FoodGrads Podcast Ep.01 – Supporting Students & Graduates Start their Career in the Food & Beverage Industry with FoodGrads Founder Nicole Gallace
Introduction
FoodGrads is an interactive platform designed to bridge the gap between students, recent graduates, educators, and employers in Canada’s food and beverage industry. The mission is simple but powerful: to support the next generation of food industry professionals and to attract forward-thinking, socially conscious individuals into a career in food.
In this first episode of the FoodGrads Podcast, I (Veronica Hislop) sit down with Nicole Gallace — founder of FoodGrads and a long-time mentor, friend, and colleague. Nicole has dedicated her career to helping students succeed in the food industry, and this episode is all about how the FoodGrads platform came to life, the opportunities it offers, and how you can get involved.
Show Notes
What is FoodGrads?
- Nicole was a recruiter in the food industry and a lot of grads were graduating and asking for help. There was no place to send them for help and she saw a gap and decided to start up her own platform to support these students.
- Interactive platform to help support students and grads and it is always evolving. We have a job broad, training section, content creation. But FoodGrads is also there to provide support and to create a community. Both when you graduate and as you go through the career.
How is LinkedIn different then FoodGrads? How do you be “active” on FoodGrads as a student?
- FoodGrads gets you involved early on, going to events, speaking to people, interviewing people for a blog.
- Campus Ambassador program
- Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology Webinar- Entering the Job Market as a New Food Scientist
- LinkedIn is too huge and it is was not created for students and grads. FoodGrads is focused on the student. FoodGrads is smaller and helps give you the leg up to connect with other individuals.
What is the FoodGrads Campus Ambassador program?
- Campus Ambassador program is very focused on helping you do what you want to do. Give the opportunities to explore different careers
- Used to figure out what you want to do in the food industry
- Show proof that you care about the food
- Helps to support you in showing how great the industry
- Gives you opportunities to connect with the food industry
- Veronica was able to help meet other people like the Steam Whistle Career Showcase in partnership with Taste Your Future
- Focused on building a community Veronica met so many like-minded students like Yenci, Jennie, Jonathan, Geoff, Fatema
How to get into contact with Nicole and Veronica
Nicole: Nicole@foodgrads.com
Veronica: Veronica@foodgrads.com
The FoodGrads E-Book: Career Path in Food and Beverage
- Explains 50 career paths in the food processing and foodservice industry
- Originally comes from the blog posts
- The book came from Veronica wanting to know what she wants to do when she graduates. There was a lack of resources out there
- Book was sponsored and content provided by Sysco, Maple Lodge Farms, Gay Lea Foods, Food Processors of Canada, Conestoga Meats, Dr.Oekter
Nicole and I talk about how many entry-level jobs are not as appealing as you would like and that is the reality of things. There is a lot of opportunities for you to move around and no one is expecting you to do that. There are well-paid positions. You can work your wait up to well-paying jobs in the industry. The industry has a bias for you to start in the lower positions so you can learn the industry.
What are some reasons that students should go into the industry? Are there jobs out there?
- Nicole chose the food industry because she liked the people the best. Everyone is down to Earth and it is a nurturing industry
- Nicole lost mother in-law her to cancer and found it odd that the the medical team didn’t speak more about what she should be eating
We talk about how processed foods are vilified and FoodGrads is trying to show the truth about the industry. It is full of people who care and want to be innovative.
Culinary Innovation and Food Technology (Co-op)
Social Links
Connect with Us
- Nicole Gallace: nicole@foodgrads.com
- Veronica Hislop: veronica@foodgrads.com
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