Date: Wednesday, March 20th, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM CT / 11:00 AM PT / 7:00 PM GMT
Duration: 1 Hour
Sponsor: U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council
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Summary
Join us for an engaging webinar, "Blueberries: Optimizing the Healthy Ingredient for Consumer Demand," where we will explore the remarkable potential of blueberries in the food industry. This session is designed to provide food manufacturers with valuable insights into the health benefits of blueberries, their versatility in formulation, and an inspiring culinary demonstration that will ignite creativity in product development.
Speakers
Sr. Director of Nutrition & Health Research
USHBC
Leslie Wada PhD, RD is the Senior Director of Nutrition and Health Research for the US Highbush Blueberry Council. She is a registered dietitian with a B.S. in nutrition and dietetics from the University of California at Davis and a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences from the University of California at Berkeley. She worked as a research scientist on nutrition studies and taught classes in dietetics at UC Berkeley before leaving academia to work with companies that developed functional foods and ingredients.
After 15 years of experience working as a consultant for the US Highbush Blueberry Council(USHBC), Dr. Wada joined USHBC as the Senior Director of Nutrition and Health Research and continues to manage the council’s multi-million-dollar pipeline of health research projects. She is also leading the health and nutrition affairs pillar of the USHBC strategic plan, integrating the research projects and results with the council’s overall strategy in marketing and promotions and nutrition policy.
Product Development Manager
CuliNex
Michelle Tittl, Product Development Manager at CuliNEX, brings more than 14 years of product development experience with private label retail, packaged goods, and ingredient companies. Her knowledge of food development across broad food categories, from beverage, baking, cookies, bars, foodservice operations, and more, allows Michelle to lead technical and culinary teams in ideating, concepting, product development and commercialization of new foods. Michelle exemplifies the practice of Culinology, blending her educational credentials in Food Science and Culinary Arts to elevate the consumer taste experience for a expansive list of CuliNEX clients.
Managing Director + Partner, Culinary
SRG
Daniel is a trained attorney and chef, who has acted as Principal of a culinary consultancy, Vice President – Culinary at Nextbite, a national virtual kitchen company, and Managing Director – Culinary at Sterling-Rice Group (SRG) in Boulder, CO. SRG is a creative collective—a nationally recognized brand consultancy and creative agency. The agency infuses creativity in all its work and has deep expertise in consumer insights, brand strategy, positioning, new product innovation, culinary, advertising and design. Prior to joining SRG full-time, Daniel served as a longstanding member of SRG’s renowned Culinary Council, a group of elite chefs, food scientists, authors and restaurateurs who consult with the agency on food trends that inform its work for clients.
Daniel started his career in fine dining in Denver, CO and Stamford, CT, acting as Executive Chef in a range of restaurants featuring myriad culinary styles, including Mediterranean (Provençal and Italian), Pacific Rim, Continental, Steak House, and California Cuisine. As he transitioned into consulting, he developed capabilities in restaurant operations, F&B menu design, commercial real estate, and Front of House leadership. His tenure as a consultant at SRG was marked by projects with national-scale consumer packaged goods, restaurant chain, and commodity board clients.
“I’ve dreamed of joining SRG and being a key part of the agency since I first started working with them over 13 years ago,” said Daniel Carpenter. “Having most recently been at the center of expanding the off-premise sector by building virtual kitchens as well as helping over many years to bring transformation to the culinary marketplace, I look forward to growing the work SRG does in this and so many other emerging spaces in the industry.
Moderator
