My Food Job Rocks!

Today we dive in the life of food sales and marketing expert, Eric Dunn, who is the director of Marketing and Innovation at Nutrifusion, a patent-pending super fruit and vegetable powder. Sales and Marketing have always interested me. In college, it wasn't really talked about yet, but if you're in product development, it's half the battle! Sales and Marketing is the lifeblood of a company and paired with a great product, it becomes an unstoppable force. I really enjoyed this interview with Eric because this is a type of job that not many food enthusiasts are aware of. If you are interested in sales and marketing in the food industry, then Eric does a great job explaining the difference to me. He also talks about where to find the best food news and why packaging is so important in this industry. If you enjoyed this episode, please, sign up on our email list at myfoodjobrocks.com, like us on facebook,  rate and review on itunes, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewer, or would like to join our team of volunteers, make sure to email us at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com. About Eric Eric Dunn is the Director of Marketing at NutriFusion®. He attended Clemson University (Your 2016 National Champions) for his B.S. in Marketing and M.B.A. in innovation. Eric's day-to-day role is to help connect the marketing and sales teams. He works on website updates, social media management, PR, email campaigns, and more to help NutriFusion® reach their customers. Over his past few positions, he found a passion for the food industry and is focused on helping companies develop healthier products that meet new consumer expectations. NutriFusion® leading innovation in plant-based ingredients for the food, beverage, supplement and pet industries. NutriFusion® developed the GrandFusion® product line to stabilize and concentrate the naturally occurring vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables. GrandFusion® enables companies to add natural vitamins without impacting the flavor or texture profile of their products. For example, with the GrandFusion® 12 fruit and vegetable blend, you can deliver 50% daily value of 12 vitamins with only 225 milligrams of powder. Question Summary One sentence or Less: Help innovative food companies sell and market products Difference between Marketing and Sales: Sales is more account management to ake the customer happy. Marketing promotes an captures the customer. They work hand in hand. Sales and marketing is a process: linkedin lead generation, be genuine, visit expos, cater your message to the role (business developer or product developer), go for the long run. Career path: Clemson Marketing undergrad, unpaid sales position by communicating with food marketers, graduated from Clemson MBA program Most important skill for Sales and Marketing: Communication and who you communicate with Food Trends or Technologies: Clean Label, we’re trying to do better In your opinion, What is Clean Label?: No artificial ingredients, can be Organic and Non-GMO, Premium, Simple ingredients Are sugar alcohols clean label?: Every consumer might have their own definition of clean label Biggest challenge the food industry has to face: Food Waste What in the food industry you’d like to know more about?: the process to improve technical sales Trifecta of skills: lab, manufacturing, marketing Who inspired you to get into food?: a blend of multiple perspectives and it excites me Favorite Book: The Alchemist by Pahlo (by the way, I read it and it’s amazing) One meal to eat for a month: Macaroni and Cheese in a pot. Annies is great. Hummus. Kirkland has the most affordable hummus tubs What’s one piece of advice to get to your field?: If you have a food science degree, maybe minor in a business and marketing degree. We need more technical people in marketing Anything Inspiring: If you’ve come up with a  good idea, go and chase it Other Links IFT16 Pac Expo Food Dive Food Navigator Writing Blogs Email Campaigns Nutrifusion Package insights – eye tracking devices to track package integrity 4 Ps of marketing - The fifth P: Packaging Using transparent clam shells to find out if people buy if the package is transparent Clean Eats Franchise Food Buisness News How Engineers communicate 9 red lines in green ink Vivrati Marketing – Marketing and Sales consulting EPIC foods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the My Food Job Rocks Podcast with me, Adam Yee, where we showcase amazing food jobs and interview the passionate people who drive the industry forward and this is episode 51! We have a special guest for you today. A top scientist at an amazing food company who’s had an amazing journey. He grew up in Nandi, a district in Kenya, went to China for graduate school, and now lives in Germany! Or as he says it, made in Nandi, formed in China and refined in Germany He’s a pet food scientist in one of the most well-known companies in the world and he really digs home on the importance of the petfood industry. So if you want to at least look into the petfood industry, this interview is for you. Hey, I made petfood at my last job, and that industry makes bank. This is a long one, a bit dense as well, but Seroni, has a lot to offer in his wisdom. After all, his motto in life is “Just DO it, make mistakes. Learn from them. Recalibrate and move on”. I apologize in advance for any audio issues. When editing I say a lot of uh-huhs. If that bothers you, let me know by sending a quick email saying “stop innerrupting” If you enjoyed this episode, please, sign up on our email list at myfoodjobrocks.com, like us on facebook,  rate and review on itunes, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewer, or would like to join our team of volunteers, make sure to email us at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com. About Seronei Seronei Chelulei Cheison is a Kenyan from Nandi County, the source of Kenya’s world-beating long-distance runners. Born to a very poor family, Seronei nearly missed school as he started off as a herdsboy hired by wealthier families than his grandmother with whom he had relocated at the tender age of five. After starting school at the ripe age of nine, he went on to top his class through primary, high school and university. Eventually he went to China for his MSc & PhD graduating Summa cum Laude at China’s premier food school (Jiangnan University). It was while in China that Prof.Dr. Ulrich Kulozik of the elite German university, Technical University of Munich. Seronei was shortly offered an opportunity to pursue the German Habilitation leading to an award of Venia legendi