I’ve posted on Facebook before about what I do for a living. I don’t know that I’ve told the story of HOW I got my job.
In 2016 I was looking for work after a harrowing 4 years of grief and sadness after my Dad died, I got really sick, had surgery twice and buried multiple loved ones. I was ready finally to get back into the workforce. We needed the extra income and I needed to be around people and be social.
What I didn’t realize is how instrumental this job would be in getting me back into a place of peace and happiness.
I answered an ad on Craigslist. It asked if I was a foodie and would I be interested in a career in food tasting. I was excited and nervous, but confident that yes, I was a foodie, and yes I would enjoy a career in food tasting, duh! Anyone who knows me knows I wanted to become a chef in high school and although those dreams didn’t come to fruition, I still yearned for a career in food.
When I answered the ad, there was a screening process to go though and lots of questions asked about how I viewed food, how I would describe a particular food, how would I cook a steak, did I eat at fast food restaurants, etc. It was a long questionnaire and I felt like I did well in answering the screening.
I received a call a couple of days later asking me if I would like to interview, and of course I said yes!
A week later I was pulling up to a large campus at Frito Lay Headquarters and feeling confused and nervous about what lay ahead. I had no idea the job would be working with or for Frito Lay! It was exciting and daunting at the same time.
I entered a conference room set up with long tables with cups all over it and instructions on what to do. It was called an acuity screening, which is another way to find out what my level of knowledge is about basic tastes, could I tell if something was salty or sweet or bitter or sour, could I tell the difference between smells, like almond, clove, or even anise (licorice flavoring). Needless to say, I passed with flying colors because I am and always have been very attuned to flavor and taste. I’ve come to have an understanding of WHY I was so picky about certain foods and why my taste buds seemed to be different than others.
After the screening was finished, I was lead to an interview with one of the people who work for a Sensory company and found out what I would be doing working with Frito Lay. It was very intriguing to me. I really wanted to do this job and hoped with all my might they would call me back and offer me a job.
I got the call and started work on May 17, 2016. It took 3 months to certify to be called a Descriptive Analyst, and a year later in September of 2017, I was asked to take over the position of Technician all while remaining a panelist. It was tough at first to do both jobs, but I love a challenge and it has become one of my favorite parts of my job because I get to work in a kitchen lab and prepare all the references and samples that our panel tests with. I also love working as a panel leader because I get to put on the hat of leader and guide them through discussions and getting our group aligned to one another for testing.
Four years later I am still working with the company and I love it! I’ve made new friends, developed many new skills, and helped create protocols and procedures that have helped make my job easier and more efficient.
Basically, I love being a foodie! It’s helped me to find m place in the world and feel like I contribute to the world…the world of snacks!
Oh, I almost forgot…I eat chips for a living. We work every day on testing chips from around the world to make sure they meet the high quality standards that Frito Lay is known for. Consequently, I do NOT eat chips recreationally anymore, haha! Once you break apart what a chip tastes like and what kind of texture it has, and how bad it can taste when it goes stale, you can only eat certain kinds because all the other chips taste like CRAP! lol
If you have stuck with my story this long, here’s a little video on what goes on in a Sensory Lab in New Jersey, where our main headquarters is located. I’m basically the lady that passes out the samples in the lab coat, ( I don’t wear one cause I get SO hot doing my job), and I’m also one of the people who are sitting down and getting the samples. I wear many hats! Enjoy the video!
Happy Chip eating,
What my day looks like when I have to pour all those solutions, Right: how many cups of chips we taste in any given day of testing.