My Food Job Rocks!

So this interview was from a deal I made with Taryn Yee. I interview her… and then she would interview me. Ideally, I should have made this episode number 5, right? Why should I wait for episode 13? Well, my birthday is January 13th, a baker’s dozen has 13 of something, 13 is an unlucky number? Whichever explanation your prefer, I’ve decided to use my interview for episode 13. Here’s my point of view from my perspective. Taryn Yee asks some pretty funny questions in this one. If you would like to listen to more of our episodes, make sure to check out our itunes link. If you like them, we would love it if you could rate and review. Thanks! About Adam Yee I really don't like writing my own bio. Here's a bit on my linkedin: Food Science Professional who loves to learn all aspects of a business. Likes to get involved in multiple projects, never afraid to help out, and has a huge passion for food. Other activities include involvement in the cultural and food scene in Phoenix including: - Creating a meetup for Asian transplants in Arizona - Joining Asian focused non-profits to better understand community in Phoenix - Offering services to non-profit organizations to help local food buisnesses - Help multiple startups with innovative projects If you need any advice on the food industry or just want to talk, just message me! About Isagenix Isagenix International LLC is a Direct Sales company that markets dietary supplements and personal care products. The company, based in Gilbert, Arizona, was founded in 2002 by John Anderson, Jim Coover, and Kathy Coover. As of 2013 the company reported having over 200,000 active sales associates. In 2012, the company reported revenues of approximately $335 million. The majority of Isagenix's sales come from the United States. Key takeaways - What happens when you go all in when you choose a major in college - Using Science to improve creativity - Why we should invest in food education What we talk about Wednesday lunches with Adam Yee Jambalaya Takoyaki Disney competition Extrusion Phoenix Arizona Food startups Coffee We should focus on: Food education Favorite Quote: Everybody is a Genius. But If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid Second Favorite Quote: Butter makes everything better Onion cutting goggles Favorite Book: Steve jobs autobiography Favorite Kitchen Item: Cast iron pan In and out Plant based Burger 4 People You'd Like Dinner With Alton Brown Andrew Zimmerman Anthony Bourdain (why I don't want him) Nigella Lawson Mark Zuckerberg  --> in hindsight, I'd choose Elon Musk   <!-- START 2014 Download Link --> Download Episode <!-- END 2014 Download Link --> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So last week, I interviewed Andrea, a Food Technologist working for Lundberg Family Farm, and today, I’m interviewing someone from there too - her boss, a Product Developer and Research Chef at Lundberg! What are the odds? And the meeting between her and I was a completely different scenario as well. It started when I joined Podcaster’s Paradise to jumpstart my Podcasting experience and I saw a poster who looked familiar. I might have seen her on Linkedin actually. I clicked and she worked for Lundberg. I asked Andrea about her and what do you know, it’s her boss. Yes, Kimberly King Schuab was in the same podcast course as I was, and we connected instantly. We realized we had a lot in common so we agreed to collaborate and interview each other. Her episode can be found in the show notes. About Kimberly Schaub Kimberly Schaub is a nutritionist, turned chef, turned product developer, working for Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, CA. A former Air Force officer, Kimberly has explored a multitude of ways to use her nutritional science training, from running dining facilities to teaching college classes and even food writing. When she's not in the test kitchen or running a sensory panel, Kimberly hosts the PeasOnMoss and The Culinologist Podcasts, volunteers for the Research Chef Association and Institute of Food Technologists, trains for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon, and rock climbs in picturesque Northern California. About Lundberg Family Farms Lundberg Family Farms, based in Richvale, California, in the United States, produces rice, chips, packages, and markets organic foods. It is family owned and has been a pioneer in organic farming, especially rice products. It was the first business to produce and market a brand of organic rice in the United States. Today it is one of the United States' top brands of organic products, with 14,000 acres (57 km2) under management. Key Takeaways The magic behind Modernist Cuisine Communicating between you and your co-packer Why you can start something and others should follow The art of being a product developer What we talk about Podcaster's Paradise The airforce Research Chef Association Labels Graham Kerr Seattle Culinary Academy Modernist Cuisine Lundberg Family Farm Beecher's Handmade Cheese (artisan food) Most Important Skill: Mental Math and Excel spreadsheets CoPacker Granola Bars Northwest Naturals Cactus IFT Culinology Program offered at a few industries A Book called Culinology Peas on Moss Peas on Moss Podcast Vegetarian Meats Substitutes Acid Rain Andrea Zeng The Galloping Gourmet Favorite Quote: Maya Angelou – “Eating is so intimate"  Favorite Kitchen Item: Global knife Full Tang blade Favorite Food: Thai Food – Pad Thai, Curry, Mango Sticky Rice Best Advice: Always ask questions first Culinologist Podcast CFS – Certified Food Scientist       Download Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I interview Andrea Zeng, long time friend, some time rivals. This is a great episode about choosing between culinary school and a degree in food science. Note that you can always have both (as you will find out in a future episode!). We're going to be talking about a lot of cool food science terms like enzymes and retro-gradation. Hang on!! If you would like to listen to more of our episodes, make sure to check us out on iTunes. If you like them, we'd appreciate it if you could rate and review them. Thanks! About Andrea Andrea is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science and a minor in Packaging. She currently works as a Food Technologist at Lundberg Family Farms, developing new consumer packaged goods within the natural and organic category. During her time at Cal Poly, Andrea was a Student Lead Product Developer at Cal Poly Chocolates. With Cal Poly Chocolates, a student run business through the Food Science Department, Andrea was able to turn ideas into new products and ultimately onto shelves of stores in the local community. By working in a student run business Andrea helped with order fulfillment, inventory management, student management and special events. Currently located in Richvale, California, Andrea works with products ranging from chips, to rice cakes, rice and risottos. Using her experience with quality at Earthbound Farms, her practice in the lab at university and innovation with chocolate, Andrea has been able to create new (and I might say "yummy"!) rice entrees, rice cakes and puffed snacks.  