians, or Marketing and Sales, no matter what your passion--there's something for everyone in Food—and they will help you find it. Join FoodGrads for support, mentorship and guidance to start your career. Just go to foodgrads.com If you like what you heard, like us on facebook or write a review on itunes. It helps wonders. I am also inviting you to sign up on our email list at myfoodjobrocks.com. I am doing this new thing called the 5 course meal where I send you 5 pieces of hand picked content and deliver it every Friday morning. Like a meal kit… If you have any questions or suggestions on how to improve the podcast, don’t be afraid to email me at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com Knowledge Bombs Ceasare’s work is three fold: food safety, regulatory, and managing communication How Ceasare found his niche in food law Why regulatory is getting more and more important The interesting things about food marketing How to learn more about food regulatory Question Summary Introduction in a sentence or less?: I’m a food lawyer. I help food companies to reach the compliance Cesare started with commodities at first and then went to more complicated things later Steps it took to get to where you are today: Criminal lawyer, switched law firm and found food clients. Noticed about the specific type of advice Foodlawlatest.com Blogging advice If you have good content, it will be successful Avoid scandal or “fake news”, give useful facts Interacting with your audience is super important What’s the most important skill you need for your job?: How you communicate and interact with people How do you get people to trust you more?: A blog with good content is a sign of trust, facts are a sign of trust, showing that you really know what you’re talking about. Keep on delivering good content and make them comfortable.The customer today is much more informed Customers are reading more food labels and are willing to spend good, safe, tasty and authentic food. Food Technology: Smart Agriculture, Drones, Artificial Intelligence to spot food safety issues, block chains, Block Chain: Technology used to secure the financial transactions: bitcoins/ cryptocurrency. Will help food fraud a lot. Biggest Challenge the food industry needs to face: Fraudulence and trust. Big companies are not trusted. Local is more trusted. A small minority has a lot of power What is something you would like to know more about?: Marketing. How much work it takes to do marketing campaigns. How do you make things Viral? Favorite Book: Lord of the Rings Favorite Quote: Winston Churchill: success consists of going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm Favorite Kitchen Item: My favorite dish is risotto so I like a really big wooden spoon If anyone wanted a job in regulatory, what should they study on their own?: You can find many courses in food law in United States. California and New York has plenty Study the objective official source depending on countries. Common websites. FDA website, Code of Federal Regulations Not so simple in Europe: 26 countries with deviations Independent blogs can work too Advice getting into the food regulatory industry: Get your hands dirty. You can’t imagine the complexity with regulatory issues. It’s more about how you approach the problem Where can we find you?: Foodlawlatest@gmail.com Other Links Foodlawlatest.com Baby formula scandal Olive Oil Book: Extra Virginity Anti-Vaxxers “We don’t trust science but everyone is eating supplements” Viral Marketing Coca-cola put names on the cans, and they monitor and test everything Food Marketing Nerds Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s the point of a food industry podcast if I can’t help you with your careers? That’s why I’ve actually taken a liking on interviewing recruiters because recruiters know the best way to get a job. Bob Pudlock is one of those people. He is an independent recruiter who knows his stuff. Taking an unconventional route, Bob went into recruiting because companies would pay him top dollar to recruit. Yep, one sentence solidified his career. Bob has a lot of practical advice in the show such as how to make 100% use of job interviews when you have to pay for your own flight, the power of long-term networking, and one of my favorite topics, which is better? Factory experience or a master’s degree? Shownotes: http://myfoodjobrocks.com/075Bob About Bob Pudlock Bob Pudlock is the owner and President of Gulf Stream Search, an executive search firm that works with companies in the food and nutritional supplement industries to identify, assess and capture top talent for their organizations. Bob has been in the search industry for 17 years - he has placed individuals all throughout the US and Caribbean at all levels - most of the positions he fills are in R&D, Quality, Sales/Marketing, and Plant Operations throughout the US - he works with venture capital firms that focus on the food industry, start-ups, as well as established brands in the food and supplement industries. Bob grew up in Cleveland, OH and attended John Carroll University where he played on the golf team.  He moved to South Florida in 2011 and is active outdoors with running, swimming, stand-up paddle board racing, fishing and bicycling. 5 top reasons My Food Job Rocks 1. I can work from anywhere - I conduct nearly all of my work via phone, email, and video. 2. I choose what companies, searches, and candidates I work with. 3. I make my own hours - I work as much or as little as I like - although my business demands a lot of my time, I still have the flexibility and control over my schedule to do the things I enjoy outside with the people close to me. 4. I control my income. 5. I get to work with up and coming talent in the food industry and I also get to work with companies that are changing the way we look at nutrition and health in general.  I get to work with people that are truly making a difference in the world. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by FoodGrads, an interactive platform for the Food & Beverage Industry, which focuses on closing the gap between students and employers with a broader mission to attract and retain people to a meaningful career in food. From Food Scientists to Farmers, Chefs to Plant Managers, QA Technicians to Dieticians, or Marketing and Sales, no matter what your passion--there's something for everyone in Food—and they will help you find it. Join FoodGrads for support, mentorship and guidance to start your career. Just go to foodgrads.com   If you like what you heard, like us on facebook or set a review on itunes. It helps wonders. If you have any questions or suggestions on how to improve the podcast, don’t be afraid to email me at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com Knowledge Bombs How to make the most of paying to fly to a job interview Why you should go to hiring managers and not HR How even the smallest talks can be impactful The value of factory experience The many factors about the lack of free labor Question Summary Sentence or less: I identify or recruit top talent in the food industry What do you do specifically?: 2 things: companies go to him to find people and he finds great people I focus on relationships and connecting What was the time you talked to someone who didn’t accept the job at the time?: I try to open up to people to imagine the possibilities. I try to set more expectations. What’s the best advice for growing your network?: Throw your net wide, not deep The best thing about your job: The journey of hiring Steps it took to get to where you are today: Ohio, Private schools, good at sports, underachiever, didn’t think what would happen when he grew up, golf coach, training salesmen, “Bob, we will pay you top dollar to find salespeople”, pet food recruiting, then expanded to more - Sometimes it’s ok not to know what you’re going to do What’s the most common theme between excellent candidates?: For young people: curiosity for learning and getting to really understand all the different steps on the product development cycle What is more valuable? Masters experience or Factory experience?: Factory experience. It can’t be replaced or supplemented at a later date. For many people, most people want to do different things Why Does Your Food Job Rock?: It’s all about the journey. Also, I work for myself and I get to have control over who I work with What is Bob’s Win Rate (Hired versus not hired): Average is 10-15 interviews for one hire. Bob has had impressive numbers. The secret is understand what the company is looking for Food Trends and Technologies: The blurred lines between mainstream food and nutrition What is the biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Skilled labor. Some reasons: we put our manufacturing plants in the middle of nowhere, lobbying to reduce regulations for hiring skilled labor. Favorite Quote: The Man in the Arena. Favorite Book: Oh the Places You’ll Go Favorite Kitchen Utensil: Utensils that are not utensils Advice on the food industry: If you’re going technical, get a degree. Think of other degrees like Masters or MBAs What is a common myth that you’d like to dispel about job hunting?: The best resume doesn’t always win Where can we find you?: Gulf Stream Search. Email: bob.pudlock@gulfstreamsearch.com Phone number: 561-450-9490 Other Links Hiring Manager – Someone who requests a new employee H1B Visa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve Gendel has worked in the FDA for 25 years and this guy has had an amazing career doing so. He’s been involved in the latest and greatest technologies ranging from early stage GMOs, Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, and of course, our favorite one right now, FSMA. The best part of this episode is the very practical and real advice he give son how to get a job at the FDA. Of course, it’s a special mix of fiscal year luck, and who you know. He tells you the best places to meet people in the FDA, where the FDA usually works at (which of course, it’s not easy find), and when to start asking your contacts if there are positions open.  http://myfoodjobrocks.com/074Steven About Steven M. Gendel, Ph.D. Dr. Gendel works to ensure safe food for everyone through education, consulting, and support of food manufacturers and organizations of all sizes as the Vice President, Division of Food Allergens, IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group. This includes facilitating compliance with the rules issued under the Food Safety Modernization Act, and supporting the development of Hazard Assessments and Food Safety Plans. He applies a scientifically sound approach to allergen control and testing, and to resolving compliance issues.  He is a Food Safety Preventive Control Alliance Preventive Controls Lead Trainer, a Certified Food Scientist, and an experienced speaker.  Previously he was the Food Allergen Coordinator for the US Food and Drug Administration where he lead policy initiatives, the development of regulatory documents, and assisted in enforcement activities.  He has over 25 years of experience in food safety science and policy and over 90 techincal publications. He held postdoctoral positions at Harvard University and the University of Toronto and was on the faculty of the Department of Genetics at Iowa State University before joining the FDA. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by FoodGrads, an interactive platform for the Food & Beverage Industry, which focuses on closing the gap between students and employers with a broader mission to attract and retain people to a meaningful career in food. From Food Scientists to Farmers, Chefs to Plant Managers, QA Technicians to Dieticians, or Marketing and Sales, no matter what your passion--there's something for everyone in Food—and they will help you find it. Join FoodGrads for support, mentorship and guidance to start your career. Just go to foodgrads.com Knowledge Bombs Steve talks about why he stayed in the FDA for 25 years How the FDA is funded What the FDA controls What Steve thinks has the best food safety programs The best advice on how to get into the FDA When to start looking for a FDA job Question Summary One sentence or less: I’m a food safety scientist. My job is the next thing you eat will not kill you Best thing about your job: I feel like I’m really making the world safer Step to get to where you are today: Undergraduate degree in engineering in KS Western reserve , Graduate in UC Irvine in biology, Department of Genetics in Iowa University, met someone at FDA which was now Institute of Food Safety and Health, stay with the FDA for 25 years, now a consultant What is the difference between the FDA then and now?: A lot of external factors shape the projects such as consumer, laws and regulations, and new congressional turnover The hot topic before you left: FSMA is coming into effect (well…. Maybe not anymore) Most important skill you can have in food safety: Flexibility. Food safety is a very integrative type of field. There are a lot of pieces in Food Safety. Projects Steve was involved in: Potential allergens in GMOs (back when it was new) Risk analysis modeling Joint project