KIRSTEN FLAVOR GURU Making Making ice cream hands down has to be one of the coolest jobs ever And not just because it's actually cold It's because you get to make ice cream As your job Meet Kirsten Schimoler She's a flavor guru at Ben Jerry's I am always searching for new flavors says Schimoler I get inspiration from magazines customers blogs restaurants childhood memories and even suggestions from
ICE CREAM FLAVOR DEVELOPER HERE SCHIMOLER GIVES US THE INSIDE SCOOP ON HER DELICIOUS DREAM JOB technical training specific to the science of ice cream and frozen desserts FOOD SCIENCE THE STUDY OF THE PHYSICAL CHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF FOOD When did you know you wanted to make ice cream your career I've always loved ice cream one of my earliest favorites was mint chocolate chip Then I moved to Waterbury Vermont U S A when I was a kid and one of our first stops was the Ben Jerry's factory We took a tour and sampled some ice cream Learning about ice cream that day was part of what inspired me to study food science What's a typical day like for you There is no real typical one for me but my days often include visiting the factory working in the lab kitchen working on my computer going to meetings talking to consumers tasting samples and laughing You always need to laugh Do you eat ice cream most days Most days I eat a little bit of ice cream But because I eat ice cream often I eat very small servings Just a taste with a small spoon What was your path to becoming a flavor guru at Ben Jerry's My family has always been involved in the food industry so food and flavors became a passion for me at an early age I went to Cornell University where I studied food science About a year and a half after I graduated I got my first role as a flavor guru at Ben Jerry's During my career I have done a lot of on the job training and Is there anything that might surprise people about your job There is a lot more to it than just eating I use chemistry microbiology math and problem solving to do what I do Sometimes I am in the factory until
4 a m because we're making a new flavor and I need to make sure it looks great Also my job can get messy I often am covered in ice cream What are some of the flavors you've developed Any favorites At this point I have worked on more than 20 flavors I developed the whole Greek Frozen Yogurt line and most recently the Vegan Almond Milk line Two of my favorite ice creams that I developed have been Chocolate Peppermint Crunch an ode to Thin Mint cookies and Candy Bar Pie CANDY BAR PIE PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM WITH FUDGE FLAKES CHOCOLATE NOUGAT AND SWEET AND SALTY PRETZEL SWIRLS UM YUM Do you have a favorite ingredient to work with I don't have one specific ingredient I like to use but I like to develop flavors so that you can get a little bit of each component in every bite That creates a specific taste which makes the flavor feel like a complete dessert Are there any ingredients you'd like to incorporate into a flavor but haven't yet Living in Vermont I love maple syrup I'd love to be able to make an amazing maple