Outside of the test kitchen Andrea also works with sensory testing and food styling and recipe suggestions for the Lundberg website (how cool is that!?). Check out some of Andrea’s creations at most major grocery stores! About Lundberg Family Farms Lundberg Family Farms, based in Richvale, California, in the United States, produces rice, chips, packages, and markets organic foods. It is family owned and has been a pioneer in organic farming, especially rice products. It was the first business to produce and market a brand of organic rice in the United States. Today it is one of the United States' top brands of organic products, with 14,000 acres (57 km2) under management. Key Takeaways Why Andrea (and I guess, me) chose majoring in Food Science over Culinary School How Food Science might enhance your cooking skills The frustration of targeting timelines and waiting for product success What we talk about Lundberg Family Farms IFT16 Ridgeview California Heat and Eat Cal Poly Peach Cobbler Enzymes Denature Food Chemistry Retrogradation Vending Machine Restaurants Food Network Giada DeLaurentiss Ina Gartner Alton Brown Victorian Nox Chef’s Knife Zoodle thing Box Grater Quest Noodles Savory Granola Bars Vietnamese Spring Rolls Just Do It Download Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we are going to talk about my experience getting a job in the food industry as a senior in college. Everyone has a different experience, but mine might relate to yours. (Yes, the picture is photoshopped) If you would like to listen to more of our episodes, make sure to check out our itunes link. If you like them, we would love it if you could rate and review. Thanks! Key Takeaways Best techniques and resources for resume/CV writing One of the best types of advice I received is to focus on the job description Why it might be beneficial moving to a new city What we talk about Waco Texas Career Centers Carl's Jr Foodgrads' top 3 tips for landing your first job What color shirt should you wear for job interviews? Cactus Section IFT (for example) Transcript For some background information, I was very involved in my department in Cal Poly and in my junior year, I received my first internship offer in Fall quarter. So about this internship, all I can tell you is that it was a very well-known company but it was one of those well-known companies which own EVERYTHING. So lucky me, I got the internship, was super excited and then I was sent to Waco Texas for a job…at a slaughter house. As much as I like seeing turkeys getting beheaded and getting half off on deli meat, I found the work a bit unsatisfying and the town unenjoyable. I guess I did the work well enough that I got a job offer, but I had to decline due to the fact that I really didn’t like the location. I came back to college to start a new. So with this background, I thought I would get a job pretty easily. Given that I got my first internship in the Fall. I was wrong, but I didn't give up. Of course I didn’t give up, I needed a job! I started to apply to jobs seriously on January giving me a 6 month time bomb before I graduated. Getting a job before graduating is a good goal everyone should attain and my advice is to actually start at Fall. But the main reason you should start at Fall is to review and renovate your resume. Your resume is your written sales infographic that lets you convince people you are great. The best part of a resume is that you can tell in a black and white fashion if it's working or not. If you get hits, your resume is working. If you're not, then you need some help. Once I realized I wasn't getting hits in late-Fall, I went to some FREE resume seminars offered at our career center and signed up to get my resume looked at. The improvements were tremendous and I would highly suggest doing this first if you are serious about getting a job...which you should be. During this, I busted out 2 resumes: a 1 page resume which explains a quick, basic rundown on skills that show I'm a valuable person and a 2 page resume (front and back) where I listed a run down and on the back, posted project summaries if they were more interested. The career center lady justified that it was ok to have a 2 pager just because I was involved in a lot of stuff. So there are two types of resumes people look at. If you're in a supervisory role, people judge your ability to be a leader and how to be proactive. This is in general a very important skill but should be highlighted when you apply to leadership type of positions such as a supervisor The second 2 page resume was highly technical and talked about amazing projects such as product development competitions and microbiological labs. I found this resume to be very effective with product development and R and D roles. Both of these got amazing hits and next thing I knew, the next 6 months were literally traveling 4 hours each way to interview with companies of all shapes and sizes. Almost every month, I had 2 in-house interviews that caused me to travel far. This is also where I learned the magic of reaching out and sleeping at old friend's couches and catching up for the weekend from family members to old high school friends, I thank them so much for letting me stay over just for a job interview. I think phone interviews and in-house are relatively the same and you need to learn to say digestible and relate-able experiences to your manager. The only difference is that youa re in person and they visualize you as a good fit for the company don’t judge you based off of words alone. My advice is that every time you need to answer a question, you need to answer with a story of why what you did is relatable. Remember