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About Us
  Why?
The Educated Palate exists because I wanted to learn about flavors
and I couldn't find a product to help me.
Background
I've loved to cook all my life and at age 47 I decided to go
to culinary school. I enrolled in the Advanced Standing Culinary
Program at Johnson & Wales University. Six times a year,
the culinary school invites extraordinary chefs to visit the
campus, meet the students and perform a cooking demonstration
of recipes from their cookbooks and restaurants. In honor of
the Distinguished Visiting Chef (DVC), a scholarship is given
to one student, as well as the privilege of working with the
DVC while on campus. When DVC Barbara Tropp, owner of China
Moon Café (San Francisco), cookbook author and founder
of the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Association, visited that
September, I received the scholarship, but more important, the
opportunity to spend time with Chef Tropp. Unlike most DVCs,
Barbara Tropp did a tasting for the students. The tasting samples
consisted of types of salt, different soy sauces, flavored oils
and Schezwan peppers. The flavor differences were incredible!
The iodized salt had a heavy metallic aftertaste; not something
desirable in a dish. A well-known brand of soy sauce had an
acrid and burned flavor but if one had not tasted it, one might
assume all soy sauces are the same. The point Chef Tropp was
driving home was, "Know your ingredients! Taste everything!"
 The Idea
It sounded simple but how does one taste all the different ingredients
available, especially now with our global economy? Fifteen years
ago, curly leaf parsley was the only fresh herb available in
most markets. The size of the spice section has increased threefold
in the same time period. In cooking classes, students prepare
and taste foods from many cuisines. However, they can't always
taste the individual flavors. You can't chew a bay leaf and
if you chew rosemary, it tastes like a Christmas tree. So how
does one learn? Solving this problem inspired the idea of a
sensory development kit. The name, The Educated Palate, seemed
to say it all. My classmates loved the idea and wanted a kit;
I just had to figure out how to make it. Infused oils of herbs
and spices would be labor intensive and expensive when you factor
in the cost of fresh herbs, jars of spices, containers and the
flavor samples would breakdown in about two weeks. It sounded
too complicated, so I put the idea on the back burner while
I continued my culinary education.
Slow Start
Two years later I was in the bachelor's degree program for Food
Services Entrepreneurship. As part of the program, I was required
to start a business so The Educated Palate moved from the back
burner to the front of the stove. I contacted flavor companies
but no one understood what I wanted, so they sent me full strength
flavors along with the Hazardous Materials information for the
more dangerous samples. I finally decided to contact a flavor
company within driving range. If they didn't understand what
I wanted, I could go there and explain it to them. I also needed
to find a company with a toll free phone number.
Development
Flavor Sciences Inc. of Stamford, CT, fit the bill and when
I spoke to the Product Development person, I knew I had the
right company. She listened carefully as I explained what I
needed and replied, "This makes so much sense. I can't
believe someone hasn't thought of it before". My research
had shown no one had thought of it so the development process
began. Joyce Kiley, the president of Flavor Sciences, was a
terrific help. In 2006 we began to work with Flavor & Fragrance
Specialties in Mahwah, New Jersey. Flavor & Fragrance Specialties
is now providing the flavors for our kits.
The Experts
My former instructors, Professor Paula Figoni, a food scientist
and author of How Baking Works, and Chef Elaine Cwynar, Associate
Professor, generously donated their time, knowledge and expertise
to evaluate the level and correctness of the flavor samples
as well as the specific herbs and spices to include in the basic
kit.
The Test
We tested a prototype at Johnson & Wales with 14 Advanced
Standing culinary students and four instructors. The kit was
a hit with students and teachers alike. Students were surprised
when they couldn't identify many of the flavors, though one
student did get 13 out of 14 correct, which encouraged us that
we had good flavor samples. Students also realized that knowing
and being able to identify the different flavors would enable
them to be more creative in their cooking and advance their
culinary careers. Teachers liked the kits because it made flavor
education fun and easy. One teacher commented, "I've tried
everything to get the students' attention; fresh herbs, infusions,
and here is the answer all in one box". Though the initial
test was successful, more development work needed to be done.
To make sure the method of using the kits was correct, we consulted
Rachel Herz, Ph. D., at Brown University Psychology, a leading
researcher in the field of olfaction. Though the initial lesson
guide was on the right track, Dr. Herz refined the process to
make it even more effective.
Where We Are Now
In 2006, Dr. Herz joined The Educated Palate as a full partner.
She is now Vice President of The Educated Palate and Head of
Developmental Research. Dr. Herz is heavily involved in creating
a children's game offshoot of our current kit as well as several
other kits for adult gourmands and aesthetes featuring new flavors
and perfume flavor notes.
The Products
The Basic kit consists of 25 flavors everyone should know. The
Master kit has 25 additional flavors to expand one's knowledge
base. We are currently working with Dr. Frank Tangle at Flavor
& Fragrance Specialties in Mahwah, NJ to develop other kits
such as ethnic blends, mystery flavors to deconstruct, and baking
and pastry flavors. Aromatic AcSCENTS is our upcoming perfume
flavor kit. It will feature five perfume flavor notes, new ones
can be added at any time, and a special guide book with suggestions
for how to create wonderful aromatic dishes with these novel
flavor ingredients. Using fine fragrance notes in the kitchen
is becoming a chic and delicious trend. Check out NPR's interview
with Chandler Burr, The New York Times Perfume Critic, on his
Perfume Dinner: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10506345&sc=emaf
What Can We Do For You?
The Educated Palate is interested in developing kits for people
with needs we have not yet recognized. Let us know how we can
help you.
Kathleen McCann
Founder
President
Dr. Rachel Herz
Vice President
Head of Developmental Research
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