My Food Job Rocks!

Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed Ireland, now let’s go to India… and then back to the United States. For our graduate student series, we have Deepak Kumar, who came from India to do graduate school. I really wanted to get an international student who came from a foreign country to the United States because, well, you see them a lot. Deepak is also just getting a masters degree which might interest some of you guys who don’t want to  go all in for a PhD. In this episode, we really hone in on what makes a United States education valuable, and the really cool tips Deepak used to find information from across the oceans. I’ll give you a hint, it involves facebook. On Wednesday, we pack our bags and head to the Neatherlands where my college friend Fiona decided to go. If you’re interested in actually going to a different country for graduate school, this is the episode for you. 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 Deepak decided to get a Masters in the United States - Our discussion about algae proteins and spirulina - How to use Facebook groups to ask students about professors Summary of Questions Why did you want to go to Graduate School: Improve my knowledge and English and meet people from different background. Why did you choose your university?: Prior connections through India. What are you researching right now?: Algae protein and spirulina. Encapsulation. Funniest research stories: Giving people green colored cookies Best advice for the application process: Ask people like the student advisor How did you find these people: facebook groups Are you funded? : Yes, not the first year, but we have a research fund. Food Trends and Technologies: 3D Food Printing The biggest challenge food industry needs to face: Balance between nutrition and taste Who Inspired You to Get Into Food?: From a lecture in undergraduate. Gum technology Favorite Quote: There is no love more sincere than the love of food - George Brenard Shaw Favorite Book: Food Chemistry by Etree Beliez Favorite Food: Eggs. Hard boiled egg, scrambled, any Indian Omelets: Green chilies and onions Best part about being a graduate student: Getting funded, get free passes for conferences Worst Part: The Pressure. A lot of deadlines Anything inspiring you’d like to say?: It’s a great experience and this industry will go forever What We Talk About Brian Chau Texas Tech Urbana Champaign Ionic gelation Sodium Alginate Calcium Chloride Reverse Specification 3D Printing clubs IFT16 SQF Conference Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Very jolly guest we have this time. John Gleeson lives and studies in Dublin, Ireland and has been all his life. What I found amazing about his accomplishments is his involvement in the IFTSA board. I think it’s important to get a perspective on how other graduate schools work, especially out side of the United States and John explains the differences very well. Throughout this interview, we have a great discussion about communicating what we do as food scientists and John does an amazing job discussing the difference between how European universities work. Key Takeaways - How John Gleeson got into the IFTSA board - How Europe works differently from the US Graduate School - How superheroes are related to superfoods (they save lives) - How food safety and quality in Europe works - Using the science to talk about flipping burgers on the grill Question Summaries Why did you decide to go to graduate school?: I got bored, I love science What are you studying?: Food derived peptides Strangest lab stories: I broke my finger and also all of the reagents The application process: Know what you want Interview Question: Do you like Failing? Get used to it Funding: It’s tough competition in Europe Food Trends and Technologies: Lab Grown Meat The Challenge is the biggest thing people have to face: Consumer Regulations and the Consumer perception How to solve Consumer Perception: Have the scientists talk (well) Who inspired you to get into Food (nutraceuticals): The people I wanted to hang out with Favorite Quote: Wish beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure – Harry Potter Favorite Book: Harry Potter Favorite Kitchen item: Kitchen Aid Favorite Food: Soup, Tomato and Basil Soup Anything Inspiring: Fail fast, Researchers like to talk to researchers What We Talk About Nicole’s New Food Magazine Article Play with hamsters, Guinea pigs, cute animals Dublin Institute of Technology Communications Development Nutraceuticals Operational Excellence Analysts Fatty Acid Alginate Cytoxan Royal Society of Chemistry Antioxidants Green Tea Extract EFSA – European Food Safety Authority Beta Glucans Find A PhD website Lab grown collagen Lab grown milk Food is the ultimate emotive thing Harry Potter: The Cursed Child Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another episode of our graduate student series and this week, we are featuring Audrey Girard, who is doing her PhD at Texas A and M. Audrey does an amazing job talking about her prior experiences and she had three different internships before deciding to go to graduate school. Also, she gives awesome book recommendations like Lab Girl and The Man Who Fed the World. These are definenelty on my ever growing book list. Enjoy another graduate student’s perspective. Do you see a trend so far? Just let me know. The next four episodes will take you around the world and back again. We are interviewing someone in Europe on Wednesday, someone who traveled from the US to the Netherlands and two people who left their home countries to come to the United States to study what they love. You don’t want to miss these. 