and certification to examine and supervise PhD candidates as well as teach Food Biotechnology. His passion is protein chemistry and enzyme technology. He was the first African to be awarded the honour by the TU Munich, which qualifies him for full professorship in a German university. Seronei moved on to Mars Global Petcare, a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated where he leads Ingredient innovation in the company voted 99 on the Fortune 100 Best Places to Work for (http://fortune.com/best-companies/mars-99/). Seronei also mentors and supervises industrial attachment interns who pursue their research in ingredient innovation. Seronei lives in Germany with his wife Ednah, three children Kiptoo, Cherop and Kipchumba and their two year old male cat, Simba. He is widely published with over 25 peer reviewed papers, one book chapter and several honours including Best Of Mars which he received in 2015. His motto in life is “Just DO it, make mistakes. Learn from them. Recalibrate and move on”.  He says that his Made In Nandi, Moulded In China and Refined In Germany makes him a child of “Three horns”, a cultural confluence that helps him navigate the exciting multicultural environment in a very traditional company like Mars. Seronei invites students to apply for internships at Mars’ many business segments and worldwide network and find out what exciting opportunities there are in the corporate world. What We Talk About - Difference between Germany Education versus Chinese education: Germany works as a pyramid system. A phd student has about 5 to 10 masters student. Relationship is more formal in Germany - Seronii speaks 5 language - A food has to be loved by the owner and the pet Question Summary My Food Job Rocks: I like it when people buy my products What is your job title?: Research and Development – Global life Sciences and technology Any Advice for working in another country?: Always try to speak the language (Senonei speaks 5 languages: Nandi- his mother's language, swahilli, official language,English, Chinese, German). Greatest asset you have in life is being multilingual Food Trends and Technology: Pet food borrows heavily from the human food segment One thing you’d like to know about: Epigenetics Favorite Quote: You are what you eat, if you eat trash you become trash. Food is your medicine Advice in the industry: Give petfood a shot. You won’t have to eat it Other Links Mars Inc. Petcare Wrigley Cloudy Juice – unfiltered apple juice www.mars.com go to careers and go to internships Mars internships – you can travel all over the world Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Key Takeaways How leaders use family as a support network How to not only innovate, but how to introduce new ideas Should you incubate or join a mastermind if you choose to start on your own? Other Links Pina Romolo, CEO from Pico La Cucina  Rohini Dey, Founder from Vermillion Naz Athina Kallel, CEO from Save Good Food Crystal MacKay, CEO from Farm and Food Care Lisa Tse, CEO from Sweet Mandarin Mike Hewitt, CEO from One Haus Raf Peeters, CEO from Qcify Ali Bouzari, CSO from Pilot R+D Dr. Howard Moskowitz from Mind Genomics Terra Chips Dang Foods Taco Bell Fancy Food Show Expo West Foodgrads Peas On Moss Transcript The last ten episodes had a bunch of startups and businesses that are not only innovative, but also are down to earth and realistic. It was amazing to talk to the owners! In this context, we’ll refer any owner, and founder as a CEO, though sometimes this isn’t the case. What I loved about learning from the CEOs was that these people were in a stage where they made something profitable but can also tell us the tangible tips needed to succeed in the food industry. This episode will take a lot of excerpts from past episodes, such as Pina Romolo, from Picco La Cucina and Rohini Dey from Vermillion as they have also created businesses from the ground up. The last ten episodes brought on a great amount of guests including Naz Athina Kallel from Save Good Food, Crystal MacKay from Farm and Food Care, Lisa Tse from Sweet Mandarin, Mike Hewitt from One Haus and Raf from Qcify. Within these interviews, we see a common thread that hopefully you can dissect in terms of starting something… and executing something. The word CEO, is fancy and powerful. Those that hold the title know that theya re the ones with the final say in anything that goes. Any initiative they bring will override any other opinion. Being the Chief requires a special type of person. A person obsessed with science might actually not make a good CEO. Take for example both Dr. Howard Moskowitz and Ali Bouzari. Both are Chief Science Officers and rely on a CEO with a different skill set. Ali Bouzari’s story on pilot R+D’s role describes this well. A team of three creative food professionals had hired Dana Peck to run their finances. Once they realized how essential she was on the team, they made her CEO. She was CEO because she knew much more about finance, a which is the blood that runs companies, and that her business experience trumped all three of her partners. Her experience with mergers and acquisitions in her past life brought a point that she could get clients and manage them well. So it’s very important for a CEO to generate money and be a champion of what their company stands for. I think in most situations, a CEO is designed to generate money needed to fund the other arms and legs in the department. Anyways, I have about 6 core topics that I found beneficial from interviewing these guests and the idea is to distill the information well enough where you can be innovative, supportive, and efficient. Let’s begin Family Matters Both Pina and Lisa are in family companies. Pina has her mother do the R and D work, and Lisa collaborates with her sisters. From their interview, you can tell that they are big picture, and that they are risk takers. All of the founders we’ve interviewed are. Though I don’t want to be biased, being younger, more ambitious, and the most adaptable in your family seems to be the best indicator of being considered a CEO. Some people like the spotlight, or rather, are willing to sacrifice being in the spotlight. Another side of the coin is Mike Hewitt, who wanted to start his own business because he wanted to spend more time with his family. The chef is life is hard, with 12 hour days and minimum pay, Mike had to decide to change jobs. They say that an entrepreneur has to sacrifice working 40 hours a day to work 80. But most people who work those hours have their family supporting them, which I think is vital for success. Whther you work with family or for family, a support