Culinology - June 2018 - 30

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product as possible," he said. "I'd happily go
head-to-head with any of Save-A-Lot's private
label products against the national brands.
Bring it on."
Mr. Iserman's Culinology degree prepared
him for his current work environment. "My
degree taught me to think about food in a
completely new and fundamental way," he
said. "It's kind of like thinking about singular
musical notes instead of compositions, or
bricks and mortar instead of buildings. This
fundamental shift in food thought was precisely what I needed to be successful in my
current role because of the scope of food categories I support today [at Save-A-Lot]."
His biggest product development challenge
is not the cost of ingredients. "Not being the
actual manufacturer of our products can be
an issue sometimes," he said. "Although I
maintain a deep level of communication and

Following a mentor's footsteps
If Mr. Iserman weren't senior quality analyst for Save-A-Lot, dream
jobs would include being a meteorologist or even a thrill-ride architect.
"I'm just addicted to the weather channel and love watching severe
weather phenomena," he said. "I also love roller coasters and Ferris
wheels."
A more realistic future occupation, however, would be as an
educator, like his Culinology program mentor and someone he greatly
admires, Michael Cheng, Ph.D., interim dean, Florida International
University, who instilled in him a love of culinology.
"Long term, I plan on developing and implementing 2+2 programs,"
Mr. Iserman said. "I was fortunate enough to attend a culinary school
with advisors who pointed me in the direction of Culinology after
graduation, and I plan to do the same for the next generation."
A 2+2 program is an associate degree culinary arts program that
includes general education, which prepares graduates to transition
into a Culinology/food science bachelor's degree program and
earn two degrees at the end of their four-year education.
Mr. Iserman received his own bachelor's degree in Culinology
in 2014 from Southwest Minnesota State University, where Dr.
Cheng taught at that time.
"Eric is one of my favorite graduates," said Dr. Cheng. "You
know how you can tell if someone is sincere and authentic when
you first meet them, just from your gut feelings? That's Eric,"
he said. "Well, Eric never hesitated to step up-to-the plate, and
consistently excels at whatever he does...He is not just creative
in his product development skills, but also in his approach to life."
Yes, he's the real deal.

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Culinology | JUNE 2018

collaboration with our manufacturer partners,
at the end of the day, I rely on them to produce the high-quality products that our SaveA-Lot customers expect."
Mr. Iserman's culinary background plays a
role in incorporating lower-price ingredients
to create value products. Specifically, he
relies on creative ways he learned through
Culinology to achieve the specific sensory
characteristics of the branded items. "I try to
find the lowest-cost way to get to the goal we
would like to achieve with these products and
work from there," he said.

Importance of culinology
"To me, the biggest challenge facing research chefs, culinary scientists and the
RCA is communicating the value of formal
Culinology education and certification," Mr.
Iserman said. "We are different from chefs

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