What we eat is fundamental to humanity. Not just because of the need for it to survive, but how it shapes and grows society. In the modern age, there is a sophisticated and impressive industry that gives easy access to food for much of the world. This podcast takes a deep dive into that industry by interviewing leaders and innovators in that space.
The host of this show is Maureen Knowlson who has 35+ years of experience in the industry as an executive recruiter. She's placed food scientists, plant managers, executives, and more at many of the leading companies in the food industry.
Michael Spinelli - NewEpoch | Plant-Based Protein Innovation
Michael Spinelli (https://www.linkedin.com/in/new-epoch/) is well-known for his work in the plant-based protein segment in the food industry.
After 2 decades in the industry working for big names like Ben & Jerry's (https://www.benjerry.com/) and Sabra (https://sabra.com/), Michael took the knowledge and skills he developed and started his own company, Nutriati. He spent 8+ years building this company into a leader in innovation for plant-based proteins.
Michael's new venture is NewEpoch (https://www.new-epoch.com/) which is committed to helping new alternative technology start ups.
He is a great ambassador for the vegetarian and vegan customers.
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11 Mar 2024
John Patterson - Pittsburgh Pickle | Starting a food company in a bar
John Patterson is one of the founders and owners of Pittsburgh Pickle (https://pittsburghpickle.com/).
John and his two brothers accidentally fell into the pickle business. They just wanted to make high-quality food for their bar & restaurant and started making pickles just for themselves.
Like many smart business owners, they saw an opening in the market and turned their basement pickle operation into a brand you can find all across the country.
John is as honest and authentic as they come and he walks us through all the ups and downs of building this company.
If you are in the Pittsburgh Area, be sure to go visit their bar & restaurant the BeerHive (https://thebeerhive.com/) in the Strip District.
If you want to buy their pickles, check their website (https://pittsburghpickle.com/find-us/) for local and online retailers.
Follow Pittsburgh Pickle on:
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PittsburghPickleCo)
X (Twitter) (https://twitter.com/PghPickleCo)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pghpickleco/)
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4 Mar 2024
Davis Jaeger - MrBeast's Feastables | Making Chocolate for MrBeast
Davis Jaeger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davis-jaeger-3a76363a/) is the Vice President of Product Innovation for MrBeast (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA)'s Feastables (https://feastables.com/).
Davis had a unique start to his career. Out of high school, he worked in restaurants as a chef until his mid-20s when he decided to go to college for Food Science.
He has a passion for those new to the industry and wants to help the next generation in their careers.
Just like the way that Davis got into the industry, his career path hasn't quite been typical. He's worked in many different segments and niches in the industry.
With his current role, we of course talk all about chocolate and how his team is striving to make the best products possible.
Davis and I have become fast friends and we both love the food industry.
I hope you have as much fun listening to this as we had recording it.
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Buy the new Feastables Candy Bars Here (https://feastables.com/) or at Walmart (https://www.walmart.com/search?q=Feastables&facet=brand:Feastables)
Check out the Massive Announcement Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0iQguIT_yE) and learn how you can win $10K!
Follow Feastables on:
TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@feastables)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/feastables)
X (Twitter) (https://twitter.com/feastables)
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26 Feb 2024
Chef Mike Haracz | Corporate Chef vs Food Scientist
Chef Mike Haracz (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeharacz/) has been a corporate chef for 18 years and has worked for a variety of companies both large and small.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to get a new menu item at McDonalds, Chef Mike walks us through the not so simple process and gives us all the behind the scenes details.
Chef Mike has also built a following on social media and most recently was the host of a Dungeons & Dragons themed cooking show on Amazon Prime’s Freevee called Heroes’ Feast (https://watch.plex.tv/show/heroes-feast).
We have a ton of fun swapping stories and we didn’t even get through them all. We will definitely have Chef Mike back on in the future!
Follow Chef Mike on:
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/ChefMikeDoesStuff)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chefmikeharacz)
X (Twitter) (https://twitter.com/Mike_Haracz)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mike.haracz/)
TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@chefmikeharacz?lang=en)
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19 Feb 2024
Scott Baker - 5 Generation Bakers | 125+ Years of Baking History in Pittsburgh
Scott Baker is the Founder and President of 5 Generation Bakers. Scott is both a baker by name and a baker by trade. His flagship product, Jenny Lee Swirl Bread, has been a staple in the Pittsburgh, PA area for decades.
As the name says, there are 5 generations of baking history behind Scott’s company. I don’t want to spoil any part of his amazing story, but let’s just say I have a lot of respect for Scott and his family and how they have worked so hard for the people in their community.
We had the opportunity to do his interview in person at this facility in McKees Rocks, just north of Downtown Pittsburgh.
12 Feb 2024
David "Guilley" Guilfoyle - IFF | Jumping From Job to Job Can Be A Good Thing
On this episode, we have David "Guilley" Guilfoyle. Guilley is the North America Design Manager for Bakery, Fats, and Oils.
Guilley has had a long and unique career. He's worked for many companies in many different roles. He even took several years off. Many would consider him a "job hopper". He's taken what others might see as a negative and turned it into a positive.
Maureen and Guilley have a fun conversation full of laughter as they walk down memory lane through Guilley's career.
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5 Feb 2024
Abbey Thiel - Abbey The Food Scientist | Food Science on YouTube
Today's guest is Abbey Thiel. She runs the YouTube channel: Abbey The Food Scientist (https://www.youtube.com/@AbbeytheFoodScientist).
With her PhD in Food Science and her love of teaching, she creates videos explaining complex food science topics to average consumers. Things like why does bread get stale or what is pasteurization?
Abbey loves the science behind how food and cooking works and wants to share that passion with the world.
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29 Jan 2024
Renee Evans | Using Science to Make Better Alcoholic Drinks
Renee Evans is our first guest with experience in one of the biggest segments in the food industry, alcoholic beverages.
She's worked with many brands both big and small and has helped develop whole new categories of drinks like prepackaged mix drinks and malt beverages.
Though we talk a lot about the alcohol industry, she's got tons of experience in many facets of the food industry. She's using all this experience in her most recent venture, consulting.
Renee and I had a great time sharing stories and she taught me a lot about alcohol and what happens behind the scenes for some of these iconic brands.
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15 Jan 2024
Marisa Teiner - Feel Better Pops | Building a Grassroots Food Brand
Marisa Teiner is the inventor of Feel Better Pops (https://www.feelbetterpops.com/), a frozen fruit pop made with wholesome super fruits, probiotics, a hint of herbs, and coconut water.
What started as a home remedy for her sick son, turned into a real product available at grocery stores and pharmacies.
She walks us through the whole journey of how to turn your idea into a reality.
She's currently looking for investors to take this product to the next level.
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8 Jan 2024
Dave Lazear | How Food Gets To Your Table
Dave Lazear has nearly 30 years of experience in food distribution, mainly focused on food service. He has a passion both for the food service industry and for sales development.
Food Distribution takes the products that food manufacturers produce and gets them into the hands of the people who use those products.
Up til now, our guests have been involved in the manufacturing of food with disciplines like food science, R&D, quality assurance, and management.
Dave offers a great perspective on what goes on after food products leave the manufacturers and head out into the world.
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18 Dec 2023
Monica Caparosa - Ferrero | A Younger Perspective on the Food Industry
Monica Caparosa is the R&D Manager for Ferrero Mainstream Chocolate (https://www.ferrero.com/int/en/) and she oversees popular brands like Crunch (https://www.crunchbar.com/), Butterfinger (https://www.butterfinger.com/), and Baby Ruth (https://www.babyruth.com/) to name a few.
Unlike many of our previous guests, Monica is still early in her career. She has taken advantage of many opportunities to give her more experience than most with more time in the industry.
She's a food industry evangelist, and, again unlike many of our previous guests, she got into the food industry 100% intentionally, not a coincidence.
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11 Dec 2023
Dave Calvin - Shearer's Foods | Why is America's Food So Safe?
Dave Calvin is the Senior Director of Quality and Food Safety at Shearer's Foods (https://www.shearers.com/). When they think about the food they eat, many people worry about whether it will taste how they want or provide the nutrition they are looking for. One thing most people don't worry about is whether or not the food will make them sick. They have people like Dave to thank for that.
Dave has built his career on keeping consumers safe and giving them consistent experiences when they eat the food products from the companies he works for.
Maureen and Dave have known each other a long time, and it shows with this 2+ hour-long episode. They discuss the many different products Dave has worked on such as soup, pickles, baby food, and much more. This is also our first in-person episode and we hope to do more of these in the future!
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4 Dec 2023
John Novak - Sokol & Company | 6th Generation Family Business
John Novak recently retired as the President of Sokol & Company (https://www.sokolcustomfoods.com/) after nearly 25 years. Sokol & Company was started by John's great-grandfather John Sokol in 1895. The business started out as a wholesaler and importer, but through the years has grown into a leader in contract manufacturing.
John grew up in this company and has seen all sides of his family's business. He's proud of the company and culture he's helped build where his employees feel valued and empowered.
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27 Nov 2023
Elliot Haverlack - Ainsworth | Pet Food Industry
Elliot Haverlack has recently retired after 40 years in the pet food industry. He's held chief executive roles in many well-known companies in the pet food industry.
When people of think of the many segments in the food industry, they don't usually think of pet food as being a large player. But with 2/3 of US households owning at least one pet and over $136B in annual revenue in 2022, the pet food industry carries weight in the larger food industry.
In this episode, Maureen and Elliot discuss pet food history, pet food safety, and Elliot's main passion, leadership development.
If you are interested in Elliot's books or coaching services go to:
www.cehaverlack.com (https://www.cehaverlack.com/)
Check out Colton Pointz music at:
www.coltonpointz.com (https://www.coltonpointz.com)
Check out Flagstone Music Group at:
www.flagstonemusic.com/ (https://www.flagstonemusic.com/)
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20 Nov 2023
Doug Zimmermann - Medifast | The Science Behind Optivia
Doug Zimmermann is the VP of R&D at Medifast, Inc., the company behind the well known weight loss meal system, Optavia. His team develops innovative food products that have all the nutrients needed for healthy weight loss while also still tasting great.
In the episode Doug and Maureen discuss Doug's journey in the food industry that led him to Optavia and the science behind this well designed food system.
Whether you are a user of Optavia or not, there is a ton of interesting information jammed packed in this episode.
13 Nov 2023
Jim Beauregard - Mennel Milling Company | Flour and Baking Science
Jim Beauregard is the Director of Research & Development for the Mennel Milling Company. He is an expert in all things flour and baking.
In this episode, Maureen and Jim discuss many different aspects of baking, flour, food industry (duh), allergies, and more.
6 Nov 2023
Brian Fox - Richelieu Foods | Pizza Manufacturing
Brian Fox is the CEO of Richelieu Foods, a private brand and contract packing food manufacturer specializing in pizza. If you buy pizza from the grocery store then there's a really good chance you've eaten their pizza. They manufacture for many well known retailers.
In this episode Maureen and Brian discuss pizza (of course), but also the food industry in general: where it's going and where it's under attack. Brian really cares about the food industry and it shows from the very beginning!
2 Nov 2023
Barry Traband - Starkist | What is a Food Scientist?
On this episode Maureen interviews Barry Traband, an expert food scientist with 25+ years of experience. He has experience in many different areas in the food industry and has worked with many well-known brands.
30 Oct 2023
Michelle Frame - Victus Ars | The Science of Candy
Michelle Frame is the President and Founder of Victus Ars, a boutique food product development lab.
In this episode, Maureen and Michelle discuss all things candy. Just in time for Halloween.
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