network is necessary to succeed. We drive into this a little bit further down, but I want to state it now. The people who you care about are probably your first customers. And like all businesses, it’s important to make your customers happy Challenging Unfamiliar Concepts and Trends Naz and Rohini both made concepts that were risky. Naz found opportunity in ugly fruit and Rohini decided to take on ethnic indian cuisine. Both, however, added their own little twist. Naz combined ugly food with technology and created an amazing app that allows her to pick up ugly food and Rohini decided to add a fine dining element to Indian cusine to make Vermillion a hit. Something I’ve noticed during a lot of lectures on innovation is a specific formula that is quite common. Combining a new concept with an old one and creating a new yet familiar concept. This has been the best way to introduce something really new and pairing it with something old. A big example of something new with something old is an example I gave about an article about the Fancy Food show. Terra Chips, who make specialty vegetable chips. I was fortunate to listen to the Financial officer speak and their story was interesting. Two chefs were working under this superstar chef at a restaurant and the chef started deep frying things like lotus root and putting them on top. Everyone raved about them. However, the two chefs could never be as good as the superstar chef so he started to be better at something else. They took off and decided to start frying vegetables like lotus root on their own. Soon it became things like orange sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, taro, etc. They started with a bicycle, then an ice cream truck, then finally got a distributor going. Terra Chips uses the unfamiliar concept of fried root vegetables but sine they serve it in a familiar chip bag Here’s a twist on it: I was listening to the snacking innovation summit the other day and Dang foods was speaking. He was saying it was thanks to Whole Foods white labeled coconut chips that they were able to be successful. An old entity introduced a new concept and people realized that these coconut chips were there the whole time. The most important thing to know is that not everyone will like your innovative concept, but there are people who love those things. As many of our CEO guests have said, follow your audience. From Novice to Expert and when to split The basis of any consulting business is to be an expert in your field that is so good, people will pay you directly for your services. Can the same be said for starting your own business? From what I’ve been researching, it depends. From who I talked to, most businesses are born out of passion or born out of solving a problem. So based on our guests, about 3 guests who started their business out of passion are people like Pina, Rohini, Lisa, and Naz Rohini started with a high paying job in the business consultant industry but she found a gap in Indian cuisine. Because she absolutely loved food, she decided to dive in and conquer the ethnic up-scale dining scene. Lisa and her sister sold their houses to continue on their family restaurant and took it to the next level. Though they might have had some restaurant experience as children, they took it to the enxt level as adults with a  sauce line and cookbook. Sometimes other types of experiences can work. And Naz’ story is amazing. She started her business after her bout with cancer. Absolutely amazing. She has embraced technology and is solving our food waste problem. The other 3 guests I want to analyze are people who started something because they could do it better, and that would be Mike Hewitt, Raf Peeters, and Crystal Mackay. These people have actually experience in their field and have used their network to leverage their business. Mike Hewitt created One Haus with about two years of Human Resource experience. Maybe that’s all you need. However, Mike’s previous experience in the hospitality and restaurant industry gave hi the ability to make One Haus unique. Raf Peeters has said that Qcify is created based on a need in the market place, but his decade of experience in optics electronics has helped him build a stable and profitable business. Crystal Mackay has been an educator all her life and from pigs to pretty kuch the whole Canadian food industry, she’s the best at telling stories. I guess what I’m saying is that, does experience matter? I guess not. I think (as Raf has said), passion matters. You can start something any time you want if you have decades of experience, or none at all. Innovate! I’ve written a couple articles about this on linkedin. All CEOs are innovative, either rn product, or process. It’s extremely important to develop this type of mindset as this will not only help you make great products, but also help you develop a mindset to create new products, or let me try and say it in a way you should think of it…. To develop a mindset to solve problems. Learn How to Look for Solutions Every day it seems like there are problems. Every second something happens at the white house, there are a bunch of problems. Though those are problems that are a bit harder to solve, it’s important to think of ways to fix them. Just imagine, nothing else. Write it down. Now more than ever, social media shows us so many things wrong with the world. If we just thought of solutions, it would make the world a better place, right? Ugly food has been a creeping problem recently. Funny enough, we discussed it about 3 years ago in food science class and now we see people doing something about it. Naz was able to see the problem, and not only think of a solution (giving technology for farmers to tell her to pick up excess produce) but also build a business out of it! I started the podcast the same way. Nicole from Foodgrads wrote an article about a problem, I thought of a solution to use a podcast to interview people about their jobs. It was an idea I was floating around and once I saw that someone else had a problem, I gave her a solution. People who can analyze problems and figure out solutions are so valuable and those that execute are worth their weight in gold. So I leave you with a challenge that every time something on the news makes you mad, sit down and write how you would solve it. Be on the Cutting Edge Naz mentions “uberification” to gather her ugly fruit around San Diego. Uber is technically a cutting edge industry and anyone who hops on the trend to empower people to share their assets. Podcasts are also cutting edge technically. A lot of big advertisers are looking into podcasts because they’ve noticed the