OUR CHEFS
Allison Rittman, CRC
Owner
𖡡 Austin, TX
(512) 992-4501
arittman@culinary-culture.com
Chef Allison Rittman is a Corporate Chef and the Owner of Culinary Culture. She is also one of the first women to hold the title of Certified Research Chef in the United States. She has over 25 years of experience in the food industry. Allison specializes in Product Development, National Account Presentations, and Culinary Trends.
Her education includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Iowa and a degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America.
Allison currently resides in Austin where she operates the Texas-based R&D Kitchen and innovates the foods we eat everyday.
Contact Culinary Culture today to find out how Allison can help your business reach new culinary heights.
Chris McAdams, CRC
Director of R&D
𖡡 Union, ME
(720) 775-7971
cmcadams@culinary-culture.com
Chef Chris McAdams is a Certified Research Chef and RATIONAL Certified Chef with over 12 years' experience in food and beverage and culinary R&D. His experience ranges from QSR to fine dining, CPG product development, foodservice, industrial ingredients, and much more. He studied Human Nutrition & Dietetics and Digital Marketing & Public Relations at MSU Denver and Denver University after spending 4 years in the USAF as a Dental Technician.
Chef Chris originally hails from Colorado but currently operates the Culinary Culture East Coast R&D Kitchen in Union, Maine, where he lives with his wife and dog, Sadie and Layla. He is a member of the RCA Northeast Regional Committee, the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Advisory Board and Student Mentorship Program, and the Potatoes USA Chefs Council. His interests include hiking, sustainable farming, cinema, science fiction, and all things travel.
Jill Houk, CRC
Corporate research Chef
𖡡 Glenview, IL
(708) 205-3247
jhouk@culinary-culture.com
Chef Jill Houk is a Certified Research Chef with 20 years of experience bringing food products to market.
Originally working in information technology, she adeptly combines the research and data analysis skills practiced in that industry with a chef's knowledge of flavors, cooking techniques, and consumer dining trends.
Throughout her career, she has had a variety of roles: Founder of a health-focused catering and personal chef business. Cookbook author. Television personality. Product developer. Culinary director. Her customer experience spans the gamut from small start-ups to multi-national brands, positively impacting many of the foods you'll find in your own kitchen.
Jill lives in Chicago with her husband. She loves cycling, weightlifting, and traveling. Her passion is sharing the world of research and development to young cooks who may not know this field exists.
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH CHEFS
Our Mission
Culinary Culture is a group of passionate research chefs who offer consulting services for food based businesses. Through trend research, innovative ideation, and unsurpassed industry expertise, Culinary Culture will deliver imaginative, craveable products and recipes that consistently exceed your expectations.
What to Expect from Our Research Chefs
As chefs, we understand how important the culinary element is to the development of manufactured food products. In contrast, as scientists, we understand the parameters involved in making great tasting prototypes. This can be a difficult task within a manufactured setting. Our research chefs ensure your product works efficiently within your system, is of the highest quality, and tastes great!
Furthermore, we have the know-how to help increase your sales while reducing your costs. We have lived life in the kitchen and understand what it takes to run a successful restaurant. Additionally, our chefs study the global food scene and know what’s on trend. As a result, our unique mindset gives us an understanding of the operations side of food business to help you succeed.
What is a Research Chef?
Also known as product development or food innovation chefs, research chefs are essential to the F&B industry. We formulate and test new products and supplies for food and beverage based businesses. Therefore, our duties involve generating new recipes that look and taste great, and developing new formulas when needed. Even more, we’re experienced in marketing, operations, and training.
We develop new products by conducting consumer testing, observing market trends, and modifying recipes. Administrating consumer focus group testing is a very important responsibility. We find better ways to retain the flavor, freshness, consistency and nutritional content of mass-produced, packaged food products.
Additionally, we help launch new restaurant menus, train staff, and attend yearly conferences. We are constantly learning new information on how to help create the next big consumer hit.
Don’t hesitate to contact our research chefs today for more information about how we can help you reach your goals.