My Food Job Rocks!

’ve always wanted to know the machine side of the food industry. How do people build these machines that can create thousands of pounds of foods today? I found the answer when I interviewed Matt. Matt contacted me after he finished listening to Good Food institute Series and I asked if we could meet up. I’ve done interviews at libraries before, after all, they’re free and quiet, so we found the best small room in Fremont California to belt out the interview. Here we have great tips on managing big projects and explore the most optimal way to get from concept to commercialization. Matt also gives some great tips on how to tackle big ideas using some smart strategies that you might want to apply to your work. Enjoy! Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus o

Sophie Mendes van Delft is a world traveler and has lived in France, the United States, and now, Canada. She’s explored all walks of life trying to find what makes her passionate and what makes work enjoyable and ended up finding her place marketing in the food industry, where she absolutely loved how passionate the people are there. In this episode, we go into detail on social media, and the power of community, and talk a bit about the emerging Generation Z. We also talk about the really fiery hot Canadian trends in the food industry such as local food. But perhaps the most important part of the interview is the confirmation that the food industry is full of passionate individuals and that everyone, no matter if you’re a scientist, a chef, or a marketer, you’re welcomed here. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, al

What do Tennis and Culinary have in common? Judi and Penny Lerner are a mother-daughter duo that leads AYS Sports Marketing, which kicks off an event called Taste of Tennis, an event that brings Tennis professionals and culinary professionals in a super fun event to showcase the best food in the city. How did this start? Funny story. Judi kept on getting asked by professional tennis players about good places to eat and that gave her an idea to bring the chefs to them. Now bringing amazing chefs such as Masaharu Morimoto under the same roof as Venus and Serena Williams, this event has gotten widely popular and is a way to showcase amazing food and food trends to the best in the tennis industry. We go over the trials and tribulations when it comes to planning an event like this. We also talk in depth on how to find the most talented and unique people in the city for your event, and go really in depth on the hottest food trends going on right now. At the end of the episode, I found out that Tennis and Cooking sh

16 years ago, Chronic Tacos started out as this little taco shop, but with time and patcience, exploded into a Taco Empire. Randy started the shop because he missed Tacos and hired on a Mexican family to produce their tacos in his store. Mike took it a step further and put systems in place to grown Chronic Tacos to an empire, with over 50 locations all over the United States, and Canada and even Japan. We go through many things in this interviews such as tough beginnings, to what it really takes to pass on information from one franchise to another. You’ll also learn what makes Chrnoic Tacos a fun, authentic brand and how the team innovates faster and faster every day. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. *NEW* Patreon Due to our ad

When I was approached to interview Susie Fogelson, I recognized the name, but I couldn’t put a finger on it. However, after researching who she was, it all came torrenting down. Susie’s marketing directive at Nickelodeon and the Food Network had influenced my childhood. She was behind many of the shows that you might recognize such as Emeril Live, or Good Eats, or Iron Chef and you might recognize her as a judge in the Next Food Network Star. Now revving up her new strategic firm, Susie shares her amazing way of marketing for all of you. Get ready for an interview with a lot of amazing takeaways. This episode has it all, from this new concept we talk about called food connectivity, the strategy and concept behind key shows such as Iron Chef and Chopped, and the amazing things you can do in the internet today when it comes to accelerating your personal brand. Susie taught me a lot, and surprisingly, I taught Susie a lot! I talked to her about food science, co-packing, and sensory science. That’s the beauty of

I happened to be in San Francisco and met up with Siddharth at the JUST office. After an amazing tour of the place, we sat down in one of their rooms and I busted out my new equipment, a sound box where I could improve the audio quality of mics If you're interested in product development or want some skills to improve, I'd listen to this interview as we pour out our strategies and frustrations on scaling up. You’ll also learn some interesting tips on how to improve your own R and D process. A note, the audio might sound a bit off, and I apologize. New technology is tricky, but we’ll nail it. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. *NEW* Patreon Due to our ad cycle being over, we’re trying a different model for My Food Job Rocks. We hav

Melveen and I met on LinkedIn, she actually worked with a classmate of mine, Greg Yasuda,  and I wanted her on the show because she had some really good content on improving the next generation of the workforce, the millennials. Though as a millennial, I prefer the term young professionals. Not only that, but she’s been an HR rep in the food industry for a long time in really big companies. Recently forming her own company, her big focus is coaching millennial or young professionals to excel at our jobs and she strategies with corporations to help them unleash potential in their current workforce. In this episode, I ask a lot of questions a lot of people are scared to talk about when it comes to general career advice. We go into how to ask good questions at work, or how to write an email to your boss, how to dress for an interview, or write a thank you note and a great discussion about improving manufacturing jobs. You’ll also learn a bit about the Land O Lakes pet food and crop input business. Who knew? Abou

The Foodgrads Ambassadors program is an opportunity for students in Canada to explore the food industry by getting involved and educating college students about the food industry. Veronica and Yenci have benefitted well with the program as both now have jobs in the food science area. Veronica just recently got a job in Quality Assurance and Yenci is a product developer at Campbell’s Soup. Today we learn about how and why they became foodgrads ambassadors. The most important thing is that we see a fresh perspective of the newest people who have entered the food industry and we talk a lot about the pain points that a lot of students struggle with when it comes to finding a food job. We hope that if you are a student or new professional, that this episode motivates you to contact Nicole Gallace at Foodgrads, and to get involved *NEW* Patreon Due to our ad cycle being over, we’re trying a different model for My Food Job Rocks. We have opened up a Patreon page! Now you can support My Food Job Rocks if you want to

Check out our slides here This episode is a bonus episode where I rehearse the two little presentations I did in the past two weeks. I was wondering how I was going to practice them, so I thought...well, I have the mic and the script, why not practice through a podcast! Unfortunately, these rehearsals are not the final product, but they might be more informative than the final product because it has me flesh out my thoughts a bit more. The timeframe I had to complete these presentations is much shorter than what you will be hearing today, but perhaps that's a good thing. Here is a little background of the two presentations: On July 10th, Berkeley for the Developing Future Foods Seminar was an event hosted by Alex Shirazi, who does the Cultured Meat Symposium and a killer podcast.  I found his podcast really cool and we actually met at Food Funded in San Francisco. I was helping another person podcasting at the time so I helped him improve his podcast in terms of strategy and audio improvements.  Alex asked

If you are still a high school or college student and you want to get into this industry, I hope this podcast will open up the pandora’s box of opportunities we’ll be laying out before you. But even if you are maybe a bit further along in your career, there is always time to jump in. Marie Gibbons is probably the most famous clean meat scientist for multiple reasons. She is funded by the Good Food Insitute, she is currently doing her research in Harvard, and she’s really passionate in what she does. Marie’s passion and kindness resonate in this interview. She is an extremely authentic and transparent scientist who explains the process of clean meat in simple yet dense detail. Do note, some of the experiences Marie has being a farm animal veterinarian are quite graphic, of course, to prove a point. We only talk about it in the beginning, but just be forewarned. Otherwise, I’m glad that Marie has a sense of humor so enjoy a bunch of smart alec scientists talk about clean meat among other things. Sponsor - BAKE

We talk a ton about sustainability on the podcast, being one of the most important topics food industry professionals are interested in solving. Isaac is the perfect person to talk about environmental impact. Having been in multiple disciplines, he’s been researching the sustainability from biofuels to chicken coops. We get to talk about the cool sustainability tools I never heard about. One topic, in particular, is lifecycle assessment, a complete analysis of any product in the world’s environmental impact. I hope that this interview gives you the tools necessary to save the world. I also notice that Isaac and I have very similar ways of cooking. For example, we love stir-frying in our favorite cast iron skillets. What does that mean? I have no idea. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we

Erin Rees Clayton holds a diverse scientific background. A PhD in Genetics, a Masters of Public Health, and is in food. With this skill set, she has a very broad and insightful ability to connect the dots, which helps her a ton in her current job in the Good Food Institute. Erin and I spend a lot of time talking about questioning. I think it’s a really important skill to ask good questions and we go into how to do so. There are so many questions we still don’t know how to answer in food and Erin will share them with you, so you can be inspired to answer them. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join FoodGrads.  It’s an in

Aylon Steinhart brings his entrepreneurial grit and amplifies it through convincing and motivating people to start plant-based meat and clean meat companies. But isn’t that hard? To start your own company? The short answer is yes, but it’s something worth pursuing. Aylon and I tag team to break down the tips and tricks to becoming more innovative and entrepreneurial. We go from tips on getting into Expos for free, why it might be a good idea to start corporate for a bit, and the amazing resources the GFI has, to help you start your plant-based or clean meat company. To give you some sort of disclaimer, this interview was conducted before I decided to team up and start my own company. But perhaps this interview was one of the factors that when the offer was presented to me, I accepted.   Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely ava

Really excited to have the first of 5 interviews from the generous people at the Good Food Institute, the best nonprofit that deals with the plant-based meat and clean meat space. Zak Weston never thought he would end up in food but after finding how much he could impact the world, he persistently networked his way to a job as a corporate engagement specialist at the Good Food Institute Zak convinces companies to put more plant-based options on their menus and clients include restaurants, food service companies, and even manufacturing. One really important topic Zak and I get into is discussing the group, Effective Altruism, a very pragmatic group of individuals who want to do good in the world. This is where Zak found that food was his calling. If you are stuck in your life, then this episode will motivate you to keep going. The food industry is the perfect industry to impact the world. Quick note, I met Zak in person at the Protein Technologies Seminar. It’s always good to put a face with a name. Sponsor

You are listening to a bonus episode, a short one, where I wanted to introduce an exciting series we’re doing for the next 5 or so weeks. I’m super excited to be able to interview 5 amazing people from the Good Food Institute. The Good Food Institute, or the GFI, is one of my favorite non-profits in the recent couple of years. I enjoy their pragmatic, and scientific way of describing the innovative technologies behind plant-based and cultured meats. Loyal listeners of My Food Job Rocks know that I am very interested in this type of technology as I mention it in almost every episode. Some of the My Food Job Rocks interviews with people like Deya Trujillo from Beyond Meat, Paul Shapiro, the author of Clean Meat, and Tom Mastrobuoni, the CFO of Tyson amplified this hunger for knowledge. Loyal readers will also notice that once in a while, I write about plant proteins, mainly because they’re interesting and also a pain in the ass. I posted an article about the perils of plant proteins on LinkedIn and David Welch,

I met Lumeng Jin at the now discontinued Heart Healthy Competition in Chicago about 5 years ago. We participated in the same product development competition and kept in touch because that’s what you’re supposed to do as a student. In case you’re wondering, Lumeng’s team won that competition. I’m not bitter at all! Anyways, I wanted Lumeng on the show because she’s on the side of the industry that doesn’t get so much love on the podcast. Sensory Science and Consumer Research are both super important career paths in the food industry because it’s the science that deciphers how people will respond to your product. I would say in the hands of a master, this is one of the most important things to know when it comes to product success. Lumeng has worked many jobs and has even done her masters in this field and now lives in New York City where she conducts and analyzes large-scale consumer tests. So get ready for an exciting episode where we talk about the importance of this field. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episo

Today we have an exciting episode with Claudia Sidoti, who not only owned her restaurant at 19, but also wrote recipes for the Food Network, and now is the head honcho at Hello Fresh’s North America’s division. As many know, meal kits have gotten a ton of buzz too, but I always wanted to know how the R+D process worked. I asked Claudia how her team develops recipes and wow, I was super surprised how it works. With over 100 dishes ideated a week, while accounting for supply chain, portion size, and ease of use, Claudia’s description of the process was really informative. So get ready for a really cool episode on how to be a culinary super star. Whether you’re in the restaurant industry, magazine writing, or meal kit business. Wanted to give a shoutout to HelloFresh, I’m not sponsored by them, but they gave me some meal kits for free. With moving, I only used one, and they’re very good for the busy professional. If you have no time to go to the grocery store or plan dinner, these are worth it. For me, I can liv

As you recall in episode 110, I interviewed at the intro to food science class in NCSU and had a blast. Now we continue with Dr. Gabriel Keith Harris’ story. Like many, his path to food science was unconventional, though he’s always had an interest with food, he went through the dietetics path until someone said he was interested in food science! Gabe’s main focus in the academic world is how food is processed through the gut. So get ready for an exciting episode where you’ll learn all about coffee and chocolate, inflammation of the gut, and how you can be a perpetual learner. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interested in a career in food & beverage, you should join Food

Julie Wilson is a serial entrepreneur who’s started multiple businesses in the comfort of her home. As many know, this is the dream! You see it all the time on facebook and youtube, right? Julie and I dispel the fictions on starting an online business and also talk about the best steps to start your own. But more importantly, Julie is the marketing arm of FreshCheq, a really innovative software that allows restaurants to operate more safely and efficiently. FreshCheq can measure temperature logs, checklist staff tasks, and now recently, can monitor how much food a restaurant is wasting. Learn from Julie’s experience the amazing opportunity in the online space. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even

This episode was recorded at Expo West! Shannon Gomes and I connected on linkedin and just decided to wing a podcast episode while I was there. We found a table early in the morning and just did an episode. The world of Public Relations is something I’ve always been curious about. What do they do? How do they reach out to media outlets? These and many other questions are what I ask Shannon today. So if you’re interested in public relations as a profession, be prepared for a crash course on the day in the life of one. Shannon’s 17 years plus of experience and knowing the in’s and out’s of the industry shines brightly in this interview. Sponsor - BAKERpedia This episode is brought to you by BAKERpedia – your one-stop, resource that answers all your questions on industry trends, ingredient information, food safety and more. It’s shared knowledge, freely available, always. BAKERpedia.com – we do all the thinking so you can focus on your business. Sponsor – FoodGrads If you are even just a little bit interest