E11: Marshall Bell on Design, Innovation & Product Development

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In this interview with Marshall Bell, Product Developer at Canada’s Smartest Kitchen, we discuss all the ways a food science degree can be used. After graduating from Alberta U with a degree in Food Science, Marshall took a Quality Assurance Technician’s role to gain valuable manufacturing experience. He went on to augment his degree with a certificate in culinology before taking his position at Canada’s Smartest Kitchen.

At CSK Marshall works with a broad variety of clients to make their food product ideas a commercial reality. He has worked on projects as diverse as lobsters to blueberries. As an avid reader, he makes some great recommendations both in and out of the typical reading array for food industry acolytes. Like his colleague, Chef Allan Williams, who we interviewed in Episode 6, Marshall also sees food waste as an important priority for the food industry.

Marshall believes the upcoming generation of food scientists and chefs he belongs to can make a positive impact on people’s lives. He emphasizes the importance of fostering a real passion for food and looking for new ways of using knowledge to create change.

What We Talk About

• Human Centred Design
• Adding to your food science skills with online courses and certifications
• Food Waste Management
• The Importance of food production experience
• Street Food (!)

Recommendations and Other Good Stuff

• Coursera – Free courses including project management courses and introductions to design thinking
• Food Business School Business courses related to the food industry, some online, some in-person, some even taught by Gravity Tank
• Food division of Gravity Tank they have a great blog to with excellent case studies
• IDEO – Case studies on IDEOs work in the food industry and the bigger scale of challenges they take on. Marshall recommends the one on Designing the Future Kitchen through a collaboration with IKEA
• Change by Design by Tim Brown
• Alinea Restaurant – Grant Achatz’s Michelin 3 Star restaurant. Marshall says “I love how they say book your experience since it’s so much more than just a reservation”
• On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
• Institute of Food Technology’s Magazine