You focus on “cocoa flavor chemistry.” What does that mean? 

    People have made chocolate for a long time. But there is still a lot we don’t know about it. My job is to better understand the chocolate-making process and the taste of chocolate.  

What might our readers be surprised to learn about chocolate? 

    Did you know that the most important ingredient in chocolate is actually seeds? These seeds are called cacao [kuh-KOW] beans. They come from a fruit that grows in South America, Central America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. At first, cacao beans don’t taste like the chocolate we know. They’re very bitter and hard to eat! To taste better, they go through roasting, drying, and other important processes that bring out the cocoa flavor. 

What is a typical workday like for you? 

    I spend a lot of time in our lab doing experiments with other scientists. We try to study different ways of growing and roasting the beans. Our goal is to bring out their rich, delicious flavor. We are always trying to figure out how to make the chocolate taste even better. 

Why is your job important?  

    Food scientists are like food detectives. We don’t just make food taste good. We also make sure it’s safe. Part of our job is checking that nothing hazardous gets into a food while we’re making it. 

Has working with food changed how you think about food?

    Absolutely. It has made me appreciate how much work and science goes into making food taste good. I also pay more attention to ingredients and flavor combinations.

What advice would you give to kids who want to follow in your footsteps? 

    Take all kinds of science classes, like biology chemistry, and physics. Talk to people who do the job you want to do. And never stop experimenting in your kitchen!