podcast model makes the consumer trust the brand more. So how can you be on the “cutting edge”? Expos like the Fancy Food Show help, even farmers markets, but also articles like foodbeast and Food Dive show amazing food trends no one has ever heard of. This is hard to realize, but if you are an expert at something, you might actually be on the cutting edge! 99% of the world’s population is probably not as smart as you are in a specific subject. If I were to boil down my experiences, am I on the cutting edge of my industry? I focus a lot of my time on food. My facebook is full of it, I go eat at trendy restaurants for fun, I work at a private company (more on this below) that does a billion/year so they have innovation to burn, I’m networked with amazing professionals and I always ask my friends “what new technologies are really exciting you right now?” This is not to brag, but I put a lot of time into food, and to be on the cutting edge, it does take commitment. CEOs are experts int heir field, and theya re also the tip of the spear when it comes to making innovative postions. In factm I would say the best part about being the head of a company is that you can direct innovation in a way that you want to do. However, it’s very important to realize is that you aren’t the one driving the decisions, it’s your customers. Make Little Bets If you read any self-help, startup book, this is a common thread. The point of making little bets is that you have to actually do something for you to be truly innovative. Yes, to actually become the definition of innovative, you actually have to start something! This might sound scary, but it gets easier the more times you do it. Not only does making little bets make you more creative, but it builds up your confidence and thought process where you can execute great ideas over and over again. I’ll talk about an example. In the past, I was in a group of product developers. We conceptualize new products. Before, there was old management who would shoot down every possibility because in theory, it sounded dumb, or other political BS. But once we started actually making the product and then doing a sensory test of 20 people, people started to change their minds Another example I give is from small projects. People are usually overwhelmed with huge goals. For example, starting your own Tech Company, or grocery store, or national soda brand. They think they have to start with a million dollars in capital to succeed. Not really. It takes maybe $500 dollars to make a product, create a label, and start a farmer’s market stand. Good luck! Should you incubate? Naz is the only person I’ve intereviewed who went though an incubator. Does that mean you should? A common theme I’ve seen through these leaders is that they have mentors and likeminded people surrounding them. Incubation is a great tool when it comes to networking but from what I’ve researched, it isn’t 100% necessary. In fact, most businesses that are sorted out are more or less focused on at least having a mentor or 5 and a support network of friends. Mentors seem to be a vital resource to succeed in life and I’ve had guests on the podcast who are not business owners praise their mentors. I’ve had a decent amount of mentors, some I’ve paid and some that I’ve earned. Some failed in their ventures, and some say they haven’t failed. Mentors are hard to choose from, and like any relationship, it might take a while for the relationship to click. You have to be in constant contact with each other, and in most situations, YOU have to be the one to take initiative to contact them. My advice to finding mentors? You can join start up incubators as a guarantee, but I feel like working hard and publicizing your work is the best way to bring attraction. Not only in side projects like this one, but also in your career. Sometimes a mentor isn’t necessarily set as a title, but rather the way you communicate. I have weekly office meetings with the Chief Science Officer, he makes room for these meetings because he likes to see me grow. When we talk, he talks about his experiences in the past on how to deal with people, or how he talks about not only the best way to solve the problem, but also why it’s the best way. The way him and I interact, where he is passing down knowledge to me, and I am receiving and executing. That is mentorship. A support network is also important. And an incubator can give it to you because there are people in the same boat as you. Some people throw around the world mastermind, which I fell in love with the idea at first, but then I realized they kind of suck. I think if set correctly, they can be a huge asset, but I’ve noticed they are only for MLMs and dreamers. Especially for starting something new, goals are really really hard. Accountability is extremely necessary, but surprisingly, you only really need one person. The most effective way to have a support network is constant yet separate contact with people who love what you do. I’ve found tis to work in the podcast when making certain decisions. I am in constant contact with Nicole Gallace from food grads, Kim Schaub from peas on moss, Katie Lanfranki, and others when it comes to making decisions. I call them, ask for advice, and take it to heart, and execute. They do the same. What I’m getting at in most cases, it just takes one person to help you get motivated and help you with decisions. 3 is way too many. So finally, is incubation a good thing? You don’t need it, but you also don’t need to buy a $100 dollar outdoor fireplace, you can build one yourself. If getting the resources for a mentor and support network is too time consuming, then an incubator is a very good option, The Food Industry is more than being a chef. After 50 episodes ranging from chefs, product development, food authors, consultants, engineers and recruiters, I can safely say that the food industry is much more than restaurants. Mike really hits this home in his interview. You don’t have to play with food to be part of the food industry. All you have to do is contribute to feeding people. Though we do have the CEOs who have restaurant businesses here, who’d ever thing you can be like Raf and combine technology and quality control! You can be a manager of a liquor store, or hustling people to buy wheat protein as a broker. If you love actually being involved in quote: feeling the food, that you can get a stable job and become a research chef, or you can be a food scientist. The food industry has so many different opportunities because as we’ve heard before, everyone has to eat. And you can be just one piece of the puzzle for feeding the world. Whether you help the big companies or carve your own path. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I have Raf Peeters who owns his own quality technology company. These guys basically solve problems on the quality control realm of things Here’s a quick bio on their company Qcify is a young and dynamic company built by an enthusiastic group of industry experts. For many years our founders have worked closely with food processing companies in the fields of automation and imaging technology.  Our team has bridged the gap between the technological wonders of Silicon Valley and the much needed Quality Control improvements the majority of food processors in the Central Valley and other global food producing areas were waiting for. Qcify strives to be the leading global innovator, developer and provider of quality inspection solutions that will transform the way our customers and their business partners gather, manage, distribute and communicate quality control information. By providing digital fingerprints of the produced food, our patented technology (patent pending) and services can be used for quality control, processing line optimization and automation as well as inventory management, among other applications. Raf’s a pretty awesome dude. We really get into a talk about how technology and food will keep on converging and we’ve only just scratch the surface   If you enjoyed this episode, please, sign up on our email list at myfoodjobrocks.com, like us on facebook,  rate and review on itunes, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewer, or would like to join our team of volunteers, make sure to email us at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com. About Raf Peeters Raf Peeters is currently Co-Founder and CEO of Qcify Inc, a Silicon Valley technology company that strives to be the leading global innovator, developer and provider of quality inspection solutions that will transform the way their customers and business partners gather, manage, distribute and communicate quality control information. By providing digital fingerprints of the produced food, Qcify's patented technology (patent pending) and services can be used for quality control, processing line optimization and automation as well as inventory management, among other applications. Raf is also President and CEO of Innova Food Tech, a consulting firm that's active in the food industry and more specifically food processing equipment. Prior to this he held the position of Area Sales Manager and Director US Operations at Visys from 2007 to 2013. After relocating for the company from Belgium to California he realized an annual sales of >$4M within 2 years. Due to this expansive sales Visys was able to merge with Key Technology, a Nasdaq listed company, in 2013. Whenever Raf has time he likes to travel and experience other cultures. This year he'll be able to check one more thing of his bucket list: visit 40 countries before his 40th birthday. Key Takeaways Why Raf’s technology makes quality more accurate How minimum wage will sprout more technology Why Raf goes all in in his ventures Question Summary Steps it took to get to where you are today: Graduated as a electronics engineer, service tech in the food optical industry, joined a young startup, then they got acquired, and they started their own What makes Qcify unique?: 360 degree vision system (most use 2D). It takes the whole inconsistency out of the equation What’s the best way to convince someone to use your product?: Take it on the road Let the product do the talking My Food Job Rocks: It feels like I’m not working. When you’re really passionate, you can overcome everything Trends and Technology: There is so much data in the food industry and we’ve just scratched the surface in collecting it. There are a lot of people in the food/tech realm and it will take a while for the winners to show. What’s one thing you’d like to know more about?: Spend more time traveling and closely follow up on trends on different continents Who inspired you to get into food?: My parents. Also passionate about passionate people Favorite Kitchen Item: An Oven Any Advice on how to start a business?: You have to be passionate about it. Also know what your audience wants, Know the basics, do your homework, and go for it What’s next?: Expand the company, we’re active in 3 countries. Long term: to keep coming up with new technologies. Favorite Conferences: International Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, Almond conference in Sacramento, California League of Food Processors, Other Links Microbiological plate phone app Vision system Almonds and Pistachios Series Imaging – using drones and images to track data Hampton Creek – They are doing different things Theranos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I had the opportunity to talk to the amazing Mike Hewitt who runs his own chef recruiting agency. They are Hospitality Recruiters specializing in dining room, culinary and corporate salaried positions. Mike’s background is kind of cool. He’s worked in the family restaurant, went to culinary school in Switzerland, then moved to the United States for a restaurant job. He then started his own restaurant and then went over to… Human Resources? He does this for a very valid reason, to take care of his growing family, and that’s something I hope you take away from this episode. Mike still loves food, you can definitely tell. But now he is helping the food industry in a different way by connecting talented people to each other. His company One Haus is unique as he recruits recruiters that have a strong operational restaurant background so his employees used to work in restaurants. This allows his works to find quality people because they just know what it takes. Other than this, you’ll leanr a couple of really cool recruiting technologies and the best festivals to go to for … recruiting I really enjoyed this episode, Mike is an awesome guy and I loved the straightforward advice he gives on how to get a job. If you enjoyed this episode, please, sign up on our email list at myfoodjobrocks.com, like us on facebook,  rate and review on itunes, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewer, or would like to join our team of volunteers, make sure to email us at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com. About Mike Hewitt Principal & Headhunter Mike Hewitt has over twenty years of experience in the hospitality industry, ranging from operations, brand development, human resources, consulting and recruiting . With this extensive insight ranging from fine dining to fast casual, large restaurant groups to single mom & pop operations, Mike brings a deep understanding of operator needs, having been there once himself. Mike’s approach to recruiting focuses on assessing company culture and honing in on a particular candidates’ specific skill set to make the match. He has a post graduate degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. Key Takeaways How Mike went from a family restaurant to being CEO of a recruiting company The key moment on why Mike switched to the recruiting industries Why Linkedin Rocks Question Summary How do you get clients?: Network, referrals, returning back Elevator Pitch: We are connectors, connectors for long term success Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today: Parents had a restaurant in Spain, Culinary School at Ecole hoteiere de Lausanne in Switzerland, hired into the United States, Started his own restaurant, then HR Director, then started his own company. Why did you target hospitality?: It’s what I know. We hire operators and turn them into recruiters. (Operators: Chefs, managers, etc) Moment Mike wanted to do recruiting: looking at his 4 month old baby and say “why haven’t I seen this baby in 4 months?” My Food Job Rocks: It’s the variety. I get to work with so many different industries Food Trends and Technologies:  Embrace technology. Use technology to connect the dots! Spark hire - One-Way Video Technology Linkedin – a more passive way for communication Sometimes you have to track them for as long as 4 years to make a recruitment sale What makes a good candidate?: An honest candidate, knows exactly what they want, and can do a good job Listen first, then speak. It’ll be easier to find them a job Biggest challenge the food industry needs to face?: Commitment level. They are in it just for the fun and games Glamorization of Chefs: It’s good for my industry, But it’s all about how to do a job What’s one thing in the food industry you’d like to know more about: What the new trends are. Best way is to go to educational sessions and talks Recommended Festivals and Conferences: Choose depending on your goal: Awareness is key. Biggest exposure. For example: Miami Wine and Food Festival, Charleston Asten, Palm Beach, people who would hire us as a recruiting agency Who inspired you to get into food?: My mother, culinary school. Favorite Kitchen item: My vitamix Favorite Food: Guacamole… Guamanian dish, ground lemon chicken dish How would you start your own business?: If you love food, you don’t have to be a chef What’s next?: Farm to Turn Table How does your company like to be contacted?: linkedin; one-haus.com Other Links PNLs Budgets Labor Cost Describe the steps to get to the restaurant business: Guamanian Dish Island Style – Poke The one Poke restaurant in Arizona Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we have Lisa Tse, CEO of the Chinese restaurant, Sweet Mandarin in Manchester, United Kingdom… well… she does a lot more than just that. The Tse family has done the impossible: in 12 years, Sweet Mandarin has an award winning restaurant, their own factory making sauces for the Queen of England, and they write best selling cookbooks. This is an interview you don’t want to miss as Lisa really gives you a run down on what makes her brand so successful. The stuff she does is not easy..like listening to customers, or being on TV shows like Gordon Ramsey and Dragon’s Den, but I try my best to dissect those secrets. I’m serious, there is so much good advice in this episode, I couldn’t even categorize it. Every single sentence that Lisa says, is valuable advice whether you’re in the restaurant industry, products industry, or even want to write a cook book. If you want to get into any of those things, this interview is for you. Apologize for a bit of noise, we’re in a kitchen that’s how hard Lisa works! Key Takeaways  - How Lisa got into Dragon’s Den (Shark Tank) and how her experience was - Believe in your product, know your target market, know your demand - The Queen of England buys their sauces Question Summary Why did you make your own factory?: We wanted to control the Gluten-Free, MSG free, and nut-free process The secret to amazing products: knowing your customer questions. Always answer customer demands. How did you get to where you are today?: Have a clear idea on what you want to do. General Advice: Gap in the market for Chinese food in Britain It’s good to forecast in the future Do a price point and ask why (can they afford it?) Her and 2 sisters sold their houses to start a restaurant in the middle of nowhere Partner with corporate customers Make customers return, collect their data through emails and facebook Influence the bloggers Partnering with public schools on how to learn how to cook Chinese food (lots of press) Was it one big day that caused your popularity to explode?: Yes: TV spots, cookbooks, products, brand equity Big Day, ITV British TV “Will the girls launch the restraurant in time?” Gordon Ramsey’s F word – They won best local Chinese Restaurants Cookbooks: New York Times Best Seller Her sister even wrote a book that got adapted in a play in Hong Kong Members of the British Empire for their sauces My Food Job Rocks: It’s all about the customers and their experience, also an amazing team and the team can make an impact How do you hire good employees?: They have to do the job description at the end of the day. No matter what. What food trends and technologies are really interesting you right now?: Street Food, Sugar-Free Sauces, Biggest challenge in the food industry we need to face?: Obesity One Thing you’d like to know about: Shelf-Space in Retail Who inspired you to get into food?: My Family, Ken Hom in Britian Cooking TV Favorite Quote: The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step Favorite Book: The Bible, I read it every day Favorite Kitchen Item: Her Wok, also Sweet Mandarin Wok: Licensing the brand Favorite Food: Sweet and Sour King Prawns Most Popular dish in Sweet Mandarin: Sweet and Sour Chicken, Clay Pot Chicken, Chicken Curry, Chilli Aubergines Any advice to start what Sweet Mandarin does: Write a business plan, find a mentor, working capital, focus on quality What’s next and where can we find you: Youtube videos; sweetmandarin.com; sweetmandarin.net; Instagram; facebook, linkedin; twitter. Dragon’s Den Online shop sweet mandarin Mable’s Clay Pot Chicken Meal Kits Ratatoullie Amazon.com Artisan Food Shops Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest has been so supportive in our promotional efforts and I love her energy! Culinary Events Manager Rachelle Boucher, is probably one of the most passionate people I know. She really puts 110% percent into her job