to keep it decently short and always end with a loop around in which answers the question. I think it's wise (or should I say, inevitable) that your job search is going to be very specific and if you keep on not getting jobs, your horizons will be broader and broader. I started with specifically product developer jobs and I didn't get very many hits. After a month or so, I had some anxiety about the situation and started to tenaciously apply to jobs outside of my scope, but stayed in the realm of the food industry. There were certain barriers I wanted to not touch, namely it can't be in a rural town (unless it's close to people I know like my grandparents) and it had to be food related (duh! I got my degree for a reason!). I think it's good to have some standards no matter what when applying for jobs. So you really need to ask first: what's important to you? So let's see, in the course of 6 months, I traveled a lot. From my comfy San Luis Obispo home, and traveled everywhere from San Francisco, the whole Bay Area, Los Angeles, Carpenteria, Fresno, other rural towns, and of course, Arizona. In some weekends, I had to plan an interview Friday and Monday so I slept over at a friend's house for the weekend. Fun stuff. And these companies were big and small. Off the top of my head, they ranged from all sorts of jobs in all sorts of industries. Production, Quality, Research and Development mainly and in such industries as meat, bread, cheese, spices, coffee, and other things like that. One of my favorite interviews that I really was devastated I missed was a job at Carl's Jr's headquarters near the beach at Carpenteria California. I crushed the interview and was a shoe in to become a food technologist and make fast food all day. I had a lead with a technologist to whom I sent in my resume and got an interview with the Vice President of R and D. Unfortunately, I lost out to a more experienced candidate. That set me back emotionally for a while. My least favorite interview was a noodle factory in Los Angeles where the interviewers made rude, snarky comments about my intelligence. It looked like a dump anyways. The more jobs I interviewed, the more depressed, the more irritable I became. My self-worth was crushed but I had to keep going or else my pride would be shattered, right? I cared so much about my reputation and comparing myself to my peers what I became very paranoid and looking back at it, I was stupid. Everyone who gets a job has this problem but in reality, I have to say, no one cares if you don't get a job, but people will care when you do. And that's something positive. I think the pivot happened in how things were going when I talked to my mentor/ department head about why I didn't have a job yet and he said something that I took into action: 100% of the focus in the interview needs to be tailored to them. And in hindsight, this was the reason I didn't get the job. I wasn't focused 100% on what they wanted, I focused on what I wanted and why I should be chosen. I had two more interviews next week. One in California and one in Arizona. The  first one was in California for a Quality Supervisor role, the one interviewing me was a tough guy and really grilled me. He told me to memorize the 5 commandments of the company which I had to memorize on the 3 hour car ride over. I did it, and he was very impressed. The interview was very tough as well, his questions were extremely specific and his stare down was intense. After a tour of the factory, we went to the quality department and talked about how he treated his team like family. That is where I realized... I probably got the job. The next was a flight to Arizona to a granola bar factory which hadn't even been built yet. I interviewed with the Vice President of Innovation and we really got into talking with the spirit of innovation. I think my personality won him over more than anything. And maybe its because I fit the bill. The position was for a Food Processing Technologist, a type of in-house research and development position that was open to a lot of possibilities because it was a brand new plant. I got both of them. And had to choose which one to choose. By now, maybe you know which one. Or not. So now this was also really hard. I could either stay close to my friends if I lived in California, or go to a place where I knew absolutely no one. Actually, let me list out the advantages and disadvantages of each: The quality job had better pay, it was in California in between San Luis Obispo and my grandparent's place in Fresno, I could see my friends often and my family as well. However, the job wasn't what I wanted: an R&D job, it was in the middle of nowhere, and I realized if the salary I was offered was worth working 6 days a week for 10 hours in the summer. The job in Arizona was more of a gamble, because I was letting go of being comfortable to land to somewhere uncomfortable. People kept on telling me that it was super conservative and super hot, which scared me. It's tough, people are always scared of the unknown. But the job was a foot in the door for something bigger potentially. It was labeled as a Research and Development job. And though it wasn't a comfy corporate job, it was something that could potentially be greater. After hundreds of conversations with pretty much everyone, I chose the job in Arizona. I think there were three key factors that made me chose Arizona over California: For one, the job was an R and D job which most of my friends said that at the end of the day, it’s a better field to be in. Another was the fact that this was turning over a new leaf for me and this was a potential chance to grow where I could never grow before.   The biggest reason, and I think the most important thing that mattered to me was the local community I would belong to. I suffered living in a town like Hanford, California at my internship in Texas and I knew I'd have a hard time adjusting. A city might be easier. I chose Phoenix because it was full of mystery and a bustling city with 6 million people. I was still young, and I needed to learn to grow up. Also, what's nice about simultaneously being offered 2 jobs is you can leverage pay. So I ended up equalizing the pay of the R&D job to the Quality job.   I could give you hours’ worth of reasons why it's a good idea to move where you absolutely know no one but I won’t. All I can tell you is that I have never been happier moving to this city because I’ve learned to take charge and grow myself. If I hadn’t moved to Phoenix, honestly, I don't think I would have had the courage to start this podcast. So let’s take some time to ruminate on some actionable items. Nicole and Juliette have this wonderful article about how people in the food industry recruit people and to be honest, most of my experiences are very relatable for what they’ve posted in their research article: Food Employers’ Top 3 Tips To Landing Your First Job.I’ll name their top three tips and add my two cents. I find this article extremely useful and I do honestly wish I had this information in hindsight. Their top three tips: Make sure you want the position. It may sound obvious, but interviewers can tell the difference between someone with a genuine motivation for a chosen field and someone that just wants a job. Interest is also tied to effort.  Being late, or an untidy appearance demonstrate interest levels that are lacking. If you are looking for a job, remember your goal but also remember your scope. My goal was an R and D job, but my scope was the food industry. Even if I didn’t get an R and D job, as long as I would be in the food industry, I not only would have a chance in an R and D job, but the experience of manufacturing, or document control, would actually make me more valuable to the next employer. There was a point in time where I was obsessed with the color of my dress shirt. I tested blue, green, and red. Coincidentally, my green shirt always got me job offers so now I call it my lucky green shirt. I even used this short when I applied to my current job and got in. 2 Research the company. Arriving unprepared without any idea of what the company produces or who their customers are, will seal your fate. You won’t get asked back. Tailor your “mindset” to the job description. In every job interview you do, it’s wise to read the job description hours before interviewing and direct most of your answers to the job description. This will show much more directly why you are the best fit for the job. Always remember: the point of a job is to help THEM with something. Their job isn’t supposed to solely improve you, it’s supposed to help them earn money so they can invest in you. Network. Get to know the industry and the players within it. Join associations, ask lots of questions and you will have the upper hand now, and in the future, as you move forward in your career. Making connections is just increasing your chance to luck. I admit: I exhausted my connections in college and still could not get a job from them. Connections are nice and I highly recommend hustling to get them, but they will never guarantee you a job. Funny story on this one: My second job transition, I knew two guys who interviewed me because I’ve hustled and networked a bunch in Phoenix. That’s another story. Also remember that it’s more about how strong your connections, in terms of your relationship to them and how well they know your name, than how many connections you have. Don’t forget to use industry specific recruitment websites like FoodGrads.com to find your job. There are so many industry specific websites out here. To find more, just google them. Literally food and job will work too. And it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get a job by graduation. In fact, some people would recommend taking a year off to do something totally unrelated. In hindsight, I kind of wish I did something like that but the race to get a job and not tarnish my reputation went to my head. It really depends on what you want and in what financial situation you’re in. You probably shouldn’t Eurotrip when you’re 5 figures in debt, but I’m also not your mother. Again, this is one example of a job hunt and I wanted to share it with you because this is something I would have loved to have been told about when I was looking for jobs. I want you to succeed.   Download Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we eat and chat with Kyle Failia. As a Sales Manager with Glanbia (a global company supplying dairy isolates and functional ingredients), Kyle has found a perfect fit for his passion!   About Kyle  Originally a Nutrition student, Kyle's interest in functional ingredients and physical activity crossed paths at his sales position with Nutrishop. Through his interactions with customers and his curiosity for ingredients, Kyle became interested in the creative side of nutrition. However, knowing that he did not want to become a dietitian, he stumbled upon Food Science and became an undergraduate in the Food Science program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. It is then that Kyle knew he had found the perfect fit.     As a result of product development competitions at Cal Poly and his involvement as a board member at IFTSA (Institute of Food Technologist Student Association) Kyle landed a job with Glanbia on their graduate program. It is here that he was able to experience every aspect of the business from marketing to R&D and production. Most recently, Kyle has become an account manager with Glanbia. In this role, mainly focused on the west coast, he helps clients solve functional problems with their products. Find Kyle on LinkedIn to learn more about his thoughts on Protein and Processed Food!   About Glanbia Glanbia is a global, performance nutrition and ingredients group with operations in 32 countries and 5,200 employees. It has leading market positions in sports nutrition, cheese, dairy ingredients, speciality non-dairy ingredients and vitamin and mineral premixes. Glanbia products are sold or distributed in over 130 countries. While Europe and the USA represent the organization's biggest markets, Glanbia is also expanding in to markets in the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Glanbia Group has four segments; Global Ingredients, Performance Nutrition, Dairy Ireland and Joint Ventures & Associates.   Key Takeaways How a book covered in a cereal box convinced Kyle to go into food science Why sales might be the career for you Why you should take advantage of the extra-curricular opportunities available to you in College What we talk about: Otaku (this is a restaurant) Ireland Whey Protein Premix Acquisitions Optimum Nutrition ISOPure Think Thin Bar “Just add Glanbia” Fresno, California NutriShop Cal Poly IFT Expo New Orleans IFTSA (Board Member) Product Development Teams Sales as a Career 3D Printing Nutrient Timing (this is a book) Cooked (this is also a book) Chef’s Table (this is a documentary) Pizza Download Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I interview Eve Turow Paul about her amazing writing career and the importance of soil. About Eve Eve Turow Paul, author and consultant, has taken on a big challenge: understanding the preferences and trends of the mysterious Millennial. By taking a deep dive into the psychology of this generation, Turow has gained an understanding of their fears and desires, especially when it comes to food culture around the world. Through her book A Taste of Generation Yum: How the Millennial Generation’s Love for Organic Fare, Celebrity Chefs and Microbrews Will Make or Break the Future of Food, Turow has become, in our eyes, an expert in Millennials and their unparalleled fascination with food. Turow approached the research for her book by interviewing high profile food writers and commentators including Anthony Bourdain and Michael Pollan, and feedback received  directly from Millennials themselves. She provides fascinating insights in to Millennials obsession with food and their role in the future of food culture and policy, specifically in America. Through her studies Turow has been able to guide start-ups and Fortune 500 companies alike in making sound decisions when it comes to Millennials. Her writings have been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Plate, Refinery29 and The Huffington Post. Turow's Career Before her current position as Millennial Expert in Residence for Group SJR (a part of Hill+Knowlton Strategies), Turow worked as a contributing writer to the New York Times as well as with journalist and cookbook author Mark Bittman. Hard copies of her book can be found at retailers MacNally Jackson or Espresso Book Machine. E-book versions can be found at Apple Stores, Barnes and Nobel, Kobo, Google Play or Amazon! Find out more about Eve on Twitter and Instagram at @EveTurowPaul and on Facebook at Facebook.com/ETurow. Key takeaways How to meet Anthony Bourdain (and other important people) How to turn writing into an amazing food job Why dirt is so important What we talk about Generation Yum Mark Bitman Food Columnist New York Anthony Bourdain Argentina Bonnie Wolfe, NPR Nestle Generation Z Old for Snapchat The Recession How technology is changing food Microbiome Fitbits 3D Printing Voltaire –cultivate your garden Japanese custom knives We need more farmers Is your job fulfilling? Download Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Jeffery a supply chain engineer talks about leadership in a diverse environment and convinces you that you can change the world. About Jeffrey Nguyen Jeffrey graduated in 2015 with a BS in Chemical Engineering. We both met at an Asian organization and found we had similar leadership interests so we became friends. He now works at Pepsico under the Supply Chain Associate program. In his spare time, he likes to dive in and help communities from volunteer work to supporting organizations and he’s all about taking action and making an impact. About Gatorade The Gatorade Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first developed in 1965 by a team of researchers at the University of Florida, to replenish the combination of water,carbohydrates, and electrolytes that the school's student-athletes lost in sweat during rigorous sport activities. Originally produced and marketed by Stokely-Van Camp, the Gatorade brand was purchased by the Quaker Oats Company in 1987, which, in turn, was bought by PepsiCo in 2000. As of 2010, Gatorade is PepsiCo’s 4th-largest brand, on the basis of worldwide annual retail sales. Within the United States, Gatorade accounts for approximately 75 percent market share in the sports drink category. Key Takeaways What a supply chain engineer does How to work together with people who have no education and speak a different language Why being in a big corporation magnifies your impact How to impact lives and why you need to explore your town What we talk about Pepsico Arizona State University Main Ingredient ACEL- Asian Corporate Entrepreneur Leaders Supply Chain Engineer Thermodynamics Bio Diesel Batch Reactors Flavor Pails Dealing with Different People Electrolytes 3D Printing of Food Food and Culture Ghandi – You must be the change you see in the world Sushi – Salmon Sashimi Art and Culture in Arizona Download Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this amazing episode Adam talks to Dr. Howard Moskowitz, C.S.O. of Mind Genomics and personal hero of Malcom Gladwell. About Mind Genomics Mind Genomics is an empirical, scientific way to identify how people subconsciously respond to aspects of everyday experience. More simply put, Mind Genomics works to sequence a consumer’s brain, layer by layer. This creates a “template” that predicts how someone will feel about new products, services, and messages. This map can then be used as a baseline to predict how other individuals will react. No other science offers this kind of insight. You can see why Mind Genomics is a hot topic in the food industry. It produces a dramatic "lift" in customer response by going beyond customer preferences and lifestyles. Instead it provides direct insight into what consumers are thinking - even when they don't know how to articulate their preferences. About Dr. Howard Moskowitz ..........someone who I think has done as much to make Americans happy as perhaps anyone over the last 20 years, a man who is a great personal hero of mine: someone by the name of Howard Moskowitz, who is most famous for reinventing spaghetti sauce" -Malcom Gladwell, Choice, Happiness and Spaghetti Sauce, Ted Talk, September 2006. Dr. Howard Moskowitz isa well-known experimental psychologistand an inventor of world-class market research technology. He graduated from Harvard University in 1969 with a Ph.D. in experimental psychology. He has written/edited twenty-six books, published over 400 articles and serves on the editorial board of major journals. He has many speaking engagements and does guest lectures at leading business schools and food science schools. His latest book with co-author Alex Gofman, Selling Blue Elephants (Wharton School Publishing) demonstrates and popularises how IdeaMap (i-Novation`s flagship product) creates new products and messages from areas as diverse as credit cards, jewellery offers, presidential messaging, stock market communications, and transnational innovation. Awards and Accolades Dr. Moskowitz has won numerous awards, among them the Scientific Director`s Gold Medal for outstanding research at the U.S. Army Natick Laboratories, and the 2001 and 2003 awards by ESOMAR (European Society Of Market Research) for his innovation in web-enabled, self-authored conjoint measurement, and for weak signals research in new trends analysis and concept development.  In 2004, Dr. Moskowitz was elected as an IFT Fellow, and was awarded the "David R. Peryam Award", from ASTM, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of basic and applied sensory science. In 2005, Dr. Moskowitz was awarded the Charles Coolidge Parlin Marketing Research Award for his substantial contributions and dedication to the advancement of marketing research practices. Most recently, he is the recipient of the ARF Research Innovation Award and The Market Research Council Hall of Fame Award, both in 2006. From November 2004 to November 2006, Dr. Moskowitz appeared weekly on ABC News Now as the Food Doctor. His segment highlighted the most innovative and interesting aspects of the food industry. Key Takeaways Why different people like different things (and not just food) An example of someone zigging while everyone zags How to use Moskowitz’s principle to achieve world peace  What we talk about Malcom Gladwell TED Talk Mind Genomics/ Ideamap  Claussen Pickles vs Vlassic Pickles Motskowitz’s Special Drop Box with a lot of good information The Sense of Taste Moskowitz’s next big project Mathematics The daily life of a researcher Writing books An app that will let people do their own experience “One person can’t be everything, it’s the spirit of giving choice” Beans Lack of creativity and a lot of conservatism in the food industry …but we see the change Kraft – Heinz  General Foods SS Stevens Rose Marie Pangborn, Sensory Evaluation of food Dr. Amy Lammert Moskowitz’s Special Drop Box with a lot of good information (So special it's listed twice) The YOU Book (in Dr Moskowitz's DropBox) How to have a better world by having students create solutions TED Talk of Malcolm Gladwell talking about Howard Moskowitz Download Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the My Food Job Rocks Podcast with me, Adam Yee. This is episode 5. We’re going to try something a little bit different this time, I think every 5 or so episodes, I really want to do a deep info session on certain things people don’t know about the food industry. In this episode, I want to talk about what is Food Science, and really, how to become a food scientist. I hope to use this episode to tell all of my friends what the heck I do. Moving to Phoenix where I absolutely knew no one, I’ve met a lot of new people and in most situations, I’ve had to say what I do for a living. I’ve tried things like my actual vague job title, when I first moved to phoenix this was: food processing technologist! What the heck was that? Then I changed to: “I work with food” but I’ve felt most comfortable saying what I’ve studied: I’m a food scientist. In most situations in my life, whenever I tell someone I’m a food scientist, they give me some strange look and tell me what the heck that is. I’m sure my colleagues will nod in agreement that this has happened once in their life. I hope in this episode, to really bring a brief introduction on what is Food Science and how you can remember this profession. Key takeaways: The definition of Food Science, and what they do Where you can study food science The difference between Food Science and Nutrition What We Talk About: Google’s definition of Food Science Institute of Food Technologist Sodium Benzoate in Soda Ethlyene  Splenda  Stevia Bacon Soda Chicory Root Fiber Flaming hot Cheetos EXO Cricket Protein Pea Milk (Ripple) Chapman University Food Science Accredited Food Science University Chipotle E.Coli Freeze Drying Extrusion American Institute of Baking Food Science vs Nutrition The next sewage blockage of 2016 (read the reviews)  Download Episode Official Transcript: If you google “Food Science”, the institute of Food Technologist writes up this definition: Food science is the study of the physical, biological, and chemical makeup of food; and the concepts underlying food processing. Food technology is the application of food science to the selection, preservation, processing, packaging, distribution, and use of safe food. What this means is that every single item of food or beverage you buy in a grocery store has been influenced by a food scientist. I find that this is honestly the best explanation of being a food scientist. The best way I can explain the benefits of a food scientist is that they try to make food last as long as possible without it causing harm to you or have it taste awful. We are indeed responsible for adding preservatives to soda but we are also responsible for finding a way NOT to use preservatives, while also lowering the calories. We are responsible for pumping ethylene oxide into apples to make them grow bigger but also responsible in making sure organic, non-GMO apples get to the grocery store safe and sound. We are the ones who make splenda and stevia palatable and how to make soda taste like either root beer or bacon We are the ones who make your protein bars have chicory root fiber and the ones who make your Cheetos puffy or spicy… or whatever you desire. We can create bars out of crickets or milk out of vegetables. We are the ones who make sure you don’t get sick drinking juice or prevent bugs in your bread And whether you love these things or hate these things, we’re just doing our job: to feed the world. And most likely, we will need your help accomplishing this. To become a food scientist, you can either get a job at a facility that deals with food or major in food science at a university. Most people who claim themselves to be food scientists have food science degrees. I would argue that if you are a food technologist, whatever your educational background may be, which I think is a confusing title in itself, you can call yourself a food scientist. Food Science is a niche profession and an even nichier major. I hope that’s a word… Most who join the major don’t really know what it is and quite a few people switch majors right away once they find out that you might end up in a factory your whole life. Hey, I’m not going to sugar coat it, there are jobs in food science that may require you to be in a factory and as much as we don’t imagine the glamour of being in a factory making granola bars all day, you sometimes realize just how valuable that job experience has been. Speaking from experience, I sort of enjoyed the factory life for a year or two and you actually make quiet a bit of money because of how much overtime you make if you’re into that. In fact, most of the time, the factory life will highly out pay a product development job but the tradeoff is a stable work/life balance. Besides the point, I really want to dive in about all aspects on food science. So here are three common questions I’ve gotten as a food scientist. I’m sure a lot of my friends who are also food scientists get this a lot. Question 1: Where can you study Food Science? Food Science is usually offered in land grant universities or universities that have a department of agriculture. There are exceptions to both situations. For example, the University of Arizona does not have a food science program even though it is a land-grant university and private institutions like Chapman University have started offering food science in their curriculum. For a list of accredited food science universities, please make sure you go to the show notes and check out the accredited food science programs available across the nation. Food Science is decently Chemistry based and a lot of the focus will be in Biochemistry because you are dealing with macromolecules such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins on the daily. The more you really understand basic chemistry, the more food science starts to make sense. Probably the second most important class to focus on is microbiology as the most important part in the industry is to understand how to prevent bad stuff like salmonella from growing. Pro tip, it’s mainly the amount of water and how much heat it takes to kill the things. Most curriculums offer a buffet of professions including: Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sensory Analysis, Food Chemistry, Food Analysis, Food Law, Food Engineering, Packaging, Processing, and Product Development. Each one of these subjects act as kind of a job orientation and throughout your food career, you can kind of choose which subject you would like to follow. For example, you can choose to be Quality Assurance Manager, a Sensory Scientist, a Flavor Chemist, or a Product Developer. So some of these sound weird, right? Let me explain some examples of the subjects the universities teach: Quality Assurance: Where we make sure that the processes and ingredients we use to make food are in compliance with the government and with the consumer. You will learn what’s really needed in the food industry to make sure your food is consistent and edible. Food Safety: Basically how to react and prevent food outbreaks. We hear all the time on how E.coli or listeria can cause massive recalls. Food Safety classes are designed on how we can keep our food safe, which is the most important thing you have to think about when making food and distributing it to millions. Food outbreaks can literally kill a food company. Sensory Analysis: Literally a class where you eat things all day. Applying statistics, you will learn about how to find if results between two to ten things are significant or not. We use sensory analysis a lot in the food industry because people have to actually like the taste of the food that is being sold. We also use sensory to replace ingredients, for example, if this organic version can match the original version, or if this new flavor is better than this old one. Food Chemistry: Basically applying what you know about biochemistry and using it on food. In this class, you understand how things get thick when you add flour to soup, why you should coat biscuits with oil before packaging, and why some sugars are super sticky and why some are rock solid. Food Analysis: This is a cool class, but I’d say is very niche in the industry. Here, you understand how to use machines and chemicals to break down food to its basic components and measure its content. This is used extensively with nutrition labeling on your little nutrition facts on every food product. Food Law: A dry subject, but very important; Here you will learn about the FDA and USDA as well as knowing the regulations it takes to slap on a label for food products. Things you would never notice has to be on the package such as: net weight, manufacturing date, and what fonts to use on the label. Food Engineering: The most confusing topic to discuss with your friends because it makes people believe you’re really smart when it’s basically just moving water around mathematically. It’s basically using very basic engineering concepts to help you do your job. It’s meant for you to be the middleman between the scientist saying how much water needs to be in this bottle and the engineer/mechanic to adjust the machines to do such a thing. Some examples of applying food engineering include: measuring the expansion of water when frozen in orange juice concentrates, how much you have to adjust the amount of water when switching to a more watery syrup, and, how many ingredients you need to add back in when your professor accidentally spills part of your incomplete mixture of BBQ sauce! Packaging: Why do we package food? To keep it safe, contained, and as a wicked marketing tool. You also learn about how paper, glass, metal and plastic are made and why they are so versatile. Processing: Here you get to learn how we can create 10,000 lbs of granola bars a day. Basically, learning about all of the necessary machines to make a lot of food. In basic classes, you learn how to dehydrate, refrigerate, and pretty much boil water but in more advanced classes, we learn the science of how freeze drying, microwaves, and extrusion works. Product Development: You make your own product using all of the skills you learned in your previous class. So you will also take some microbiology, statistics, calculus, organic chemistry, biology, nutrition, and physics courses. You know, the fun stuff. There are also plenty of electives you can take. I’ve taken an awesome bakery science course and my friends have taken things like fermentation, meat processing, wine making, and cheese making as one of their electives. If you don’t like science, food science might not be for you. But if you truly love food, then you will find this a very rewarding profession. Next Question: What’s the difference between food science and nutrition? A lot of my food science friends mock this question when their aunt questions them: “Oh, food science? Is that like nutrition?” On my first day of orientation to the food science major, the room was shared with food science students and nutrition students. Heck, even before orientation, I didn’t know the difference either What the professor said has resonated with me ever since: Food Science is farm to fork, Nutrition is afterwards. In other words, Food Science is before we eat the food, Nutrition is what the food does to the body. Food Science includes but is not limited to growing, storing, processing, distributing, packaging, From apples to apple sauce, to apple strudel at your hotel breakfast, all have been inspected and blessed(-ish) by the science of safety, quality, sensory, and processing. But don’t get me wrong, these two professions are getting ever more intermingled and every year it seems like the line blurs more and more. You see, us food scientists need to listen to nutritionists to make our products more attractive and more healthy. That’s the trend nowadays: food needs to be healthy. No matter what. In my situation, I work for a popular health and wellness company and I talk to nutritionists daily to make sure my protein bars are low in sugar and high in protein, while maintaining taste, not decaying rapidly or turning as hard as a rock. I also love talking to nutritionists about which and how much fiber I can use without causing the next sewage blockage of 2016! And again, most nutritionists understand that certain things are needed to make our food taste better or last longer and I suggest really talking to someone who is actually a dietician the next time you hear a food is bad for you. Not your aunt. Unless your aunt is a nutritionist. Most bloggers who tout the media on stuff used in the food industry don’t really have the credentials to stake claims they make. I’m not naming names, but you see it all the time on social media how a blogger who as a major influencer can convince even the largest of companies not to put certain ingredients into their products. As an old professor used to say, “It’s not the poison, it’s the dose”. You can overdose on water, sugar, caffeine, and aspartame but science has proven through 100's of studies, they are OK in the recommended doses. There are millions of tests that the government mandates that tell people what’s safe and what’s not safe and in what amounts. Final Question: Do you get free food every day in your job? Short answer: yes Long answer: As long as you don’t work in a microbiology lab or you’re allergic to peanuts in a peanut factory, you will get free food. When I worked at a slaughterhouse for turkeys, I got a lot of free deli meat from the other plants. One time, I got steaks for a dollar a pound. When I worked at a granola bar factory, I ate granola bars for breakfast every day. My current job at a health and wellness company means I get free Whey Powder, pre-workout, and meal replacement bars. I don’t buy groceries. I would say the best perk in a food related job is the fact that you are guaranteed free food. It’s just how the industry works. Defects are going to be thrown away so you’re either going to get it for free or super cheap. So the next time you meet a food scientist, tell them you know what they do. The next time your cousin is choosing majors for college and you notice he loves food a lot, mention food science as an option. The next time you go to a grocery store, think about what goes in a food that uses good old fashion, science. Thank you for listening to episode 5. I hope you enjoyed this little lecture. Let me know what interests you. As always, sign up for our email list, like foodgrads on facebook, rate us high on itunes, leave a comment, and share with your friends. If you show interest in being interviewed, know someone who would be a great interviewee, or just really want to help out like I did, make sure to email us at podcast@foodgrads.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode's a funny one, I interview Food Technologist Taryn Yee (no relation) from Albertsons/Safeway and we reminisce on the good times and get kind of obsessed with Pad Thai. About Albertsons (from Wikipedia): In January 2015, Albertsons acquired Safeway Inc. for $9.2 billion. The newly merged company has more than 2,200 stores and over 250,000 employees, which makes it the second largest supermarket chain in North America after Kroger, which has 2,424 stores. Prior to the merger it had 1,075 supermarkets located in 29 U.S. states under 12 different banners. Its predecessor company, Albertsons, Inc., was sold to Albertsons LLC (a Cerberus Capital Management-led consortium), CVS Pharmacy, and SuperValu Inc. in 2006. CVS acquired the freestanding drugstores while the Cerberus-led consortium (Albertsons LLC) and Supervalu (New Albertsons, Inc.) divided the supermarket divisions among themselves. After selling the majority of its stores to various buyers, in January 2013, Albertsons LLC, acquired SuperValu's remaining Albertsons stores, as well as its ACME, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw's and Star Market brands, in exchange for $100 million in cash and $3.2 Billion in SuperValu debt. The sale was completed by March 2013. The company's corporate name was Albertson's until 2002, when the apostrophe was removed. About Taryn Taryn has her Bachelors in Food Science and a Masters in Dairy Science from Cal Poly. She’s worked in a bunch of companies including Albertsons, Land o Lakes, startups and restaurant jobs. She was very involved in college and you should also be involved in college! Key Takeaways -What are Copackers -Why the Food Science Major is really fun -Acronyms in the Food Industry What We Talk About Mama Papa Luthuanian Cuisine Alameda Library Albertsons Safeway The Deal Copacking Cal Poly San Luis Obispo  Building 24 Masters of Professional Studies (Dairy) IFTSA Disney Competition Land o Lakes Condensed Butter Monster Energy Red Cups from Starbucks  Natural Color vs Artificial Giant Microwaves How microwaves work A watched pot never boils  If you give a mouse a cookie Chopsticks – How to use chopsticks Training chopsticks Pad Thai – Fish sauce, Malagang root, tamarind Mango Sticky Rice Download Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices