Meat+Poultry - February 2017 - 80

CULINARY TRENDS

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use in their dishes - Spanish saffron from a
specific region in Spain, cloves from Morocco or
hibiscus petals from South Africa, for example."
One of the main challenges his new
company faces is costs for imports and
shipping to the US territory of Puerto Rico,
though he has reduced costs by 50 percent
"For Puerto
Ricans, cuisine by consolidating transportation suppliers.
Manufacturing and co-packing details can
is not preferred depend on the client. "Many of [our clients]
want their products to bear the 'Made in Puerto
to be spicy
from heat, but Rico' stamp, and in that case, we help them
find manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico,"
from the use of he explains. "This can be hard, as there are not
many spices." many, and they're expensive, since in some
cases much of the work is still done by hand.
- NELSON SERRANO-BAHRI
This adds cost, so the client has to absorb that
or pass it to the consumers. Other times the
whole process takes place in the mainland
USA, and is later imported and distributed."

NATIVE SON
Raised in Puerto Rico, Serrano-Bahri loves its
beauty and diverse ecosystem - it has the only
tropical rainforest in the US, for example - and
its range of cuisines. Most of all, he likes its
nice people and vibrant culture, he said. He
attributes his optimism, pride and love for food
to his island heritage.
"My parents are both physicians, so going
to culinary school was somewhat of a risk for
me," he says, "but I prefer the creative part of
myself. I didn't know any chefs, but I just knew
innately that I loved cooking."
He met his wife, Trisha, at Kraft Foods
when they were interns. Before starting his
own company, Serrano-Bahri learned his

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MEAT+ POULTRY | 02.17 | www.meatpoultry.com

craft at Unilever and before that as a product
application food technologist in the pizza
division at Nestle USA. He learned how to deal
with customers and solve problems creatively
in these past positions, as well as how to
develop new products, he says.
"At Nestle, for example, I created new
seasonal items and flavors for the frozen
California Pizza Kitchen line and also for the
DiGiorno pizza brand," he says.
As a graduate of Johnson & Wales Univ.,
Providence, Rhode Island, he is working
with the Research Chefs Association (RCA)
membership committee to establish the first
Puerto Rico RCA chapter at a culinary college.
"[My culinary degree] changed my life for the
better and I know it can change students' lives
here, too," he said.
He's also on the planning committee for
the next annual RCA Conference, to be held
March 14-17, in San Juan, and looks forward to
welcoming attendees to his hometown. "Even
though Puerto Rico is part of the US, many
have not had the chance to come and see what
it has to offer."
Although Puerto Rico has magnificent
beaches, he says he isn't a beach person.
Instead, going to the mountains, gardening,
traveling and spending time with his wife and
young daughter are among his favorite activities.
Still, his new business remains front and
center. "I would tell anyone entering the
R&D field or starting their own food-related
business to get a lot of rest beforehand, to
never lose faith, to keep fighting and to never
forget about those who helped you along the
way," he says.
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Meat+Poultry - February 2017

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