and you’ll learn throughout the interview all of the interesting experiences she’s been a part of. Before being a wonderful Event Planner at Miele, she was actually a private chef for the one and only George Lucas. If you’re interested in being a private chef, she brings a lot of good pointers here including how she got found and what he likes to eat. Rochelle also tells you how to create wonderful events and how an amazing team can make your work feel like play. I was actually lucky enough to visit Rachelle at Miele’s showroom in San Francisco. I enjoyed a steam pressed automated coffee and a cookie and Rochelle toured me around the showroom. Amazing stuff. I’ve never seen such high class appliances. Imagine a microwave that acts as an oven, and then acts as a steam box! It’s crazy! The beauty in forging relationships like this is that I can connect others. Rochelle was really interested in food science and I was able to connect them with the Northern California IFT Section! I raved about this awesome place to Erin Evers, Russ Nishikawa’s employee (episode 25) and they are now making a crazy awesome event at their showroom. If you enjoyed this episode, please, sign up on our email list at myfoodjobrocks.com, like us on facebook,  rate and review on itunes, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewer, or would like to join our team of volunteers, make sure to email us at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com. Key Takeaways Why Rachelle is so excited about Miele appliances Our discussion about San Francisco’s foodie scene How to get a private chef job with George Lucas What makes a good culinary event Question Summary When someone asks what you do for a living: Culinary Events Manager for the Miele Showroom in San Francisco; Cooking Teacher, Event Planner, Content Creator How You Got to Where You Are Today: I started in Art school and worked in the restaurant industry My Food Job Rocks: My company is amazing and my team is incredible Favorite Food Technology: Home appliances using steam, sous vide, induction; INNIT – Internet of Things Favorite Quote: Julia Child: Never ever apologize for your food Favorite Book: The Recipe Writer’s Handbook, Harold McGee On Food and Cooking Favorite Food: Vietnamese Food Any Advice for anyone going into your field?: Get your degree. It can make you creative; Find mentors Where can we find you?: Linkedin, Instagram, flavor agent: twitter: flavor agent Other Links Miele Experience Centers Push-button Coffee Steam technology Cooking Classes Induction Cooking Intro to Steam Cooking Masterchef Program Working as a  waitress at a cocktail bar  Private Chef George Lucas Villroy and Boch – Isabelle Von Boch Anise Nick Ord Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

oday Crystal McKay, CEO of Farm Food Care pleasantly converses with us the importance of stories. She’s a farm girl and has worked with food all her life. Her job at Farm Food Care is to really inform the Canadian people about their food system. Kind of what this podcast and foodgrads are doing. I loved talking to Crystal because she really emphasizes how stories are the best way to convey information. Within this episode, you’ll learn a lot of facts such as the “new definition of local” and why it’s hard for the whole world to become completely vegetarian If you enjoyed this episode, please, sign up on our email list, like us on facebook,  rate and review on itunes, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewer, or would like to join our team of volunteers, make sure to email us at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com. About Crystal McKay Crystal is the CEO for Farm & Food Care Canada with a vision for building public trust in food and farming in Canada.  Farm & Food Care represents a coalition of farmers and associated food and agri-businesses proactively working together with a commitment to provide credible information on food and farming.  Crystal is a dynamic presenter who has delivered hundreds of presentations to a broad range of audiences from farmers to university students to CEOs across North America.  Crystal was raised on a farm in the Ottawa Valley, where her family still farms today.  She is a graduate of the University of Guelph and several executive leadership programs.  She is a past President of the University of Guelph OAC Alumni Association, and a former director of both the Ontario 4-H Foundation and the Poultry Industry Council.  She enjoys spending time with her young family and playing hockey whenever she gets the chance! Key Takeaways Crystal and I’s passion about sharing stories How Crystal progressed from intern to CEO The amazing trend about Canadian Agriculture In a global sense, 2/3s of land can only raise meats Question Summary Uber Drive Question: I talkn to people about food and farming and where it comes from Job Title: CEO of Farm and Food Care. A Charity to inform people about food. Typical Day: Management and presentations Favorite Topic to talk about: Talking about the people, especially with people with heart Most important skill in your industry: people skills. The ability to collaborate My Food Job Rocks: I get to talk to people about food and farming every single day Food Trends and Technology: The transformation from “local” to Opinion on GMO: GMos will produce more food with less Opinion on Fake Meat: Choice is great. There is some data that alters things Opinions on Crickets: It’s a good idea but I’d be a bit desparate to eat that What’s the biggest challenge the food industry has to face?: Feeding more people with less resources One thing in the Food Industry you’d like to know more about?: I’d ask this question to more people What do you consider a food expert?: Everyone is a food expert Who inspired you to get into food?: My family are farmers Favorite Quote: Quoteoftheday.com; Do your best until you know better, then when you know better, then you do better – Maya Angelou One meal to eat for a month: Dill Pickles, but also pizza. Briny foods Advice in the food industry: Find out what you love and then go for it. You gotta start somewhere What’s Next?: Building the team Other Links 4H Club – Do by doing Univeristy of Guelph – Animal Science; Rural Extension – Communications Ontario PorkCanadian Center of Food integrity Leclerc Foods California Support local when you can Farm-to-Table In 1900, 1 farmer= 10 people, 1 farmer = 140 people Precision farming Impossible food or Beyond Meat 2/3s of all farmland can only be used to make meat. Think globally Salty fish- Cate lin briny fish chips Farmfoodcare.