Firmenich Pursues Culinary Innovation Through Collaboration and Partnership

01 Dec 2014 --- In pursuit of culinary innovation excellence, Firmenich held a weeklong event in Princeton and New York City with the company’s global TechnoChef team, focused on innovation and creating bold flavors. The event was a mix of closed strategic sessions and client focused activities, including a daylong event on Trenz, the company’s proprietary trend forecasting model.

During the event, Chris Young, co-author of the James Beard Award-winning six volume set, The Modernist Cuisine, presented to Firmenich clients on “Creating Bold Tastes through Novel Food Concepts” while guests enjoyed culinary creations prepared by the TechnoChefs. Firmenich scientists also shared updated research on new flavor techniques for creating bold flavors such as spicy, fermented, umami and smoked.

Firmenich TechnoChefs have formal culinary training as well as secondary degrees in chemistry or food technology and are critical assets to the company’s Savory development teams. They help drive innovation by staying abreast of culinary trends both from a traditional and scientific perspective.

Modernist culinary techniques, which blend science with cooking, reflect the culinary ethos of Firmenich and the TechnoChefs translate these new and innovative culinary ideas into flavor solutions for clients. Sous vide cooking, for example, is a modernist technique for cooking at low temperatures for extended periods of time to yield the most tender and flavorful foods. Understanding why this method makes foods taste great is the knowledge the TechnoChefs go after. From there, they can create culinary gold-standards that are used as the benchmark for flavor creation and which allow Firmenich to provide clients with the most authentic flavors for many savory dishes.

A strategic pillar of Firmenich’s innovation model is to partner with leading external experts, including start-ups, academic institutions, and chefs. Collaborating with Chris Young creates forward momentum for the company’s culinary innovation program, as Young is truly on the forefront of where science meets culinary. Firmenich TechnoChefs have worked with Young on many occasions to inspire clients with foods for the future.

Founder and CEO of Chef Steps, a Seattle-based organization dedicated to culinary education, Young was previously head of culinary development at the world renowned Fat Duck restaurant’s Experimental Kitchen. There, he worked closely with Heston Blumenthal, the chef who pioneered the concept of flavor pairing with assistance from since-retired Firmenich Flavorist Francois Benzi in the 1990’s. “Culinary innovation is truly in the company’s DNA,” says Young. “Innovation is critical when it comes to cooking and the chefs at Firmenich are so uniquely in tune with this.”

Firmenich is not only committed to culinary innovation at the professional level, but also within academia. Earlier this year, the company held an event with the University of Geneva to celebrate the relationship between the art of creative cooking, flavor and scientific research, as well as to promote inspiring career opportunities for young scientists. The event included a meal prepared by Benoît Violier, chef of the three-

Michelin-star restaurant, Hôtel de Ville in Crissier, Switzerland. Members of Firmenich’s culinary team, including a TechnoChef, participated in that event.

The company has Savory capabilities in every region, with plans to expand the TechnoChef program over the coming years. “You can’t be a strong Flavor company without a strong Savory presence and we are committed to building our talent in this segment,” says Aldo Uva, President of Firmenich Flavors.

To reinforce this commitment, Firmenich also recently appointed Eduardo Parés to the newly created role of Global VP, Strategic Savory Development to create the Savory roadmap for the future. Firmenich believes Savory presents tremendous prospects for growth and the company plans on actively pursuing the segment. “The food of the future will require new innovation and technologies, and Firmenich will embrace these opportunities with enthusiasm,” said Pares.