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 Audrey Audrey is a 4th year PhD student in Food Science & Technology at Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on the chemistry of cereal grains; specifically, she is working to alter cereal proteins using tannins to enhance and increase the applications for said proteins. Audrey graduated from Kansas State University in 2013 with her BS in Bakery Science & Management. During her undergraduate, Audrey completed three internships in food science and worked part-time in research labs on campus, which helped inform her decision to pursue her PhD. Audrey is a member of AACCI (American Association of Cereal Chemists International) and IFT. Audrey can be found semi-regularly Instagramming (@abiteofscience) and infrequently blogging (abiteofscience.wordpress.com). Key Takeaways - How Audrey’s three internships influenced her graduate school studies - Audrey’s unusual unofficial lab job - Audrey’s and Mine’s discussion of Holistic Health Summary of Questions Best thing about Texas A and M: The tradition Why did you want to go into graduate school: I liked research and I liked to go further in product development. Why did you want to get your PhD?: I really liked teaching Research: how Tannins interact with Gluten In layman’s term: How we can use gluten in other applications using an antioxidant called tannins Best hint about the application process: Make sure you have connections Food Trends and Technology: Holistic Health Approach Biggest Challenge the food industry has to face: Consumer trust Favorite Book: The Man Who Fed the World - Norman Borlaug Who inspired you to go into food?: My mom Advice for Graduate School: Get experience any way you can Something inspiring: Don’t just go to graduate school because you don’t have a plan: It’s a lot of work Favorite Quote: Everyone you meet knows something you don’t –Bill Nye, If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it enough - Albert Einstein Favorite Food: Steak and Potatoes, Medium-Rare, Mashed potatoes, I like Steak Fries What We Talk About Slaughterhouse Story Kellogg’s Internship Dansico internship Flowers Foods internship Grain Science Emailing professors Texas A and M Kansas State Purdue Rutgers Bakery Science Edible films Modified Starch Tortilla Ovens HPLC Wheat Mill Lab Girl-Hope Jarren – Important book Teaching Assistantships Research Assistantships Science Communication Perceptions of fat Cowboy beans and rice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is our second interview for our Graduate Series and we bring you another great graduate student who is in her final year of graduate school. Caroline Campbell’s interview gives some great, actionable tips on how to start your graduate process and this can be found on our new writing project, the Weekly Stew. The title is “Actionable tips on researching graduate school”. Caroline also does an amazing job talking about why she went to graduate school and this might resonate you in that if you are finding your job a bit boring, maybe it’s time for a change. Key Takeaways - How Graduate school can escape the boring, repetitive jobs - How modified Starches are made - The crazy method Caroline uses to measure and visualize how people chew - How Caroline benefitted from graduate school Question Summary   Why did you decide to go to Graduate School?: I didn’t want to get stuck with Quality Assurance Favorite thing about North Carolina State: The Community and Family Feel Advice for researching graduate school: Talk to your professors in your current school, and find what you love PhD thesis: Looking at food texture on how we eat and how much we eat. Funnest research subject: Gluing a magnet to people’s tongue The biggest advice for the application process: Funding is harder to find than you think Trends and Technologies: Fake Meat and Whey Protein functionality Biggest Challenge the food industry has to face: Communication and Food Safety Who Inspired You to get into food?: Alton Brown Favorite Book: On Food and Cooking Harold McGee Favorite Kitchen Utensil: Food Processor Favorite Food: Eggs Advice for going to graduate School: Be open minded. Also, graduate school is hard. It’s like a full time job What We Talk About Raleigh- great beer, great brew, microbrewries Southern Barbeque Year off study abroad/ couple of internships Cargill – texturizing division Modified Starches- All Natural Modified Starches University of Idaho Start emailing interesting professors Software that monitors people chewing Biomarkers Pickle fermentation Plant Protein Alton Brown’s Live Shows Eggs on burgers IFTSA Chapter President Chair of IFT Relations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you for joining me for the first episode of the Graduate Student series and we’re kicking it off with a bang with a friend of mine that I kinda knew at my time in undergraduate. About Amy DeJong Amy DeJong is a PhD candidate in food science at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.  Her work focuses on understanding phase transitions of sugar –free sweeteners in confections. Amy earned a BS in Food Science from the University of Wisconsin in 2012 and has been an active member of IFTSA since 2009, where she has served in both chapter and institute leadership positions.  Currently, she is the Immediate Past President of IFTSA with roles on the IFT Board, IFTSA Board, and Feeding Tomorrow Board of Trustees. She has also been an intern with the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company since 2010. In addition to her work in food science, Amy loves to travel.  You may recognize her from the CBS reality show, The Amazing Race, where she and her lab mate, Maya, beat out 10 other teams in a race around the world to win its 25th season.  Key Takeaways - The most amazing reason how Amy and her lab partner got into the Amazing Race and the impact it had - Figure out what you’re interested in, or have someone help you (like Amy’s company) - How IFTSA enhanced Amy’s graduate school experience and career track Question Summary Why Amy Decided to Go to Graduate School: While working, Amy loved research rather than product development Advice on Application Process: You HAVE to reach out to a professor and have them interested before applying How to research: ask professors and ask students in the lab Favorite Food Technology: 3D food printing What the food industry should be focusing on: Transparency between consumer and producer Inspired you to get Into Food: Amy’s journey in choosing food science Favorite Kitchen Item: Spiralizers Advice getting into graduate school: Really think about it. Graduate School is completely different from Undergraduate School Anything inspiring: If you can put your mind to it, you can do anything What We Talk About The Amazing Race Doctorate in ice cream PhD Student University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin Graduate School Company Funded Wrigley Graduate students get funded by either grants or sponsored by industry IFTSA Institute of Food Technologists Student Association Sorbitol crystallization (this is actually Amy's publish paper. Congrats Amy!) Structure-Function relationships Sugar crystallization GM Technology Zoodles President of IFTSA You need to have something else as a graduate student Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Ken Botts, the Food Policy Manager at the…Humane Society? So I believe that Ken’s job title is very misleading. I would call him more like a food service plant protein expert. He lead a a team and travels all over the United States implementing plant based proteins into food institutions. For example, his team works with chefs in schools, amusement parks, and even the military to educate and create amazing menus that use plants. In this episode, you’re going to learn everything about the hot topics of plants. This includes why eating plants is important not only health wise, and sustainability wise, but also learn the latest companies innovating with plant proteins, really cool recipes like non-dairy cheeses, and even about urban farming. Again, we wanted to remind you about the graduate school series next week. We'll be pushing hard on this initiative. In fact, we even a have freebie to give you. In exchange for an email address, you can get a nice, polished, graduate school post which will tell you what and when to prepare for applying to graduate school. About Ken Botts Ken Botts is a food service consultant, speaker, and blogger. In 2009 he designed and developed the nations first all vegan dining hall at the University of North Texas. His ideas and insights have appeared in media outlets including; USA Today, The Dallas Morning News, Green Source DFW, ABC news, Food Service Director Magazine and VegNews. Ken uses his 35+ years of food service experience to help restaurants and food service organizations implement plant-based menus and concepts. His mission in life is to help make the world a better place one plate at a time. Key Takeaways - Millennial’s push to know what’s in their food and why they care about food and the future - The challenges of opening a Vegan Restaurant - Amazing advice on how to network really well - The hottest plant food trends - How plants can potentially save the world - Why the Military loves plants - Why Urban Farming might be the solution Summary Answers When you’re introduced to someone, what do you tell them you do?: Teach chefs how to work with plant protein Most exciting part of the job: I get to travel all over the world to help food service professionals Millennials are driving the demand of plant proteins Most Important Skill You Can Have: Long term connecting with people Tips to be a connector: Never meet a stranger. Have the mindset that you can help someone when you meet them. My Food Job Rocks: Make the world a better place through food The Biggest Challenge the Food Industry as to Face: How are we going to feed the future without destroying the planet? Who Inspired you to Get Into Food: My mom: if you get a job in the food service, you’ll always have a job