The question often arises as to the benefits of having a culinary chef involved in new product development. In the past, a few chefs have been seen as undisciplined, poorly educated and overly artistic by some “hard core” scientists. Technical members of an R&D team may find it hard to relate to the freewheeling style of a true culinary artist. However, when a little mutual understanding is established and all parties respect each other's talents and training, better products can be created by a multi-talented team than by a food technologist or chef alone.
The absolute need for degreed food scientists in the development of products intended for a national introduction is recognized and understood. The current sophisticated methods of manufacturing and distribution require a product perform and adhere to incredibly tight specifications. Every new item gives challenges in formulation and engineering that are beyond the talents of even a well-trained culinary artist. Every chef realizes this. And every culinologist respects the knowledge and abilities of our technologists and engineers.
However, the end users (i.e., the customers) do not see the trials and tribulations that must be overcome in a product's formulation, manufacturing and packaging. Nor do they understand the difficulties in distribution and storage to be surmounted. They focus primarily on two product characteristics: appearance and taste.