Culinology - June 2017 - 28

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Bulletproof's branded coffee
drink contains clarified butter
from grass-fed cows.

Ms. Schaub said challenges always arise.
"Sourcing clean label ingredients is our biggest challenge across the companies I have
worked for," she said. "Consumers are believed to have certain expectations about the
appearance, flavor profile or shelf life of foods,
such as snack bars or chips, and our task in
clean label product development is to meet
as many of those expectations but without
using many of the additives and preservatives
that have been used in historical and conventional food product development."
For example, mouthfeel serves as a key
attribute in beverages, but certain stabilizers or thickeners, such as carrageenan,
are not permitted in some interpretations of
clean label development. "We work closely
with suppliers to find other ingredients that
can provide alternatives," Ms. Schaub said.
"You won't find carrageenan in Bulletproof
beverages, but you will see other ingredients
that are approved for usage, such as gum
acacia."
She stressed that Bulletproof avoids using
ingredients sourced from genetically-modified
raw materials as well as sugar, maltodextrin,
corn syrup and others ingredients commonly
perceived not on the better-for-you spectrum.

Propelling forward
Ms. Schaub loves her job as research chef
and knowing how food gets from farm to
plate. One of her favorite childhood memories

involves playing chef with her little brother.
"We literally pureed everything in the refrigerator in my mom's blender and left cups and
bowls, all labeled with the original food item
and our comments about the taste and texture," she said. "My mom still tells that story."
While taste and texture remain part of
her day-to-day work, Ms. Schaub seems to
take the Bulletproof motto to heart, working
smarter, thinking faster and building the best
life - and career - she can. To do this, she
relies on her unique professional background,
with a bachelor's degree in nutritional science
from Pepperdine University and culinary arts
training at the Seattle Culinary Academy.
After serving as an active-duty captain
in the US Air Force, she commercialized
cookbook recipes developed by Galloping
Gourmet Chef Graham Kerr. She discovered
the sweet spot merging nutrition science and
culinary as a development chef at Nathan
Myhrvold's Cooking Lab working on the
bestselling cookbook "Modernist cuisine at
home."
It was at these posts that she was bitten
by the publishing bug, and was inspired to
embark on one of her latest enterprises: airing a trailblazing Culinology-themed podcast
that earned her this year's Research Chefs
Association President's Award - along with
the enthusiasm of listeners who tune in for
lively interviews with culinologists who share
her love for adventure. *

A new voice in food
"It's a show and website for industry folks by industry folks," said Kimberly Schaub
of Peas on Moss, an on-line resource and podcast that invites research chefs,
product developers and professionals in the restaurant and food manufacturing
industries to come together, share advice and talk R&D shop.
With over 40 interviews with culinologists, authors, students, chefs, scientists
and business owners already aired, Ms. Schaub's podcast - which she
maintains in her free time - has been buzzing on-line for over a year with
unique episodes that offer an in-depth glimpse into her guests' work lives and
the stories they have to tell.
"There didn't seem to be a format for researchers and developers to hear about
each others' lives, and I wanted to create the platform to do that," she explained.
What's in a name? Peas on Moss is an alliterative play on the culinary practice
of "mise en place," based on a pronunciation trick Ms. Schaub learned in her early
culinary days. Check out the latest podcast episode at peasonmoss.com.

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Culinology | JUNE 2017
http://www.peasonmoss.com
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