Favorite Quote: If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity and you don’t know how to do it, say yes. – Richard Brandson Favorite Book: Diet for a Small Planet Favorite Piece of Equipment: Vitamix – You can heat soup! Favorite Food: Bean Burritos Advice to get into your industry: Strive to learn something new every day. Find yourself a mentor. And think as big as you can How does the Humane Society get clients?: Schools first, other things follow. It’s free too. What We Talk About Global Conference for Amino Acids James Beard Foundation Humane Society Paul Shapiro Josh Balk – Cofounder Hampton Creek Kristie Middleton Vegan Dining Hall Men’s Journal about Plant Based Proteins “Clean Meat” Feed 9 billion people in 2050 Beyond Meat Tyson Food buys a stake in Beyond Meat Kite Hill Almond Cheese Treeline Vegan Cheese Myoko Vegan Cheese – Has a book Chickpeas World Health Organization Year of the Pulses Changing the culture of the culinary world through Chefs Department of Defense Urban Farming Northeastern University Herbavore festival in Riverside Pumpkin Mac and Cheese – recipe posted at kenbotts.com Humbolt State University Sea World Parks Ken Botts.com Twitter kbotts@humanesociety.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m so happy to introduce Tiffany Lau, a friend I knew from Cal Poly. We actually graduated together, and from time to time, we catch up. Though before this interview, it’s been a while. Anyways, very excited to have Tiffany on the show because she has experience with a very important, but not really well talked about part of the industry. She is the first guest to focuses on a very important part of the industry: food safety. Working as an Auditor for the NSF, she goes and does audits for retail food stores. This mainly involves correcting and teaching workers about food safety habits. If you’re interested in learning about audits, this is really for you. You’ll learn a ton of things such as what tests to take, what it’s like to work at home, and why this job might resonate with you. This is also a pretty nice interview if you’re interested in sales Let’s begin Key Takeaways The difference between a health inspector and 3rd Party Auditing Why a Food Safety position might be for you Retail Safety versus Manufacturing Safety Pros and cons of being Home-based The payoff for being a food safety auditor Summary Most common problem in audits: There is no one specific problem Why Does Your Food Job Rocks: It feels like I can help people Where do you see yourself in 5 years?: I want to try Regulatory. Quality, Food Safety, or Regulatory What do you look for most in a job?: A job should make you happy Food Trends and Technology: Rolled ice cream Biggest Challenge to Food Industry needs to face: Food Labeling Who Inspired you to Get into food: Alton Brown, my mom Favorite Kitchen Equipment: Kitchen Aid Favorite Food: Korean Food – buckwheat in cold broth Advice: If you’re studying to be an auditor: focus on microbiology and food safety Deleting your goal or purpose on your resume People Skills, interacting with clients, make them not afraid of you When looking into the future: ask if this is right for you Something inspiring: “Lucky Breaks don’t happen, they’ll only happen when you find something you love” What We Talk About (Links) 3rd Party Food Safety Auditor Unannounced Audits Explaining food safety aspects Recruiting via linkedin CPFS Certified Professional Food Safety Credential Bad bug chart (coming next year) Food Defense Shelf-life 626 Night Market Korean fried chicken Koreatown – Kyochan Chicken- best Korean fried chicken Taylor Swift Song (Haters gonna hate) Smart Label Initiative Non-GMO Gluten-free French Macarons Macarons vs Macaroons Jajangmyeon REHS - Registered Environmental health specialist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some housekeeping items: - We're going 2 times a week! Check out a new episode every Monday and Wednesday starting January 2nd! - On January 2nd, we will be creating an awesome new series called the Graduate Series. You can check it out at myfoodjobrocks.com/graduate Key Takeaways Hear me pronounce words wrong like existential crisis My story about applying to graduate school 5 reasons why you should apply to graduate school anyways See what we're launching in January Is Graduate School For You?   I wanted to tell you my story on graduate school, which isn’t very exciting, but whatever. I think everyone has this weird thing, like an existential crisis, that happens in your senior year of college where you have absolutely no idea what to do after graduating. I think it’s very common to have graduate school cross your mind once or twice during your final year in college. The school I went to to be honest, has a slight disadvantage when it comes to applying for graduate school. Though some people in my university do get in, the skill set in the food science program at Cal Poly was definitely geared more towards industry preparation. For example, I only had to take one Organic Chemistry course, where most master’s programs require like 3 courses on it. There are exceptions. But anyways, applying to graduate school is really tough, I found it extremely stressful and overall, I turned in my application late and