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I introduce Alan Marson, Managing Director of New Food Innovation a sort of… Illuminati? Of the British food system. He and a few other people are really trying to shake up the European food system. Here’s a quick summary from linkedin: "New Food Innovation is consultancy group with over 200 years of industrial experience and skills across all areas of the food industry, having careers in Large Multinationals food producers, Major UK food groups, Major food Ingredients suppliers, supermarkets, and Food entrepreneurs Formed by Managing Director, Alan Marson, was one of the early adopters of open innovation practice and has an established track record of bringing new technology to market, an extensive network of connections within food business and the product and technology innovation communities. The Team focuses on high-level working within strategic innovation activities, technology landscaping, scouting, technology translation, and external networking development for many UK's major brands. We are currently working with and supporting a group of food industry and academic experts with a wide range of science and industry technical expertise. This know-how has been gained during careers working for both international food companies (major branded and private label) and leading highly renowned center’s of learning for food Science including Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline, University of Nottingham, Associated foods Premier Foods, Northern Foods. During these Careers we have been able develop over 45 patents, launch over 42 first to market technologies, Sponsor end and supervised over 60 PhD’s, In the past 5 years we have been involved in collaborative research and development projects with funding of over 5 million pounds, the associates group, have an extensive network across all sectors of the food Industry which includes over 4000 direct and 500,000 digital food professional contacts." Impressive, huh? Well, within this episode, he shares his wisdom and passes it on to you. The meat and potatoes of this episode is near the end, where Alan really opens up about the future of food. We talk a huge amount about alternative meats, how to find innovative companies, and the future of going digital If you enjoyed this episode, please, sign up on our email list at myfoodjobrocks.com, like us on facebook,  rate and review on itunes, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewer, or would like to join our team of volunteers, make sure to email us at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com. Stay  hungry folks. Key Takeaways The important soft skills you need to be successful The amazing world of alternative meats If a big company bought out a small company, would you leave? Question Summary Would you ever Retire?: Not if you enjoy work How did you get to where you are today?: Supported over 40 food technology companies Most Important Soft Skills: How to collaborate, network, empathy, listening, and inspiring people My Food Job Rocks: There’s always something new to do Food Trends and Technologies: Finding more alternative protein sources because meat is affecting climate change Biggest challenge the food industry has to face: The current food system needs to focus more on health Solution: Focus Subsidizing on other things – a $5 dollar burger would actually cost $13 burgers What would you like to know more about?: Behavioral economics and how things work Who inspired you to get into food?: My sister was in the food industry, I also worked in a bakery Your favorite Kitchen item: a good bread knife If you had one meal to eat: Pasta (I thought he said Pastor) Do you have any advice for people who want to get into your industry: Find out what makes you tick by having the opportunity to work in different roles How to Find Progressive Companies: The are usually Privately owned companies What’s next for you?: Digital space like Gamefication Contact info: We don’t have a website. Innovation Distillery. (Alan is very responsive on Twitter)  Other Links Twitter European Food Apprenticeships Solenzyme Flexitarian Chinese Campaign to Reduce meat consumption Fungal protein Algae Derived Protein Cricket Protein Beyond Meat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"How much ugly and excess vegetables and fruit can 7 local farms and 27 chefs save in 3 months? Over 5000 pounds!" We have another startup for you today. Naz Athina Kallel started Eu Herd, San Diego's first marketplace for ugly food. Naz shares with us an amazing story, she decided to start this company after recovering from cancer treatment and getting a second chance at life, wanted to make an impact on the world. In this podcast, I am a huge believer of sharing stories and I love people’s perspective. Naz is different from what we’re used to, but I want to really ask to take her approach with an open mind and have her story inspire you, to well.. maybe start something on your own. As long as you recognize passion, which she clearly has, I ask you to respect where she is coming from. If you enjoyed this episode, please, sign up on our email list at myfoodjobrocks.com, like us on facebook,  rate and review on itunes, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewer, or would like to join our team of volunteers, make sure to email us at podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com. Key Takeaways San Diego county has the most number of small farms in the country How Naz is saving the world in everything she does An amazing story of how Naz started the company How being terminally ill changed Naz’ perception of food Question Summary What is Eu Herd?: Eu means Good in Greek and Herd means community. San Diego’s first virtual farmer’s market Food Trends and Technology: How farmers can embrace technology Entrepreneur Advice: Don’t wait for things to happen, offer to do it. You will learn so much What would you like to learn more about?: Why is the industry wasting 40% in our food? Who inspired you to go into food?: Africa (Kenya), mother Favorite Kitchen Item: Electric Wine Bottle Opener Favorite Food: Freshly picked lettuce and foods in a skillet Advice on Starting Your Own Business: Find a painpoint, also study the regulatory peice Other Links SEO – Search Engine Organization Foodgrads.com Landing Page Ugly Food Kashi Foods Blessing Bags Head and Neck Cancer Start-up Leadership Program Zoosk Localvore San Luis Obispo Curly Kale “Uberfication” Food Waste Food Deserts Eric Ries –Lean Startup (MVP) Hera Hub (woman’s coworkering space) Felina Handson (Founder) Email Naz for any advice at Naz@euherd.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices