RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Katie McKenna '04"Who ever heard of loving Monday? It's crazy!" What kind of career inspires such enthusiasm? For baking and pastry arts graduate Katie McKenna, it's her new position as manager of bakery development for Panera Bread. "I love my job so much that I'm almost giddy about it," she says. "I'm so passionate about baking."

In the test kitchen and through visits to the cafés, Katie works to improve and update Panera's bakery selection, from breads to scones to cookies. "We want to have fresh offerings to keep people guessing and keep them coming back," she says. "It's our job to create phenomenal new products, not just good products."

—Katie McKenna '04
Manager of Bakery Development
Panera Bread
Franklin, MA

 

Explore the world of research and development and use your baking and pastry skills to identify new product concepts, conduct research to develop new products, and modify existing products in creative ways. The research and development chef will typically work in a test kitchen applying the principles of food processing, food science, and culinary/baking and pastry arts to plan and execute product development from concept and costing to final production and reporting. Successful R&D professionals will communicate effectively with clients to assess their needs and make recommendations, and must be knowledgeable about new technologies and trends in the field.

 

A sample of CIA Alumni in this field:

 
 
 
 
 
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