didn’t get in. Actually, I only applied to Penn State for graduate school. I got so angry at UC Davis’ process that I didn’t even finish it. First of all, you have to take this dumb test where you stare at a computer screen for 6 hours, then you have to ask 3 people why you’re the best and either have them take the time to write a letter, or they ask you to write it for them, and then you have to not only request a transcript, but in some cases, you have to type it all in the application process as well! It was extremely frustrating for me. I was also applying to jobs and if you looked back at like, episode 10, then you might remember how much time that consumed out of my day. Overall, I had a cheesy revelation that there are plenty of people who are successful without a Ph.D. and I’ve heard a lot of stories about the pros and cons of graduate school, and then I realized I really didn’t want to deal with the stress of long hours and bite sized paychecks. With a job, I could get money and spend it on cool projects, like this one! Note: these are my opinions for people with a Food Scientist background. There are many people who major in things that might as well have an advanced degree, though if you think hard enough, you can actually get around it. For example, a chemist might need a Masters but I know a handful of people who get into project management fresh out of college with a BS. But the 7 people we will be interviewing do understand the value of a higher education and they will tell you all of their trials and tribulations, their hints and short cuts, and their undying passion to make the world a better place. But anyways, I wanted to give you five distinct pieces of advice about graduate school and reasons why you should at least apply, or not apply. Sometimes it might be worth it, sometimes not. 5 Tips for deciding if Graduate School is for you. Decide what you want to do with your life Most directors for rich companies have PhDs because they have the ability and drive to tell people confidently that they’re wrong. The company I work at specifically have a lot of people at the director level that are doctorates. So when it comes to mapping out your life, this is really, really hard. It is actually very rare for someone to follow their life in one straight line. A masters will open doors, but so will starting a podcast about the food industry. Well, that was a bit tongue in cheek, but the fact remains, graduate school is a very nice, structured, accomplishable task and you can do great things in a narrow field when you get that masters or phd. If you want an unconventional method, get a job, and spend money on fun projects. Some people don’t want to find the “truth of tomatoes” and that’s fine too. I think if you’re passionate and actually like what you studied, you can definitely do graduate school. The cool thing with food science, however, is that there is a lot more incentive to enter the work force right away. This is mainly because having a science degree means two things: You think you can tell lesser educated people they’re wrong (which is why you can be a supervisor straight out of college) You can weigh and record in a little book your cookie recipe over and over again Well, with a  masters degree, it adds a bit of a layer of complexity: You think you can tell lesser educated people they’re wrong (which is why you can be a manager straight out of college) You can weigh and record in a little book your cookie recipe over and over again, but now you can write a plan to make better cookies before you record your data. So I am basically giving you the philosophy that a degree and work experience are pretty much equal, and the only thing that separates is the value and initiative YOU have to take to be successful. Also, I can guarantee you that working at a 12 hour shift in a factory for a month is equal to a month in graduate school. I did this, it sucked, but I got a job that I love because of it. Guys, to do great things, you must do something challenging, I can’t stress this enough. A good life is hard, if life was easy, it’d be too boring, right? Do you have good grades and accomplishments? Go For It! Our friend Heather McCain is an amazing student, was our chapter IFT president, did a lot of stuff for IFTSA, and got stuff done. It would be a shame for her NOT to apply for graduate school. I did some cool stuff too, so I decided to not let this go to waste and applied to graduate school. This is the same experience I had going into college for my Bachelors. I wanted to be a chef, but my grades were pretty good so I decided to apply to college. But graduate school, I realized… I’m not an academic. I’m still not sure what I’m good at. But I have a good idea on what I’m bad at. In my opinion, it’s extremely painful to apply to graduate school but you should give it a shot. When I say painful, it’s going to take time and it’s going to take effort. The experience has some tangible takeaways, like knowing math… and knowing words… So I have a bias about applying to graduate school because the process was absolutely terrible in my mind but I think with the interviews this month, you’ll have a much better strategy than I had. Who knows, I might actually change my mind. Again, if you