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That's A Food Job!

That's A Food Job!

Hosted by FoodGrads

CareersEducationInterviews guests
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Episodes

138

Latest episode

Sep 2026

Language

EN

About the show

No matter what your passion is, there's a career for everyone in food—and we're here to help you find it! On this podcast, we interview professionals across the food processing sector to uncover the stories behind their unique roles Discover what they do, why they do it and how they are shaping the world of food. Whether you're a student figuring out your next steps, a young professional seeking career guidance, or an industry veteran exploring new opportunities, this podcast offers valuable insights to help you navigate your career journey. Join host Veronica Hislop as she speaks with experts from all corners of the food industry. From food scientists to farmers, plant managers to programmers, food safety technicians to skilled trades, supply chain managers to sales, we'll explore a wide range of exciting careers. We're here to celebrate food industry professionals and proudly say—That's a Food Job!

Listen to episodes

60 recent
October 17, 202647 min

Senior Flavourist at Embassey Ingredients, Richelle Yacon

Richelle Yacon is a certified Senior Flavorist at Embassy Ingredients, where she builds the flavours found in foods across grocery store shelgfs alongside a team that also develops colours and bakery ingredients. She earned her certification through the seven-year Society of Flavor Chemists apprenticeship, after starting her career in quality assurance. In this conversation, Richelle breaks down what a flavourist actually does day to day, how a cinnamon roll flavour is built from a customer brief, and why she calls the job equal parts art and chemistry. You'll also hear about the process of becoming a Certified Flavour Chemist, why math and fine motor skills matter in the lab, and how starting in quality assurance led her into the flavour lab. --- Shownotes --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 03:40 - What Is Flavour? 05:43 - A Day in the Lab 10:45 - Where Art Meets Science 12:13 - The Seven-Year Apprenticeship 15:17 - Richelle's Career Path 22:28 - Training Your Senses 25:33 - Chemicals and Dosage 27:15 - Why Get Certified? 33:00 - Importance of Learning 37:06 - Skills Needed as a Flavourist 39:30 - Teamwork in Flavor Creation 42:06 - Other Roles in the Lab 44:25 - Advice for Students --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Richelle Yacon LinkedIn 💼 Embassy Ingredients LinkedIn 🌐 Embassy Ingredients Website CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

September 26, 202639 min

Founder of Spark Academy and Customer Commercialization Lead at Coca-Cola with Tamanna Ramesh

Tamanna Ramesh works in customer commercialization for Coca-Cola's North America food service team, supporting a 400 person sales and marketing organization, and also founded Spark Academy, a career coaching business for food industry professionals navigating job searches, negotiations, and visa pathways. In this conversation, Tamanna breaks down what her day-to-day at Coca-Cola actually looks like, how she's helping build an agentic AI tool so her team can stop hunting for files and information, and why the way you talk about your own work matters just as much as the work itself. You'll also hear how Spark Academy grew from an accidental side hustle into a business, and why Tamanna thinks about her career as a garden instead of a straight pipeline. --- Shownotes --- FREE RESOURCE FOR LISTENERS Tamanna is sharing her "Network Like a Pro" resource with our listeners. Use the passcode FOODGRADS to access it: Get the Networking Playbook TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction 01:55 - Her Coca-Cola Role, Explained 04:39 - Connecting Teams Across a Big Org 09:44 - What Is Agentic AI? 12:37 - Building the AI Search Tool 16:39 - AI Advice for Students 20:15 - From Food Scientist to Business Role 23:05 - Embracing Experimentation 24:50 - Starting Spark Academy 31:23 - A Client Success Story 36:21 - Advice for the Next Generation --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Tamanna Ramesh LinkedIn 💼 Coca-Cola LinkedIn 🌐 Spark Academy Website CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

September 19, 202637 min

WFF Quebec Chapter Co-Founders Sienna Corral (Partnerships Lead) & Lila Sonmaz (MEL Head)

