About
Where rigorous science
meets the table.
I'm a food scientist and innovator, and co-founder and Vice President of Research & Development at Voyage Foods in Oakland, California. My team develops sustainable, allergen-free alternatives to everyday favorites — peanut butter, hazelnut spread, chocolate, and coffee — built from individual components rather than the crops the world is running short of.
The short version
I grew up in Rochester, Minnesota, where my food memories start at the state fair — hush puppies in hand — and in the kitchen, where homemade mac and cheese became the first thing I ever cooked. Curiosity about why food behaves the way it does never really went away.
A high-school spark for food science took me to Purdue University to study food chemistry and engineering, where mentors shaped the way I approach research. Graduate work followed — digging into bitterness and how protein and lipids partition in oil-in-water emulsions — alongside time spent in food labs, bakeries, and internships across major food companies.
Today I help lead R&D at Voyage Foods, where we've raised more than $95 million and built our own manufacturing facility before our Series A. I also write Appeasing a Food Geek, sharing the science behind cooking — because I'm convinced the best meals start with learning.
Let's talk food science.
Whether it's research, R&D, speaking, or a good question about emulsions — I'd love to hear from you.