have the prerequisites, at least try applying. There is no harm to. I mean I did, and failed horribly at it! The point is, you’re going to regret not trying, more than you’ll regret trying. And this statement is true for all decisions in life. Do you know a professor? Go for it! If you have a professor’s digits on your phone, you can probably get funding. At least much more easier than everyone who doesn’t? Most strategies I’ve learned from the interviews is that it is MUCH easier to contact professors, and set up a relationship and then apply to graduate school. The professor is going to OK you anyways so as long as you don’t have glaringly bad GPA or exam score. Within the 7 interviews in the coming week, you’ll realize that a handful of them contacted professors and secured funding before even doing the application process. However, some were long time connections, and some didn’t even have to worry about it. If this helps, Graduate school is not undergraduate school. It’s a low paying job with high returns in value and you have to treat it as such. You can get a job via connections and you can go to graduate school via connects. This is because you’re going to work with this professor for a very long time. He or she has to like working with you. Do you just not want to deal with the “real world”? Don’t Do It. Everyone is scared about the real world and everyone has considered graduate school to be another two to 10 years of academic limbo. I would know, I’ve had it and I I’ve also heard graduate students that “I’m not ready to face the real world yet” In my personal experience, that’s the worst, most cringe-worthy excuse I’ve ever heard. In fact, you should deal with the real world first before deciding to go to graduate school. Get some industry experience, do an internship, work at a slaughterhouse. These experiences might actually give you more of a drive to get into graduate school. The real world isn’t that bad, I mean you make money, right? And you can spend it on whatever you want. When you’re a graduate student, you have to be very frugal…well, unless your parents are paying for it. Then go for it! Do you want a higher pay grade? Don’t Do It… yet This questions depends on your major, but I’m going to assume the people listening are trying to get into the food industry. Depending on the company, they will pay for your education. And you’ll also get paid for work! What a steal. If that ever gets offered, you should do it. However, if you meticulously plan your life like a lot of my friends, you’re probably going to be disappointed. My friends are like “oh in 5 years after I get my masters I’ll make this, then I’ll get married, have 2.5 kids and  nothing else will go wrong. I mean, maybe I dunno, but you can’t predict the future and even with that mindset, if one thing doesn’t go your way, your life will be very unhappy, which is just not necessary. So does a graduate degree generally means more pay? Depends where you end up. Industry? Academia? Entrepreneurship? The possibilities are indeed endless. With my discussions with Katie Lanfranki, we both discussed the fact that in this industry, having an advanced degree does not necessarily mean you’ll be paid higher. There are starting salaries in food science that make more than professors, who have made less than 10,000 dollars in the past 4 to 10 years. Point being, don’t get your graduate degree for the money. DO it because you are interested in a specific subject, and want to be a MASTERS of it. But again, mastery can come from anywhere. I would concider Deya from Beyond Meat (episode 24)is considered an expert in Extrusion with just a bachelors, and Darryl the ice cream consultant(episode 21) gained from entrepreneurship. Either way, DO NOT GET YOUR ADVANCED DEGREE FOR THE MONEY. Having this mindset is very toxic. You have to do it because you love what you do. You have to do what will make you happy. Anyways, those are my 5 reasons to go (or not go) to graduate school. But please, listen to all seven interviews so you can get multiple perspectives, multiple pieces of advice from people all over the world. This is extremely important. I would have killed for this if I was in graduate school. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have an amazing guest today, Rohini Dey is an inspiring woman, who not only owns a very successful restaurant in New York and Chicago, but also spearheads a great scholarship program for aspiring women in the culinary field. We are also proud to announce the Women in Culinary Leadership Scholarship and encourage you to apply. Click here for the link. About Rohini Dey, Ph.d.  