Sienna Corral, Partnerships Lead, and Lila Sonmaz, Head of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, are co-founders of the World Food Forum Quebec Chapter, an FAO initiative connecting young leaders working on food security and sustainability. In this part two conversation, Sienna and Lila open up about their very different paths into food advocacy, how they measure whether their work is actually making a difference, and why you don't need a job title in the food industry to already be part of the system. You'll also learn ways on how you can get involved in food advocacy even as a student in school. --- Shownotes --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:37 - Chapter Mission Recap 02:51 - Lila's Path Into Food Systems 04:17 - Sienna's Path Into Food Systems 05:55 - Sienna's Role: Partnerships Lead 06:54 - Lila's Role: Measuring Impact 08:31 - Chapter Partners & Agri-Food's Scope 11:34 - What a Win Looks Like 13:09 - Chapter Events & Launch Party 14:39 - Who Can Get Involved 15:37 - Sustainable Gastronomy Week Results 18:02 - Current Projects & Proud Moments 19:23 - How Many WFF Chapters Exist 22:22 - Is the Food System Working? 25:10 - The Power of Language 26:48 - Making Agri-Food Feel Accessible 28:19 - Moving From Caring to Acting 30:11 - Empowering Youth Involvement 33:02 - Different Levels of Involvement 34:41 - Final Advice: Start Small --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS 💼 Sienna Corral LinkedIn 💼 Lila Sonmaz LinkedIn 💼 World Food Forum Quebec Chapter LinkedIn 🌐 World Food Forum Website CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

September 6, 202658 min

Co-Founders of the World Food Forum Quebec Chapter & Former Director of MYAD with Cate Laskey, Laia Charles Saigne and Jeanne Gonelle

Cate Laskey is Co-Founder of the World Food Forum Quebec Chapter and a former Agrifood Systems Ad Hoc Delegate with the McGill Youth Advisory Delegation (MYAD). Laia Charles Saigne is also a Co-Founder of the World Food Forum Quebec Chapter and a former CSocD64 and UNFCITC INC4 Delegate with MYAD. Jeanne Gonelle is the former Director of MYAD. MYAD is a youth-led NGO that has held Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council since 2006, working to bridge the gap between decision-makers and youth. WFF is an FAO youth initiative that brings together young leaders to tackle food security and sustainability challenges through local chapters. In this podcast episode we dig into their story, what the WFF and MYAD actually are, and explore why young people belong in the conversation about our food system, even before they're officially employed in it. This is part one of a two part episode. Next week we're back with more members of the chapter, Sienna Corral and Lila Sonmaz, to continue the conversation. --- Shownotes --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:59 - What Is the World Food Forum 03:08 - Founding the Quebec Youth Chapter 05:46 - Chapter Goals & Breaking Silos 09:38 - Agri-Food in Quebec Explained 11:54 - Defining Food Insecurity 16:43 - Why They Got Involved 23:05 - NGOs & Policy Explained 29:07 - What Advocacy Actually Looks Like 35:43 - Barriers to Youth Participation 37:50 - How Policies Actually Get Made 40:39 - Measuring Real Impact 44:03 - Proudest Moments 52:53 - Advice for Getting Involved --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS 💼 Cate Laskey LinkedIn 💼 Jeanne Gonelle LinkedIn 💼 Laia Charles LinkedIn 💼Quebec Youth Chapter of the World Food Forum (FAO) LinkedIn 💼McGill Youth Advisory Delegation LinkedIn 🌐 World Food Forum Website 🌐McGill Youth Advisory Delegation Website --- CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

August 30, 202641 min

President/Founder of Women in Food Safety and Sr. Food Safety & Quality Advisor with Melody Yu

Melody Yu is the President and Founder of Women in Food Safety, a nonprofit community supporting female food safety professionals, and she also runs her own food safety consulting business, MarsMel LLC. Note at 7:20 Melody meant to say 7 principles and 12 steps --- Shownotes --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Nothing You Do Is Wasted 00:28 – Welcome Back, Melody 01:26 – Life Since Round One 03:38 – Going All In on WIFS 04:22 – Mapping a Food Safety Career 05:20 – Starting in R&D 07:45 – Learning the SQF Code 10:08 – Visa Limbo and Consulting Years 13:01 – Find What You Like 13:39 – Opportunities for Today's Students 14:38 – Stay or Go? Her Checklist 17:42 – Fitting In vs. Belonging 19:00 – Certifications Worth Getting 20:04 – Try Everything While You're Young 22:35 – Why She Founded WIFS 23:17 – The Food Science Club Moment 25:34 – Bridging Academia and Industry 27:39 – Two New Global Chapters 29:44 – How Members Find Solutions Together 32:20 – 1,700 Members and Counting 35:33 – What "Middle Management" Really Means 37:29 – What's Next for WIFS 39:52 – How Students Can Get Involved --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Melody Yu LinkedIn 💼 Women in Food Safety LinkedIn 🌐 Women in Food Safety Website --- CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

August 8, 202638 min

Manager of Features and Education of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair with Paige Mawson

Paige Mawson is Manager of Features and Education at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, a 104-year-old event that draws around 300,000 visitors annually to downtown Toronto. In this episode, Paige reveals how one of Canada's most iconic events is bridging city life and rural tradition through unforgettable experiences, hands-on learning, and storytelling that sparks curiosity. Discover how she leverages her museum studies background to transform the fair into a living, breathing educational hub that connects millions to our food system. --- Shownotes --- AgCareers is on a mission to provide global talent solutions in agriculture and food. They strive to "Feed the World with Talent" in the industries they serve. Their passion for agriculture is evident in their investment of time and resources in engaging with candidates and employers in the industry. Visit AgCareers.com to explore career opportunities and build your future in agriculture. --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:58 - What the Royal Is 05:07 - Connecting Country and City 09:27 - Year-Round Planning Cycle 11:49 - Paige's Collaborative Role 13:16 - Designing Educational Programming 17:28 - Paige's Career Path 19:26 - Common Misconceptions 20:43 - AgCareers Sponsor Break 21:48 - Where to Start: Local Agricultural Fairs 25:23 - Roles Beyond Farming 27:00 - Transferable Skills in Agri-Food 29:48 - Paige's Royal Highlights 31:20 - Champion Showcase and Food at the Fair 33:35 - Getting Involved: 4-H, AgScape, Farm Tours 35:55 - One Takeaway for Listeners 37:19 - Tickets and What's Coming at the 2026 Royal --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Paige Mawson LinkedIn 💼 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair LinkedIn 🌐 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Website CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

August 1, 202642 min

Quality Assurance and Regulatory Manager and Consultant, Aparajhitha Sudarsan

Aparajhitha Sudarshan is a Quality and Regulatory Manager in pet food manufacturing and the founder of Food Strategy Consulting, where she helps small and medium food businesses with compliance, training, and food safety systems. In today's episode, we talk about the 80/20 rule of food safety leadership, how to build soft skills nobody teaches you in school, and practical ways students can network at conferences without it feeling forced. --- Shownotes --- 🎵 Music: 'Piano Sway' (Intro A - 4 seconds) by Jay Man / OurMusicBox ( our-music-box.com ) --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 01:41 - About Apara's Food Job 02:59 - Foundations of Food Safety 03:56 - Building Team Culture 05:50 - A Typical Day on the Floor 09:26 - Pre-Op Conversations 11:06 - The Soft Skill Nobody Teaches 15:44 - Most Surprising Part of the Job 17:46 - Her Career Path 20:10 - Comparing Industries 22:22 - Practicing Soft Skills Early 24:05 - What Is Toastmasters? 27:56 - Reframing Mistakes 30:34 - Conference Networking Advice 40:14 - Low-Stakes Ways to Start 42:27 - Closing Thoughts --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Aparajhitha Sudarshan LinkedIn 💼 Food Strategy Consulting LinkedIn 🌐 Food Strategy Consulting Website --- CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

July 17, 202639 min

Academic Director and Founder of Toronto Metropolitan University's Diversity Institute, Dr. Wendy Cukier

Dr. Wendy Cukier is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Ted Rogers School of Management and Founder of the Diversity Institute, a research centre with 80 staff and hubs across the country studying skills, technology, and inclusion. In today's episode, we talk about why agriculture rarely comes up in conversations about entrepreneurship, the succession crisis facing Canadian farms, and how community gardens can be a real first step into an agriculture career. --- Shownotes --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro 00:25 – Meet Dr. Wendy Cukier 05:06 – A Day in Her Career 08:32 – Breaking the Farmer Stereotype 12:22 – Career Openings from Succession 16:41 – A Non-Traditional Path In 17:57 – Research Students Can Use 20:00 – Spotting Gaps as Opportunity 23:56 – Volunteer Your Way In 28:02 – Where AI Jobs Are Growing 31:30 – Skills You Need Now 35:07 – Where to Aim Your Career 38:43 – Advice for Your Next Step --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Dr. Wendy Cukier LinkedIn 🌐 Diversity Institute Website CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

July 5, 202635 min

Rainmaker and Co-Founder with Jake Karls, Mid-Day Squares

Jake Karls is Co-Founder and Chief Rainmaker at Midday Squares, a Better-For-You chocolate and snacking brand now sold in over 10,000 stores across North America. In today's episode, we talk about what it actually looks like to build a career on relationships instead of resumes, how to network without an agenda, and why your story matters more than you think, even if you don't feel like you have one yet. --- Shownotes --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro 00:20 – Meet Jake Karls 07:37 – Networking Without Feeling Fake 10:39 – Why Your Resume Isn't Enough 12:30 – Finding What Makes You, You 14:16 – Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking 17:56 – Mentorship You Already Have Access To 20:39 – Using Social Media For Good 21:44 – What To Say At A Networking Event 24:46 – What Actually Makes A Good Story 27:30 – Why Facts Alone Don't Land 28:38 – Dealing With Online Haters 30:22 – What's Next For Midday Squares 34:54 – Final Advice For Students --- Opening Song by "Track Title(s)'' Jay Man - OurMusicBox https://www.our-music-box.com / ourmusicbox --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Jake Karls LinkedIn 💼 Midday Squares LinkedIn 🌐 Midday Squares Website CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

June 21, 202643 min

Plant Manager with Tony Wong, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters

Tony Wong is the Plant Manager at 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, a specialty coffee roastery in Vancouver that supplies retail chains, independent cafes, and a growing e-commerce operation across Canada. In this episode, we talk about what plant management actually looks like in a food and beverage manufacturing setting, how speciality coffee is actually made and how a food science background in quality can lead you into a path in operations. --- Shownotes --- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 02:21 - About Tony's Food Job 04:36 - What Are KPIs? 06:00 - How Coffee Beans Are Processed 09:23 - Quality Control and Cupping 11:40 - About Coffee Roasting 17:00 - Quality and Safety Above Profits 19:23 - Tony's Career Path: QA to Operations 21:37 - Why He Stayed in Operations 24:01 - Food Safety Background as an Asset 26:17 - Skills Needed in His Role 35:37 - Role Evolution and Financial Skills 38:01 - Learning from Subject Matter Experts 40:24 - Networking and Asking Questions 41:50 - Advice to His Younger Self --- 📙 Career Guides 💭 Career Advice --- CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST 💼 Tony Wong LinkedIn 💼 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters LinkedIn 🌐 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters Website CONNECT WITH US 📸 Instagram 🎵 TikTok 💼 LinkedIn

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