Hi Everyone! I’m so excited to be here! A little about myself- Like Katie and Adam, I went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and I also majored in Food Science.
To be completely honest, I was never top of my class or the smartest in the classroom but the hands on classes at Cal Poly brought difficult math and science concepts to life. I could see reactions right in front of me, not on a book… I calculate how long it would take to heat a pot of soup…I could break down ingredients in a cookie and tell you what is better, butter or margarine!
Finding odd jobs was (and still is) my specialty. At some point in college I was…teaching kids cooking classes, making & selling spice blends, building a cooking studio curriculum, being a chef at an Inn, cleaning houses, teaching piano…. On campus I worked at our pilot plant, became a member of the food science club but I really knew I had found my happy place with the Product Development Team. Combining my learned technical knowledge with my intrinsic creative side, I knew product development was where I wanted to ground my future career.
The following fall I continued my education in a pilot program to gain a Masters in Professional Studies of Dairy Products and Technology at Cal Poly. After 3 semesters I drove myself to lake-filled Minnesota for an internship with Land O’ Lakes with their Continuous Improvement team. Post internship and back in CaliforniaI stumbled my way through some PD innovation contract work, a stint at a cup soup and oatmeal cup manufacturer, and a caramel corn tosser until I was finally hired as a Food Technologist at Albertson’s/ Safeway. I’ve been there for a year now and I couldn’t be happier; I mean, I get to eat ice cream and salads every day!
When I’m not working, I enjoy eating cheese, pretending I like to read and acting like I am good at running. I’m excited to be working with My Food Job Rocks, helping to spread the awesomeness and importance of Food Science and the Food Industry. Any questions (or praises) about my new but crazy career, how much I like eggnog or what Minnesota’s like during the summer? Send ‘em over to podcast@myfoodjobrocks.com