between FDA and Health Canada about Soft-cheeses and L.monocytogenes Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. Thresholds for Allergens Lead author of an allergen threshold report Helped with FSMA’s preventative control New Food Trends and Tech: Advanced Genome Technologies. Can be a great tool to understand pathogens. It helps you understand where they come from and then we can do that Biggest Challenge the Food Industry has to face: Transparency. Mainly asking “why” One thing you’d like to know more about: How companies invest in food safety and food safety program Favorite Quote: To err is human but to really mess up, you need a computer Favorite Food: Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Sharp Cheddar, Swiss Cheese, Artisanal Food What Advice Would You Give TO Work In The FDA: At this particular time in history, it’s hard to say. However, meet people in the FDA. It’s who you know. How to meet FDA people: Scientific Conferences. Local meetings at IFT and IAFP, American Chem Society, Society of Toxicology, talk to them, they will know others who do. USAjobs.com Office of Regulatory Affairs. There are District Offices. Contact the Deputy Director of that office Commissioner’s Fellowship ORISE- Oakridge CIFSAN – Centers for Food Safety in Universities that work collaboratively. Can get graduate or postdoc positions Fiscal Year for the Federal Government: Begins October 1st, ends October 1st. But start looking now How to find Steve: linkedin Other Links Ep. 031 - Tiffany Lau Myrian Zboraj – Quality Assurance Magazine GATTACA Walmart Costco   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darin’s son died of an E.coli outbreak and he has spent the last 25 years devoting his life to making the world a safer place. Within the last 25 years, he’s become a Doctorate in Law and Policy where his main focus is to implement Food Policy. He’s talked with doctors, scientists, law makers, and graduate students into fighting for food safety. In his spare time, he comforts people who have gone through the same troubles as he has, and shares their stories. Darin does a great job weaving intricate stories to give you the sense of importance in Food safety, which includes aspects of history, humanity and Chipotle. A serious note for this interview: This is a very dense and emotional conversation of food safety. Darin really cares about what he does, and by the end of the episode, I hope you have a renewed sense of importance in food safety. About Darin  Dr. Darin Detwiler is the Assistant Dean and a Professor of Food Policy at Northeastern University College of Professional Studies, Boston, MA.  He is a food industry consultant, columnist, and frequent speaker at events across the country and beyond.   He is coincidentally going to be on American Greed (yes, that's his voice) this week  Sponsor This episode is sponsored by FoodGrads, an interactive platform for the Food & Beverage Industry, which focuses on closing the gap between students and employers with a broader mission to attract and retain people to a meaningful career in food. From Food Scientists to Farmers, Chefs to Plant Managers, QA Technicians to Dieticians, or Marketing and Sales, no matter what your passion--there's something for everyone in Food—and they will help you find it. Join FoodGrads for support, mentorship and guidance to start your career. Just go to foodgrads.com Knowledge Bombs Why deadly foodborne illnesses spikes during the summer months, which causes a bad experience in Thanksgiving The stories behind statistics. Focus on the stories. How the FDA has changed in the last 25 years How people being lazy can cause massive damage How history impacts food policy Everyone has a role to play in food safety Understanding the cause and effect in food safety Why Darin chooses Academia to do Food Safety How Darin balances out food industry stories and family stories and the differences between them How Darin’s perception of food safety has changed over time The lack of Ethics in the Peanut outbreak We talk smack about Chipotle I’m as old as Chipotle Key Summary How Darin has improved Food Safety: 1992 – operating a nuclear reactor, supported the USDA on food safety, went back to university and taught for 15 years in forensic science, Doctorate in Law and Policy and focus was on implementing food policy, Two reasons why food safety fails: They don’t understand or they don’t care. Maybe we need to teach people earlier. Most Food Safety folly is based on greed My Food Job Rocks: Food affects everyone and we connect to it on all aspects of life What advice do you give people to excel at what they do?: If you see things and you don’t take action, or won’t eat your own product, ask questions. Be a self-advocate. Why did Chipotle fail their food safety protocols?: Failure to invest in safety. The system needs work, but their response is textbook What should Chipotle should have done to be better?: They can’t fix the past Other Links Stop Foodborne Illnesses Jack-in-The-Box E.coli outbreak 1993 Food Fraud: Big in Europe Bioterrorism Upton Sinclair – The Jungle Peanut Outbreak Chipotle Outbreak Contact: d.detwiler@neu.edu Quality Assurance Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I usually do a pre-interview with my guest, to kind of explain what we do, if they listen to the show, and stuff like that. However Thom’s pre-interview was so good that I had to share it. Think of this as an episode where I invite an old friend out to coffee to see what’s going on with his life. Thom is an amazing person who reminds me a lot of Derek Sivers. Thom is also a guest who loves to swear so I edited a few things so the itunes police doesn’t get me. So you’re going to learn a bit about documentation, and also some great podcasts that Thom listens to. Also, the really awesome perks Thom has built up in Stevivia’s office. There is a reason for that. If you want a full reason, listen at myfoodjobrocks.com/072Thom Enjoy! Key Takeaways The importance of documentation Thom’s investment in employee happiness How to have employees talk to you Other Links Non-GMO in Europe Louis Hows – School of Greatness Tom Bilyeu - Impact Theory Mixergy Tom Bilyeu Tim Ferriss Show Kale Chips Healthy Crunch How I Built This One Question You Would Like to be Asked?: Why do you do what you do? Weird things in Steviva’s office: Tomato’s and chickens, food Friday Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  Thom King is probably the best CEO I’ve ever had the chance to talk to. He’s fun, innovative, and he just loves his job and the people he works with. I had a great hour and a half talk with him on my lunch break and had to find an excuse when I got back to work. This interview is that good. Where to start from this interview… whether you’re a young professional, an old soul, or a struggling entrepreneur, Thom will give you advice on all aspects of your career. You’ll learn how to deal with conflict in the work place, the touching reasons why Thom loves his job, the amazing first stage of stevia and the growth of the brand, and at the end of the segment, the power of having a good idea and working hard so that everyone knows you’re the best. Remember: I am currently recording this at my hotel at IFT. Just saying, I’ll be there until Wednesday. If you’re available, I’d love to meet you. Just email me at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com If you like what you heard, like us on facebook or set a review on itunes. It helps wonders. If you have any questions or suggestions on how to improve the podcast, don’t be afraid to email me at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com Sponsor This episode is sponsored by FoodGrads, an interactive platform for the Food & Beverage Industry, which focuses on closing the gap between students and employers with a broader mission to attract and retain people to a meaningful career in food. From Food Scientists to Farmers, Chefs to Plant Managers, QA Technicians to Dieticians, or Marketing and Sales, no matter what your passion--there's something for everyone in Food—and they will help you find it. Join FoodGrads for support, mentorship and guidance to start your career. Just go to foodgrads.com   About Thom King Part CEO, part personal development wonk and part biohacker info geek, Thom is a self-confessed serial entrepreneur. While his favorite book list contains many success-oriented and personal-development classics, the classic definition of achieving success (e.g., making a lot of money) is not what inspires or motivates Thom. He follows more of a “you aren’t doing well unless you’re also doing some good” line of thinking. Thom’s company has been built around the simple principle of “do the right thing.” Knowledge Bombs - How to deal with conflict in the work place - Literally the birth of Stevia - How to get triple digit growth 3 years in a row - Some methods to understand people - Thom’s interesting hobby and how he makes them - How to validate a good idea Question Summary Elevator Pitch: A sweetner that doesn’t affect blood sugar levels that became an ingredient company Favorite thing to do as a CEO: Make my employees cry with tears of joy; Be appreciative with your employees What do you think you do in a day?: Manage personalities How many people are in your company?: 32 people How do you deal with conflict?: Clashing is a function of a breakdown in communication; I learn about the problem, and get to a common ground People who get under your skin: Imagine them as a six year old child Steps it took: Thom met Jim while doing radio, he tasted Stevia, made Stevia extract in a  garage Steviva was born in 1992 2008 – Stevia was given provisional GRAS status, moving Thom’s company to Food Ever since 2015, Steviva has experienced triple digit growth Metabolic disease: Obesity, diabetes Why did you start a food company and what keeps you going?: Getting rid of metabolic disease is my why Most important skill you can have in the industry: integrity. Constantly improve your product. Integrity is a service to makea  good product. Food trends and technologies: Probiotics and fermentation Thom makes his own probiotics and uses an 11 strain fiber What is one thing you’d like to know more about?: Hydrocolloids, thickening agents Example: thai chilli sauce, jam, etc Favorite Quote: Tony Robbins: Anything is possible and it’s up to you to make it probable Favorite Book: Right now is Tools of Titan Favorite Kitchen Item: Sous Vide Favorite Food: Spaghetti and Meatballs Any Advice for starting your own business: listen to Gary Vee’s Podcast. You grind and grind and grind and grind some more This is the best time in the world ever to start a business Low entry points for validating your idea: social media and crowd funding One thing you’d like to know about starting your business: more knowledge about Accounting What’s next for Steviva: Moving to another facility. Quadrupalling the size of our R+D lab Steviva: twitter, Instagram, etc info@steviva.com --> direct it to Thom! Other Links Steviva Nextiva brand – Stevia infused agave nectar Marrakesh Spice Provencal Anise Maple syrup Masala Chai Spice DE 42 High fructose corn syrup Jim May – Founder of Wisdom Naturals DISC test – Analyzing human needs for all employees Polyols/Erythritol FDA rulings on fiber Jerusalem Artichoke Chicory Root IMOs Custom Probiotics Glendale Los Angeles Flowbee- vaccum haircut Ketogenic diet Exogenous ketones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am fortunate to interview Steve MacIntyre, as he brings a new perspective compared to the standard guests we interview here. He is the first Human Resource professional, and the only one I know who is really passionate about his industry. Like many of our guests, Steve’s career path involved a lot of twists, and turns, and ultimately, a lot of leaps of faiths. From the army, to health and safety, to eventually, human resources, you can really feel how Steve has kind of gone with the flow in his career. As a HR professional, Steve brings some amazing advice in this interview which will help you become a much better professional. We give you some tricks on how to take advantage of networking, make the most of taking an expert to coffee, and igniting your intellectual curiosity About Steve MacIntyre An energetic, results-focused HR professional who directly contributes to a high performance culture by creating an employee oriented climate and implementing progressive and consistent people management practices that emphasize engagement, integrity, productivity and consistency. Provides sound advice and guidance on human resources issues to leaders enabling our business to attract, retain, and engage great people who are inspired by superior results. About Vibrant Health Products Our story finds its humble beginnings in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, where Brad Brousson began using his mother’s recipe to bake sprouted grain bread for guests at a wellness resort. In 1989, Stan and Kathy Smith partnered with Brad to form Vibrant Health Products, sharing Brad’s passion for health and wellness. Over the years, the company has expanded to include three brands: Silver Hills Bakery, One Degree Organic Foods, and Little Northern Bakehouse. But the company remains family-owned and operated. And the same homemade quality that began in Brad’s kitchen is still present in each loaf of bread, bagel, and bun we bake. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by FoodGrads, an interactive platform for the Food & Beverage Industry, which focuses on closing the gap between students and employers with a broader mission to attract and retain people to a meaningful career in food. From Food Scientists to Farmers, Chefs to Plant Managers, QA Technicians to Dieticians, or Marketing and Sales, no matter what your passion--there's something for everyone in Food—and they will help you find it. Join FoodGrads for support, mentorship and guidance to start your career. Just go to foodgrads.com If you like what you heard, like us on facebook or set a review on itunes. It helps wonders. If you have any questions or suggestions on how to improve the podcast, don’t be afraid to email me at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com Knowledge Bombs - Why being a HR professional in the food industry is different compared to any other industry - How to be transparent and getting into the culture of transparency - How Steve used networking to excel at his job - Why Steve left his first job because of the products they made - How to get the most value out of a coffee interview - How to encourage people to demonstrate intellectual curiosity Question Summary Sentence or less: Senior level HR practitioner for the food industry Why do you like the food industry: Food is something we all share. It's more intimate What is the best thing about your job?: Hiring people, and give young professionals their first opportunity Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today: I was in the army, electrician apprenticeship, laid off, food business is hiring electricians, health and safety committee, HR director asked him to take over and he loved it Required HR: Chartered Professional in Human Resources (Canada)  or SPHR (US) What should more people do to be good at their job?: Network with people who do what you do and do what you want to do.  Be intellectually curious My Food Job rocks: I get to be part of this movement Food Trends and Technologies: Sustainability, Whole Foods One thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: Marketing. How do we influence you to buy our stuff? Advice Going Into The Food Industry: Call me! But seriously, I love talking to passionate people. How do you find good candidates?: I’m looking for energy How can we reach you?: Through linkedin Other Links Gardeen Flexitarian Give and Take Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  If you like what you heard, like us on facebook or set a review on itunes. It helps wonders. If you have any questions or suggestions on how to improve the podcast, don’t be afraid to email me at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com Manuscript Looking at my calendar, I saw that this podcast actually started in June. It’s felt like a long time. A lot of things have happened while creating this podcast. I met some incredible people, collaborated with geniuses, and made my connections with my friends unbreakably strong. Other than that, a total of 15,000 people have downloaded the podcast, averaging 215 listens per episode. For me, I’m happy with this. So in this episode I just wanted to really flesh out the events that made this podcast for what it was today, and how it slowly transformed. From the independent website, graduate student series, to why I am changing some of my questions, I want to tell you just how fun it was making this thing and where we’re planning to go next. Let’s being Beginnings Have I told this story before? Maybe only to my guests, or with my friends. When I first moved to Phoenix, I became obsessed with Podcasts, almost about the same time I started hating my job, which you can listen about in episode 60, which was around the time I wanted to find a way out. I noticed that sure, listening to music was fun, but it wasn’t productive. So I started listening to audio books which I borrowed form the Phoenix library. Soon it evolved into podcasts. My first podcasts I listened to often were Smart Passive Income and Entrepreneur on Fire. I’d consider these entry-level because they are indeed inspiring stories with a little bit of tactical knowledge. This went on for about a year. In maybe January 2016, I read an article by Tim Ferriss about how he started his podcast. Through his write up, I found it was pretty easy to do. For example, the equipment was dirt cheap, and the barrier to entry is pretty good. About a month later, Nicole posted the fated article about how the food industry is hiring people at a declining rate and everything kind of clicked. The lesson here is really about this simple equation, that opportunity + preparedness = luck is something that resonates with me when I do projects. If I didn’t listen to podcasts, or read how to do them, I would never had had the opportunity to work with Nicole. There are many other factors in how this started up that made it worked as well. For example, Foodgrads was a startup, so they were flexible and willing to support me in this venture. Though they didn’t give me initial capital, the power of just getting a thumbs up is more than enough justification to get started with the podcast so I set aside $1000 dollars and went to town. I would provide the episodes, and they would provide the website that I could post on. I bought equipment recommended by Tim Ferriss including this microphone. I downloaded Audacity, and then I bought a course called Podcaster’s Paradise. This course was created by John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneur on Fire. I subscribed for about 3 months and learned a lot of technical tidbits in not only on how to use Audacity, but how to structure my podcast from getting guests to sending thank you notes. It also gave me some amazing tools such as calendly.com and libsyn. I also found the facebook group they had extremely supportive and that’s also where I met Kim from Peas On Moss, who started her podcast the same time as I did. So starting that, I now had to get guests. First up was Nicole and Juliette from Foodgrads as they were the ones hosting it on their website, so it just seemed right. Then I got Trevor Fast, Brian Chau, and Taryn Yee, while on a work trip to California. I literally scheduled time to meet and record. It was really fun! I remember doing the dumbest thing while doing Trevor’s interview. I thought the room was too noisy so I thought we could do it in the office. We ended up doing the interview in a cramped, noisy room where chocolate was being refined. Editing that was a pain. So you keep going. Episode 6 was my most valuable guest being Dr. Howard Moskowitz in more ways than one. This one was a stroke of luck I had no idea how I got him on the show. I just connected on linkeidn, he sends me a bunch of stuff and I asked him to be on the podcast. That’s so cool! I realized then, that the ability to ask someone to be on a podcast is an extremely valuable tool. For one, it gives you a very legitimate excuse on inviting, and talking to people you want to talk to, and I would say about 70% of my podcasts have guests I personally contacted, 10% are from people who sign up to be interviewed randomly and another 20% are referred to by either previous guests or friends. My biggest tips for finding great guests is pretty simple, especially for people on linkedin. For one, if they post a lot, it’s more likely they would like to be on the show. There are only a few exceptions I’ve had with this. People who are going to launch something, whether it’s a book or new product, are especially willing to talk about it as well. This is how I got Ali Bouzari on the show, for instance. Connectors, whether self-proclaimed are not have their perks too. Rochelle Boucher, for example, knew a ton of people and supported me in huge amounts getting guests that came to her Miele location. I returned the favor with my own resources. After my recent talk with Alex Oesterle from Food Marketing Nerds, I found that he has a very different way of contacting. A bit more professional, which I might want to dive in the future. He goes through PR firms or PR departments to get amazing guests from the marketing department. I’ve only had a couple of guests been blocked by denying permission, which I actually find kind of, a strange and outdated practice, but I understand. But the method I use works, I have absolutely no problem finding guests and I actually realized that I don’t need big shots on my podcasts. I actually really enjoy interviewing fresh, inspiring graduates. Some recent examples like Jon Weber and Louis Edmond, who both just got their jobs, were extremely satisfying to talk to just because of their passionate outlook in life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So this brings me to another topic about what you want your podcast to represent. This means knowing your audience, and catering to that audience. Overall, the message and structure for My Food  Job Rocks is a pretty simple one: explore different food jobs, dive in a little bit of their history, and explore their viewpoints on current events such as technology or current events. At the end, we cool down and talk about books, quotes, and favorite foods. The questions we’ve designed for our show is pretty standard, but testing certain questions has made the process a lot of fun. One of the questions I’ve changed was “what is a standard day like?” I used this question in the beginning, but all I got was “every day is different!” So I changed this question and worded it in multiple different ways. Sometimes I say “what’s the most exciting part of your job?” or “what’s the worst?” some of my personal favorites include asking the process of how to make a certain food such as with Jocelyn Ngo or Haley Richardson. By diving into a subject filled with enigma versus a standard routine, in usually generates more excitement. One of the other questions I’ve had a good time playing around with is “what do you think are the important skills you need in your job?”. My favorite answer to this question is from Tiffany Tong from Canada’s Smartest Kitchen, where she said adaptability. After she did a beautiful explanation of the word, I dug deeper. “How do you become more adaptable?” I guess the trend and evolution of the questions I ask is more about “how can I make this podcast more exciting/unique, and what type of tactical and actionable advice can I give to my audience?” Next topic is in regards to why we split off from Foodgrads initially, around episode 16: Well, I wanted more control and a certain person who was there at the time didn’t want that. Eventually, they had to approach to let me go. I’m bad at assuming things, so I’ll leave it as: I grew too big for their nest so I had to leave. With a mix of disappointment, support from my friends, and admittedly, utter rage, I decided to make my own website to host my podcast. I still had a weekly podcast so I had to make a website fast. Luckily, this wasn’t just a start-from-scratch bang my head against the wall. Ever since I started hating my job, I dabbled into website design. I made my first “successful” website called Az Asian Food Review. Where I reviewed Asian food in phoenix. I had to pay for a theme dedicated to podcasting (which in hindsight, I never used that feature) and a pretty good front page function. Building the website was actually one of the most exhilarating I’ve done for this project and I am really proud of the website I made. Using my skills from Canva, and my website experience, I made a website for maybe under $150 dollars that I could use as my playground. And looking back, I used it as a playground very well. Evolving the shownotes, making a blogging section for my own personal use, and recently, hosting another person’s content made this website a proud accomplishment. Eventually, I made a deal with Foodgrads to work with them. Yes, it was awkward at first, but both Nicole and I supported each other. I actually had a huge internal debate not to do it because of an ego issue on my end, but that was a dumb, childish reason. The main reason is really, we can’t do this alone. If we’re split now, there is no way to conquer the industry. I need Nicole to be a powerhouse distribution force in the future, and she needs my high quality content to satisfy her readers. Two lessons appear from this: don’t burn bridges, and don’t give up. I could have easily been extremely hot headed and aggressive in this scenario, and let my ego do the talking, but I had to bite my tongue. It’s paid off. Another thing is consistency. If you really want to make this not a hobby, you need to be consistent with your episodes. Too many people get burnt out or just lose motivation on doing a weekly podcast. What actually happened was I liked interviewing so much I ended up having so many episodes, I had to open the flood gates and launch 2 episodes a week. I was so hard to switch to 1 but I realized that two episodes a week really took a toll on my life. Luckily, I had Veronica Hislop save me with her willingness to provide awesome content with her blog posts. So I want to wrap this whole thing up into a lessons learned scenario. Both podcasting and website design were once small interests, that later became hobbies and then actually became revenue generating. Yes, I made my initial investment back 5 times over. Some were direct requests, others were from referrals from guests. Not only that, but certain guests have contacted me for other projects and what’s coming in the next couple of years is really something. At the end of the day, the biggest lesson I have for you is to just start doing something an hour a day. It can be researching, or reading, or just gathering information. Eventually, a seed will be planted into your mind. When the opportunity strikes, you’ll be prepared. As maybe you could tell from this episode, most of the opportunities I was given was So the best place to invest a minimal amount of skill? I’ll give you two resources where you can find a skill and then have the opportunity to dig deeper. Entreprenuer Podcasts The SPI podcast by Pat Flynn is probably the best resource to find a collection of people who are making income in unconventional ways. This was actually one of the avenues I’ve used to another area of interest which ended up being a bad investment but that’s another story. You can probably find things similar to SPI by typing in entrepreneur podcast in your favorite search engine. Other search terms you can use is Bootstrapping, and built. Recently, Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale has been one of the best things I’ve ever listened to so if you’re going for it, you gotta listen to his stuff. And Facebook sponsored webinars If you’re like me, a bunch of people are now pitching their “free webinar” facebook ad on my feed constantly. Maybe it’s because I like stuff that attracts those adds to me… Anyways, you should try it out. You’ll only invest one hour of your time. But be careful! These types of webinars will always try and sell you something. It’s just their design. Whether you buy or not, is up to you. However, as a disclaimer, I buy maybe 20% of products that I see in webinars. The point in exploring different avenues is to eventually find something where you can utilize the skill. The demand or timeline will be your bridge from interest to skill. The power of having your back against the wall, you’ll be surprised in what you could get done. Have a website to build in a week when someone lets you go? Time to get serious. This is actually what I’m kind of missing now, the stuff I’m doing is awesome, but I need a sense of urgency to kick me in the butt. Apparently, it’s just my personality. So where is this podcast heading in the future? I don’t know. My goal is 100 episodes. Judging by the rate of this, we’ll be there in January. With more than 50 interviews under my belt, I think it’s time to push a little bit on wrapping up the content in a nice little bow and send it to people who would find value in it such as professors, career consolers, or whatever. I think I can put a little more oomph in sharing the content to others who might want to take the food industry as a career path. Overall I have to tell you, I’m in this for the long run. Not just the podcast, but the connections I’ve made with every guest on the show is extremely valuable and every time I see their names or faces, I remember of the pieces of gold within their interview. Every podcast guest has taught me so much about just how passionate people are in their job. Whether it’s young professional’s eagerness to learn or the startup CEOs who hustle and works her butt off 24/7 but are fueled with endless energy, those are the guests that keep me going. The next set of episodes are absolutely amazing. And there’s a lot more variety too. More food safety guests thanks to Marian Zboraj, editor for a Food Safety magazine. She gave me some absolutely amazing people in that sector. What else, more sales reps, where I go more into what makes a good salesman, and the best CEO I’ve ever met. There’s just so much coming up, that I always look forward to trying something new. Thank you to everyone who’s been with me this past year. Thank you to all of our listeners, to all of our supporters, whether financially or emotionally. I don’t know what’s coming next, but things are building and as long as we’re in this together, we can do anything.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have Shyamoli Gramopadhye a food technologist at Dairy Concepts where she solves the technical problems of her clients in the cheese and cheese powder industry. Shyamoli is actually a very supportive writer for Foodgrads and writes articles on the site. This episode has a lot of info about India’s food scene. Not just the culinary aspect, but the industry aspect as well! Shyamoli is highly passionate in this aspect and is learning as much as she can in the United States, where she will hopefully bring it back to India some day. Other tidbits in the episode include: the power of creative freedom, curiosity, and we sprinkle in a few great book recommendations throughout the episode. About Shyamoli I'm a Food Technologist in the Innovation Department at DairiConcepts. I'm extremely passionate about all aspects of food and my latest achievement in the food world is being an Elite Squad Yelper! About DairiConcepts As a comprehensive solution specialist, DairiConcepts offers an extensive line of cheese- and dairy-based powders, seasoning blends, concentrated pastes, flavor enhancers and hard Italian cheeses. With industry-leading expertise in clean label formulation and manufacturing, our custom ingredients can accommodate your specific flavor profiles and label claims, as well as broaden dairy-flavored ingredients into new dimensions of taste and functionality. Sponsor This episode is sponsored by FoodGrads, an interactive platform for the Food & Beverage Industry, which focuses on closing the gap between students and employers with a broader mission to attract and retain people to a meaningful career in food. From Food Scientists to Farmers, Chefs to Plant Managers, QA Technicians to Dietitians, or Marketing and Sales, no matter what your passion--there's something for everyone in Food—and they will help you find it. Join FoodGrads for support, mentorship and guidance to start your career. Just go to foodgrads.com If you like what you heard, like us on facebook or