Maintaining High Expectations

As 2009 comes to an end, I find myself thinking about the progress we collectively make in this industry year after year. I’m always impressed by how we truly want to be proud of the food we create and serve to the public, and how that desire for quality is reflected in the great strides we see each year in product development and manufacturing.

We bring high standards to R&D based on our own experiences. We know what a perfectly braised stew should smell like, and how a stir-fry from any given region of Asia should taste. Understanding what emotional note a well-made chicken noodle soup might evoke at the dinner table is part of our skill. We bring that knowledge to everything we do, and the quest is—always—to create fantastic food for our customers that is on par with our most-treasured, personal flavor memories.

We have such great impact on the millions of people we feed through our R&D work, and they should feel good knowing we take our work to heart. It’s a thrill to think that we can share our culinary skills with so many others while they dine out, or prepare products they have purchased for their families.

The techniques and processes we employ are making food products better and better, and the article in this issue titled “Translating Cooking Techniques” hits home for those of us focused on capturing the flavor, texture and essence of techniques such as braising, sautéing, searing, smoking, barbecuing and more. With Culinology® at the helm, we can combine our culinary finesse, our knowledge of ingredient treatments, and our cutting-edge technologies to capture the best of both home and away-from-home cooking for our customers.

I’m sure you agree it’s an honor to know that what we do is important, and that we have great influence on families across the globe. I’m looking forward to what 2010 will bring as we continue to work together through the Research Chefs Association. Happy, healthy holidays to all, and I hope to see you in Phoenix next March for the RCA Annual Conference and Culinology Expo.