Meet Serena Garcia, our team’s passionate, creative chef driving food innovation on the bench. Serena knew early in her food science education that she wanted to build a career in consulting and product development.
“On the very first day of my food science program, my culinary teacher told us about his job doing consulting work, and I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do!’”
Serena was drawn to the creativity of product development classes and the opportunity to combine technical knowledge with hands-on culinary work. After graduating from California Polytechnic State University, she joined CCD Innovation, now a sister brand to CuliNEX within the JPG Resources Family of Brands, as a product development extern. The experience confirmed that she had found the right career.
“I loved being in the kitchen and using the combination of my food science and culinary expertise to solve problems.”
Serena built her culinary foundation through roles in food packaging, restaurants, wineries, and meal delivery. She worked in professional kitchens as a pantry chef, sous chef, and commissary chef before moving more fully into food research and development. These experiences strengthened her culinary skills as she expanded her technical expertise.
She later joined Sempera Organics as a research chef, where she spent more than a year developing a meat alternative made from mushrooms. The role gave her experience with emerging ingredients and reinforced her interest in creating a more sustainable food system.
Serena then returned to consulting through roles with JPG Resources and KITCHENTOWN, as well as her own food research and development business, before joining CuliNEX in Seattle.
CuliNEX appealed to Serena because its product development philosophy reflects the way she likes to work. Flavor and culinary quality lead the process, while technical knowledge supports the development of products that can succeed in production and in the market.
“I loved that culinary art and taste are truly at the forefront of CuliNEX’s work and that we call ourselves the clean label pros.”
Serena appreciates having colleagues who share her excitement for food science without losing sight of the eating experience.
“Some food science jobs can be overly technical, or they teach you to go straight for unnecessary additives. Our team definitely has the technical knowledge and the ability to nerd out with each other when needed, but we’re all true foodies at heart and believe quality is king!”
That balance between technical rigor and culinary creativity shapes Serena’s approach to product development. In her role, she works across client projects from benchtop development through scale-up. She listens closely to clients, translates their ideas into formulation strategies, and develops products that are ready for trials with manufacturing partners.
Her experience working from the MISTA innovation facility in San Francisco introduced her to dozens of new ingredients and technologies. It also gave her more ways to connect her interest in sustainability with delicious product development.
“I am passionate about sustainability in our food system. At MISTA, I learned about dozens of innovative ingredients and how to apply them to delectable food products. Did you know it’s possible to make butter out of CO2!?”
Serena is especially enthusiastic about projects that allow her to focus on the details of flavor.
“I have a sensitive palate, and I love working on sauces, spice mixes, or beverages where I can really get into flavor work.”
She also has ideas about familiar products that could benefit from a thoughtful clean-label makeover. If given the opportunity to reinvent one product, Serena would start with the packaged cakes found in gas stations.
“I would love to take some of those gas station cakes and reformulate them with cleaner ingredients. I love how moist they can stay, but they would be so much better if they tasted a bit less ‘chemically.’”
The challenge reflects the kind of work Serena enjoys. It allows her to understand what makes an existing product appealing, identify opportunities for improvement, and preserve the experience consumers love.