set a review on itunes. It helps wonders. If you have any questions or suggestions on how to improve the podcast, don’t be afraid to email me at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com Key Takeaways - Research versus business and how it works in industry - Shyamoli’s experience with her mother’s food business - Shyamoli and my discussion about farming Question Summary What do you tell people in a sentence or less?: I’m a food technologist What specifically do you do?: Food technologist for Dairy Concepts. They are a support system and test flavors Dairy Concepts: Cheese and cheese powder company Favorite thing to do at your job?: A mixture of science and business. I can see both sides and see how my research affects the money Career Path: My mom is in the food industry, undergraduate degree in biotechnology, subject that talked about food industry, went to get a masters Reason why I went to the US: To study food science and bring it back to India. There’s no food innovation in India The most important skill you need for your job?: Curiosity How should you spark your curiosity?: You definitively have to be in a field that interests you. Read more, keep your eyes open My Food Job Rocks: I can learn so much about food and use it to start something new What Business would you want to start?: A farmer space where people can come see what it takes to farm. The Future of Food: The Third Plate by Dan Garber What do you look for most in a job?: Creative Freedom Is it a cultural thing?: Yes Food Technology: Plant Based food such as lentils Biggest Challenge: How broken the food system is Who is doing a good job fixing it?: Hampton Creek, Kashi, Larabars Favorite Kitchen Item: Muffin Mold for portion control Favorite Book: The Voluntourist by Ken Budd Favorite Food: Pani Puri Food Media: Food Dive, Food Rush If you were to tell a food science class right now, what would it be?: Talk to people and don’t hesitate to talk to experts The more people talk to people, the more we can dismiss miscommunication Other Links Foodgrads.com Procurement Indian Organic Farming Chef’s Table Fair Trade Chocolate Beard Wine Chocolate by Simran Sethi Endangered Species Craft Chocolate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have quite a unique guest today. Alex Oesterle co-owns his own creative agency, Blue Bear Creative in Boulder, Colorado. His client base is food companies where he creates marketing campaigns for food companies that target the good old millennial population. What’s great about Alex is that he also hosts his own podcast. He created Food Marketing Nerds, a podcast focusing solely on food marketing professionals. So of course, we talk a lot about podcasting and how it benefitted our professional lives. We also discuss what makes a good podcast and how to get guests. If you want to get started with Alex’s podcast, I suggest checking out these three episodes. Episode 29 with Jersey Mike’s Chief Marketing Officer and Technology. Episode 37, how Sooja uses influencers to build their brand Episode 38, which features Wendy’s Chief Marketing dude Brandon Roten, is my personal favorite as he talks about his viral teweets and what it takes to manage that. I loved this interview personally. Other than that, if you are interested in marketing, or branding, this podcast brings a lot of really good strategies on the table. For example, so many different marketing strategies including snapchat, Tasty videos, and choosing your niche If you like what you heard, like us on facebook or set a review on itunes. It helps wonders. If you have any questions or suggestions on how to improve the podcast, don’t be afraid to email me at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com Sponsor This episode is sponsored by FoodGrads, an interactive platform for the Food & Beverage Industry, which focuses on closing the gap between students and employers with a broader mission to attract and retain people to a meaningful career in food. From Food Scientists to Farmers, Chefs to Plant Managers, QA Technicians to Dieticians, or Marketing and Sales, no matter what your passion--there's something for everyone in Food—and they will help you find it. Join FoodGrads for support, mentorship and guidance to start your career. Just go to foodgrads.com Key Takeaways Why Boulder, Colorado is an amazing food entrepreneur place Why mellenials don’t like “Why mellenials” articles Why Alex and I love Podcasting How snap chat is used in the food media space? Really interesting discussion about Wendy’s social media strategy Question Summary What is Blue Bear Creative?: We are a creative agency that focuses on millennials in the creative agency What is the best thing about your job?: The creative work What is the worst thing about your job?: The admin work Steps: College at CU Boulder, various job and internships at Qudoba, worked at restaurants in college, went into Finance, did Finance in startups, met cofounder and their skills aligned How do millennials like to be marketed?: They don’t like to be in a statistic. Example: Pepsi Ad Why Did you Make A Podcast?: To capture knowledge in how to make us better than our job How has podcasting benefitted you and your brand?: Personally, it’s shown me how to be successful and I get to see different marketing strategies How do you usually contact guests?: We reach out to brands that are really cool (I use linkedin) What do you think makes a great interview podcast?: Being able to spitball and roll with ideas and knowledge in the industry. Have the hosts do their research. I look for tactical information What Brands are Killing it Right Now?: Justin’s Nut Butter, all of Alex’s guests, Chick-Fil-E, Taco Bell What Food Technologies are Really Exciting you Right Now?: Messaging and tracking data Tasty Style Videos Rogue Wendy’s Account As a business, what is one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: How a big food company without outside help made it Favorite Book: Malcom Gladwell’s Blink Favorite Quote: Man in the Arena It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Any advice about starting a Creative Agency: Start small. Have a specialty or expertise What’s next and where can we find you?: Continue to grow. We’re growing. Other Links Blue Bear Creative Website Denver Colorado Boulder is the Silicon Valley of Natural Products Boulder Chip brand Expo West Naturally Boulder Time Article about Millennials Fat Burning Man Podcast Throwing Shade Audible Food Marketing Nerds Denver Convention Center: Blue Bear Statue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices