Mary Ramirez always knew she wanted to work in a science
field, but she never thought she would end up working with
2,000-pound mixing machines. When she was in high school,
a counselor suggested food science because it combined Mary’s
interests in science and cooking.
She was good at chemistry and biology, so Mary took the
counselor’s advice. After high school, Mary started
working in kitchens in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.
She took a few classes at a community college on food production
and processing. She learned about quality control, storage,
and handling.
Mary’s worked in bakery factories, creating everything
from ice cream to custom-flavored cakes. For more than 10
years, she worked in cooking labs as a food technologist.
She mixed ingredients and made sure everything was right,
including the taste, look, and smell of the food.
She checked raw ingredients and finished products and made
sure everything met safety and quality requirements. She
also made sure everything was stored properly, giving storage
instructions for food in warehouses, on trucks, and in stores.
Last year, Mary left the cooking lab to become a product
manager for a company that makes fragrances, flavors, and
food products. Now she works directly with salespeople and
distributors. She also manages the products her company
sells in North and South America.
“I make sure everything we make is safe and meets
all kinds of standards. I’m also responsible for product
development and testing,” Mary says. “That means
things can really change from day to day. One day we could
be mixing a new product, the next we could be testing chocolate-covered
cherries.”
To be successful in a food science career, you need strong
organization and communication skills. You also need a background
in science. “People who work in the field have to
be very careful and detail-oriented when they run tests,”
Mary says.
Mary
Ramirez
