Food and Beverage Manitoba

5 In His Element Joel Lamoureux of Richardson Foods By Todd Lewys T o say Joel Lamoureux's path to working in the food science/product development area of the food industry was a roundabout one would be something of an understatement. After working in restaurants for 12 years, he realized he had a yearning for more. As much as he enjoyed working in the restaurant industry – particularly the culinary end of things – he wanted to be more involved in where the food came from. With that in mind, he went back to school as a mature student, getting his red seal chef certification at Red River Polytechnic (formerly Red River College) and a food science degree at the University of Manitoba. "Basically, I just liked science," he says. "I was really interested in FODMAPS (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides & Polyols) and fructose," he says, noting that the short chain carbohydrates, or sugars, can cause digestive distress in people. "I wanted to see how a combination diet could help people enjoy eating without experiencing so much discomfort." Ultimately, Lamoureux – who now works at Richardson Foods in its research and development department – decided he wanted to attack nutrition from two angles: as a chef, and as a food scientist. Today, he puts his two designations – red seal chef and food science degree – to use daily. "As a chef, people in the food industry hire you to help them see if a certain diet meets trends, and to freshen up dishes and balance flavours. I use my experience as a chef to work with plant operators to help create new, exciting products." On the other, his work as a food scientist is more technical. "When I put that hat on, I work with others in the plant on things like food safety and food processing," he says. "You also look at things like production cost and shelf life." Turns out, his red seal chef certification and food science degree work together quite nicely. "The two work together really well. One day I could be in production, the next I could be working on trials testing ingredients that will help improve an existing product. I just love the different aspects of my job. There's not a dull moment, and it's a lot of fun." More than anything, he sees his job as a constant progression. "You just learn so much about food," says Lamoureux. "The product development side of my job works for me because I'm inquisitive and like challenges and puzzles. I love the creativity involved in bring something new to the market." At the same time, he truly enjoys the science- based aspect of the work he does at Richardson Foods. "The testing we do – trials that are designed to find ways to make products work correctly – are also fun. A lot of pride is involved. When I'm in a store and see a shelf with something I worked on, it's gratifying." Lamoureux says he couldn't be happier about his decision to pursue a career in the food industry. "I'm right where I want to be, doing what I want to do. I'm enthusiastic about my work and would say I enjoy myself 80 per cent of the time, which is something not a lot of people can say. Best of all, I'm making a good living doing something I love. That's really exciting." Joel Lamoureux Type of Job: Food Scientist/Chef Starting Salary Potential: $52,640 - $74,917 Educational Pathways: High School, Vocational/Community College Post-Secondary: University of Manitoba, RRC Polytech, Commonwealth College

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