Mainebiz

V O L . X X I V N O. X I I J U N E 1 1 , 2 0 1 8 42 C ole, who joined the company more than 22 years ago, is the senior member of a fi ve-person research and development team. She sat down with Mainebiz at Stonewall Kitchen headquarters for a behind- the-scenes look into the art and sci- ence of fl avor innovation. Mainebiz: How did you end up in this line of work? Michele Cole: It was serendipity, because it was literally an epiphany. I was changing careers and somebody asked, 'So what are you going to do when you move back to New Hampshire?' And I said, 'I think I'll go be a prep cook some- where.' I turned around and asked, 'Who said that?' And I'm like, 'Oh, that came out of my mouth.' I answered an ad for a kitchen assistant at a Portsmouth restaurant called the Blue Strawbery [spelled with one 'r,' like the Strawbery Banke attraction in Portsmouth]. MB: What did you learn there? MC: Chef James Haller's philosophy was cooking without recipes. My fi rst day I had to make butter, and the next task was to make a sauce for potatoes using duck fat and tomatoes. I would throw stuff together and the chefs would taste it and give me feedback, and I adjusted some more. at's how I got my start. MB: How did you get to Stonewall? MC: Half the staff at the Blue Strawbery knew [Stonewall Kitchen founders] Jim [Stott] and Jonathan [King], and I was looking for a second job. After a while this turned into my full-time job and the Blue Strawbery became my sec- ond job. I started here in July 1995. MB: What's coming out this July that you're excited about? MC: Strawberry lemonade jelly. ere was no blood involved, but a lot of sweat and tears went into trying to get our whole sensory team on the page of where everybody likes it. We have a slightly tougher scoring system than the industry standard because we are a gourmet product company. MB: How many tries until you got it right? MC: I lost track. It was hard because everybody has their own idea about lem- onade and how tart or sweet they want it. en you have to pick the right pectin [used as a setting agent in jams and jel- lies], which also aff ects the texture. Trying to get all the stars to align was a long process, probably a couple of months. We had a lot of tries, but we fi nally broke through and were able to do it. MB: How much pressure is there to innovate? MC: It's so important because when you're in the food world, everybody wants something new and exciting. I know we do. We look forward to it, it's like Christmas twice a year for us. We launch new products every January and July. MB: Any personal favorites in the current lineup? MC: My current go-to is our Salsa Verde. It comes up with zero points for Weight Watchers, so you can make an amazing chili using chicken or 99% fat-free turkey breast using it. I've tried other Salsa Verdes and ours is the best. MB: Is your job more art or science? MC: It's defi nitely 50/50. MB: What's the hardest part of what you do? MC: It depends on the item. Strawberry lemonade was hard, and the other one was the Dulce De Leche Sauce, which took 32 trials. e biggest challenge was getting the ingredients right and the ratios correct. MB: If you weren't in this job, what else could you envision doing? MC: at's a hard question because you'd either have to throw me in a brew- ery, a vineyard or a grocery store. I have to tell you, I really love food stores. No matter where I travel, I have to go to the grocery store, because I'm always looking for something new, exciting and diff er- ent. To be able to combine travel and food, that would be another ideal job. P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Michele Cole is a culinary product developer at Stonewall Kitchen, the York-based specialty food company known for its gourmet jams and pancake mixes. Michele Cole is a culinary product developer at Stonewall Kitchen, the York-based specialty food company known for its gourmet jams and pancake mixes. Advance within an exciting field Earn a Master's in Cybersecurity! www.thomas.edu/cybersecurity 207-859-1159 Offering Maine's only graduate degree in Cybersecurity B Y R E N E E C O R D E S O N T H E R E C O R D

• Cover