Motif FoodWorks, the Boston-based food technology company making plant-based foods better tasting and more nutritious, announced César Vega has joined the company as vice president of food design.

In the newly created role, Vega will lead Motif's food applications, culinary design, sensory, and packaging teams. It's a unique role and approach for Motif, as the company's technology development work does not stop at discovery. As part of its holistic approach to food design, Motif employs a multidisciplinary team of scientists and innovators to better understand how its emerging technologies can make plant-based foods such as alternative meat and dairy, and plant-based sports nutrition products—truly craveable. This includes in-depth consumer centric design and sensory testing, as well as working with customers that use Motif's food technologies to optimize their plant-based products for taste, texture and nutrition.

Vega joins the company from Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, where he served as director of R&D innovation for the Americas. Prior to that, he held various leadership positions at Mars, Inc. across different geographies. Vega holds a culinary degree and is a globally recognized authority in the area of the science of cooking. He was an expert reviewer of Myrhvold's Modernist Cuisine, consultant for Jose Andres' ThinkFoodGroup, and co-editor of The Kitchen as Laboratory.

In addition to his longstanding career, Vega dedicates his time to educating others on the intersection between science, design, and the culinary arts. He has led lectures and seminar series at universities in Spain, Belgium, Canada, the US and Chile. He also served on the advisory board at ERGO Biosciences SAS.

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