A leading restaurateur, proponent of Indian cuisine with her unique Latin twist across Vermilion Chicago and NYC, an avid supporter of women, former World Bank economist and McKinsey management consultant, Rohini Dey straddles the worlds of business and philanthropy across the US and India. Rohini was inspired to break away from her management consulting career by a desire to go entrepreneurial and a conviction that Indian cuisine in the United States was either confined to stereotypes, or timid and washed out. Rohini created and developed the Vermilion Indian-Latin concept and cuisine. She led the spectrum of entrepreneurial activities across her NYC & Chicago entities. As founder, owner and culinary director of Vermilion, Rohini oversees the operations and culinary evolution of her restaurants. As a woman restaurateur, Rohini is a staunch supporter of women in business and mentorship and education of girls on a global level. A member of the Board of Trustees and the National Advisory Board of the James Beard Foundation, she co-founded the James Beard Foundation Vermilion Women in Culinary Leadership Program (WICL), backed by a roster of incredible restaurateur-mentors and celebrity (CFW) “Chefs for Women.” About Vermilion Since inception, Vermilion has been acclaimed as “Best New Restaurant” by Chicago Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Town & Country, USA Today, and Bon Appetit, among others. For its pioneering cuisine, woman-led team and Rohini’s entrepreneurial journey, she and Vermilion have been profiled in The Financial Times, Time, Oprah Magazine, Fortune, Esquire, Crain’s, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, BBC World, CBS News, and NBC, among others. Key Takeaways - How Rohini took advantage in the rise of Ethnic Food - How Rohini planned her research to make her restaurant (she gets very intense! Like interviewing 40 people) - Why Rohini is also very passionate about Women in Culinary Leadership (there’s a scholarship at the end) - Tips on what they look for as a candidate for a scholarship What We Talk About Previous Job: World Bank and McKinsey Indian Cuisine Passion: to feed the world Latin Cuisine Tandoori Skirtsteak (It’s fusion) Play with food anything south of the US What makes a good Chef?: Taste-minded, Cost-minded, Team –oriented, Vision-minded, Why Does Your Food Job Rock?: "Because I can create an amazing new cuisine and surprise people by how delicious it is." Women in Culinary Leadership – (Jamesbeard.com) James Beard Foundation Women in Culinary Scholarship Tip: Go Above and Beyond and Ask For More New Trends and Techologies: Exotic flavors and spices getting utilized Stiff upper-lipped Upscale Dining Favorite Meal: Home cooking and street dining Grilled Peruvian food in Cuzco Tempura in Japan What’s the one thing you’d like to know more about: Someone to catapult Rohini’s business (I pitch here about food science) Advice on how to start your own restaurant: Do your research. Especially the cost. Vermilion in New York and Chicago New York is more competitive and jaded than Chicago eaters   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enter to win $500 dollars at Jessica Gavin's contest. Click Here! Today we have an amazingly bubbly guest. Jessica Gavin is a Sr. Research Scientist for Nutralite, which is a division of Amway. She’s been there for about 9 years which I find absolutely amazing. What’s also super cool is that Jessica has her own food blog at jessicagavin.com which has amazing pictures and recipes. Her blog is one of the most professional food blogs I’ve seen as someone who is a food scientist. More importantly, Jessica has decided to showcase a scholarship for aspiring food scientists and this is the first thing on our show notes at myfoodjobrocks.com/028jessica . We definently encourage any student listening to apply. Keeping this short, because this interview is jam packed with great information just about how to be a good product developer, communicator, and mother. Note: Though Jessica and I work for direct sales companies, we cannot sell our own products! However, I hope through our conversation, you can tell they treat us quite well. Key Takeaways - Why Jessica stayed in her company for 9 years - How to use a culinary mindset in a product development aspect - Why Nutralite grows their own Botanicals - Jessica’s blogging skills and why she did it, and what she does (around 42:00 minutes in) - Why Jessica wants to give you money What We Talk About Nutralite- Amway Botanicals Flintstones Vitamins Probiotics Direct Sales Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Taryn Yee The Most Important Skills in your job: Learning to build trust Every failure is an opportunity to learn Stages (pronounced: Stauge)- volunteering at a restaurant Culinary Science Ali Bouzari What’s your dream job: Culin-neer? Own company What do you look for in a job?: Your company values you Most exciting food technologies: Clean Label, Gluten-free, GMO-free what you don’t put in Soybeans Pea Protein Supply Side West What’s the biggest problem the food industry has to face?: Pseudoscience and communication Uber communication Millennials What’s your beat? Who inspired you to get into food?: Jessica’s Grandfathers (crazy story) Favorite thing you like to cook: Home made dumplings Butternut squash macaroni and cheese Tofu Favorite Quote: Wayne Gretski: Miss 100% shots you don’t take Favorite Book: Science of Good Cooking Favorite Kitchen Utensil: Spiralizer What would you eat for a month?: Croissants French Polynesia Advice for the Food Industry: What is your Passion? What energizes you? Advice for your freshman self: Study abroad or take interational lessons Take internship opportunities Cargill Slaughterhouse in Texas Jessica Gavin’s Blog Reddit Consistency is key Income Report Trolls Scholarship Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices