Sensory-Driven Innovation
Emphasizing the Culinary Compassion™ methodology, my innovation results in culinary experiences that elevate the human senses while integrating brand strategy, commercialization implications, and back-of-house operations.
Brand Portfolio
Many of my projects involve designing innovation pipelines that remain proprietary until launch. Key brands I’ve innovated with include the following.
Pass the Honey
Foodservice Expansion & Recipe Innovation
With strong growth in retail stores, Pass the Honey’s (PTH) single-serve, fresh-cut honeycomb was looking to increase volume sales through foodservice expansion.
Collaborating with PTH’s founder and design team, we captured ways that honeycomb can be used on not just charcuterie boards, but across the menu and throughout day parts.
By highlighting simple prep/operations, premium appeal around sustainability, and a variety of culinary applications through inspirational recipes, a turnkey sales kit and foodservice-focused website was created to support customer/operator outreach.
United Soybean Board
Recipe Development & Innovation Workshop Facilitation
As part of The Culinary Institute of America’s consulting partnership, we explored trendsetting culinary applications of high oleic soybean oil as a replacement for other fats, such as butter, olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, etc.
These culinary applications were brought to life through foodservice recipes for high-volume operations. Recipes spanned across dayparts and menu platforms.
All this innovation culminated in a 3-day culinary workshop with foodservice and CPG R&D chefs. With CIA leadership, I cofacilitated rapid kitchen protocepting and the Culinary Compassion™ learning module.
So Delicious Dairy Free
Sensory Testing & Recipe Development
So Delicious Dairy Free (SDDF) cheese shreds were losing market share to other dairy-free competitors. Thus, SDDF was looking to create a more craveble dairy-free shred that was modeled after its cow-dairy counterpart.
Working with Danone’s marketing and product developer teams, I performed sensory testing on the Shreds and competitor products, in order to discover opportunities for product optimization. By adjusting the aroma, flavor, meltability, and mouthfeel of the dairy-free cheese shreds, Danone relaunched SDDF Shreds in 2021, successfully boosting consumer appeal.
As part of the relaunch, I developed consumer and foodservice recipes for the SDDF website and as part of their national sales toolkit.
Rowdy Mermaid
Flavor Design & Recipe Development
Working with Rowdy Mermaid’s leadership team, I help build their short-term and long-term innovation pipeline by:
Analyzing Datassential’s “Adoption Stage” ingredient trends to design kombucha and adaptogen tonics flavors that coincide with Rowdy Mermaid’s brand strategy
Developing beverage formulas using commercial ingredients in order to increase speed to market
Creating consumer-friendly recipes that cross-utilized kombucha and adaptogen tonics in food applications, in order to push volume usage
Idaho Beef Council
Recipe Innovation
Idaho Beef Council was looking to increase volume share in the Pacific Northwest’s independent and mid-sized restaurants, through the story quality sourcing, processing, and culinary inspiration.
I led a chef team on culinary innovation efforts to determine culinary strategy and optimal applications of Idaho beef in finger steaks and sushi categories (as requested by client), and facilitated recipe development applicable to foodservice operator targets.
Developed recipes were brought to life in a 2-day tasting, where I facilitated concept presentation and led foodstyling for each dish’s digit asset creation.
US Highbush Blueberry Council
Foodservice Culinary Application & Recipe Innovation
Leading a team of five innovation chefs and channel experts, I worked with USHBC’s leadership team and SRG’s strategy division to conceptualize over 100 foodservice ideas that showcase blueberries in various formats and culinary applications. Based on USHBC’s growth strategy and foodservice landscape trends, we distilled ideas to versatile recipes. The result was 24 recipe-ready concepts that foodservice operators and innovators can draw as inspiration for their respective channels.
After a successful launch in 2020, I was requested to lead the next round of foodservice innovation in 2022.
Ozo Foods
Culinary Application & Recipe Innovation
As Ozo Foods was emerging into the retail and foodservice markets, I worked with their culinary and marketing team to design recipes and build sales assets to support their advertising efforts and online presence.
King’s Hawaiian Foodservice
Recipe Innovation
As an iconic brand in Hawaiian bread, KH was looking to expand their presence in foodservice by providing culinary inspiration beyond handheld innovation. Working alongside commercial and non-commercial chefs, our team developed foodservice-friendly recipes that spanned across dayparts and menu categories.
Darling Botanicals Luxury Lip Care
As a passion project and out of a need for the perfect Colorado-friendly lip hydration, I created Darling Botanicals and worked all the way to through the commercialization process - branding strategy, logo & graphic treatments, web design, product formulation, packaging design, profitability analysis, manufacturing, advertising and sales, and wholesale customer relations.
Upon launch, Darling Botanicals has gained rapid traction through retail and online sales. Initial strategy is to concentrate in the Colorado health & wellness market with expansion into national distribution in luxury boutiques and spas.