Come Together

One thing I love about Culinology® is that the definition is simple and straightforward—blending culinary arts and food science—but the meaning differs from individual to individual, depending on their needs and goals. Whether you come to the food industry through the restaurant world, food science, manufacturing or any of the many roads each of us has traveled to get to where we are, you’ll find a point in your career where you will need Culinology to take your work to the next level.

This is what I appreciate most about the discipline. It brings together a group of professionals who exceed expectations and are driven to explore, innovate and improve the way we feed the world. We share a bond as forward-thinking foodies, and it’s exactly what makes the Research Chefs Association (RCA) a dynamic organization of members who are ambitious, inspired, and successful.

To paraphrase a former American president, I ask you to not only think about what Culinology means to you, but also what you can do for the community of food-development professionals with whom you work. I believe that sharing our expertise, teaching, mentoring and generally contributing to something beyond our kitchen or office walls is what will help each of us reach our full career potential.

If you haven’t explored outside of your niche area, I encourage you to get out there to find out what others in the R&D world are doing. The RCA strategically works to create and grow a sense of community that recognizes our professional diversity, because our diverse community is one of our primary strengths. Our organization is the perfect vehicle for connecting with those people and exchanging knowledge within the R&D community.

In closing, it is a great honor to serve as RCA’s new president, and I look forward to working with and learning from each of you. Together we can face industry challenges proactively, and build on this remarkable professional community that we’ve created.