Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
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Kelly A. DeFusco

Mickleton,NJ

Summary

Innovative and meticulous Principal Food Scientist with 31 years of bakery product development. Research experience in discovering new, improved and healthy food sources. Food technology expert with outstanding communication and presentation skills and practiced success at generating project support and funding. Formulates and develops new products to meet regulatory requirements and correspond with business and consumer needs. Strategic innovative thinker, strong role model with a balance of technical and business acumen. Results oriented with strong management skills and a tenured record of increasing responsibility.

Overview

31
31
years of professional experience

Work History

Principal Food Scientist, Bakery

Tastepoint By IFF
04.2007 - Current
  • Researched commercial and artisan bakery formulae to include functional and fortified food ingredients.
  • Subject matter expert in flavors and flavor applications, modulation technologies, and prototype development.
  • Engaged with internal account managers and external customers to educate and train on all ingredients in company portfolio inclusive of food enzymes, emulsifiers, inclusions, cultures & probiotics, hydrocolloids/texturants & cellulosics, sweeteners, system blends, protein solutions, pectin, natural colors, flavors, and food protection.
  • Diagnosed and solved customer issues via hands-on lab work and developed food applications that highlighted ingredient performance.
  • Mixed dough, scaled breads, and cakes, fried doughnuts and performed baking duties.
  • Frosted and iced cakes, cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts, sweet rolls, and coffee cakes.
  • Baked consistent quality items by accurately mixing, dividing, shaping, and proofing.
  • Developed and maintained specific knowledge of donuts, cakes, muffins, pies, cookies and other bakery items to communicate with and assist customers in selection of product.
  • Performed batching and sample compounding from laboratory benchtop, prototyping food products and evaluating raw materials.

Senior Food Scientist, Sweet Goods

Firmenich
02.2006 - 04.2007
  • Responsible for sweet goods applications for assigned key accounts, including flavor solutions and technical support, development of new prototypes, understanding of end-product manufacturing processes.
  • Researched new food ingredients and investigated avenues for making sweet baked goods foods safe, healthy and flavorful.
  • Engaged with suppliers and identified and arranged acquisition of most appropriate key functional ingredients for sweet baked goods.

Senior Food Scientist

Clement Pappas & Co.
03.2004 - 02.2006
  • Managed organic & food service beverage team efforts to develop new products, support corporate growth and strategies including new product startups and research plant trials
  • Responsible for organic, bag-in-the-box, food service and cranberry sauce new product development.
  • Collaborated with development team to translate scientific problems into testable hypotheses and drew useful information from experimental results.
  • Spearheaded internal sensory analysis and coordinated full-scale production and commercialization for new products.

Food Scientist, Bakery & Confectionery

Ottens Flavors
11.1992 - 03.2004
  • Responsible for all flavor applications in bakery, confectionery, and sweet goods food systems.
  • Developed new prototypes, optimized existing prototypes, and demonstrated final prototypes to customers on and off-site.
  • Created mixology of flavors resulting in new flavors wins for bakery, confectionery, and sweet goods category.

Education

Food Styling For Food Media

International Culinary Institute
New York, NY
02.2016

Baking And Pastry Arts

The Restaurant School At Walnut Hill College
Philadelphia, PA
06.2004

Master of Science - Food Marketing

Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA
05.2000

Sensory Evaluation

Center For Professional Advancement
New Brunswick, NJ
05.1998

Intro Confectionery Technology & Product Processes

Richardson Research Lab
Oakland, CA
04.1997

Bachelor of Science - Home Economics, Elementary Education

Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
05.1992

Skills

  • Project management
  • International & domestic product development
  • Sweet Goods and Cereal development
  • Product analysis
  • Flavor & Modulation Applications
  • Scale-up experience
  • Process Improvement
  • Team Player
  • Project collaboration
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Diverse background consumer product goods development
  • Basic pricing of product
  • Raw material analysis
  • Genesis R D
  • Large-scale food preparation
  • Food preparations
  • Key Food Safety Performance Indicators
  • Food safety protocol
  • Food and supplies ordering
  • Bakery equipment knowledge

Timeline

Principal Food Scientist, Bakery

Tastepoint By IFF
04.2007 - Current

Senior Food Scientist, Sweet Goods

Firmenich
02.2006 - 04.2007

Senior Food Scientist

Clement Pappas & Co.
03.2004 - 02.2006

Food Scientist, Bakery & Confectionery

Ottens Flavors
11.1992 - 03.2004

Food Styling For Food Media

International Culinary Institute

Baking And Pastry Arts

The Restaurant School At Walnut Hill College

Master of Science - Food Marketing

Saint Joseph's University

Sensory Evaluation

Center For Professional Advancement

Intro Confectionery Technology & Product Processes

Richardson Research Lab

Bachelor of Science - Home Economics, Elementary Education

Rowan University

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Kelly A. DeFusco