A Day in the Life of a Culinologist: Hayley Bell

What’s your role at CuliNEX?

I’m not sure that anyone just has one role here at CuliNEX. While most of my days consist of making deliciousness on the bench and formulating new products, I also taking part in our marketing endeavors. Follow us on social media for all the latest industry news and food puns you will ever need!

To start your morning: coffee or tea?

A spot of tea will do the trick! But coffee on the days when adulting is too hard.

What’s a typical day look like for you?

My days vary from one to the next; whether it’s a full day of benchtop production, or some quality desk time spent on ingredient documentation, I always look forward to 9:30am when I get to relax, chat and laugh with my team at Fika, our daily coffee break.

Emily Munday

What kinds of projects are you working on right now?

I’m currently challenging the world of retort, and am trying to make great tasting products that still look good after a pretty rough round of processing. I’m also about to start a project with insects so, watch out world.

Emily Munday

What’s your favorite part of the development process?

Concepting. It’s literally SO fun. One of my favorite days at CuliNEX consisted of the team brainstorming ideas for a new client. We did a lot of different creative exercises and came up with some funky dishes! Everyone brings something different to the table, so it’s cool to blend all of our ideas and expertise.

What’s the best part of your job?

Though crossing paths with weird and tasty products daily is kind of the dream, CuliNEX wouldn’t be so successful without the people here. We work really hard, but know when it’s necessary to crack a beer, or two.

Emily Munday

What do you snack on at work?

Whatever is around. Hannah and Katie have been working on these ridiculously good cookies so I usually take the rejects and call it breakfast.

Emily Munday

What’s your “secret” for efficient benchtop development?

Having a plan before you start anything! It’s really easy to lose track and get frazzled, so knowing your game plan will help you create a winning product. My future secret is intense note taking and organization, but I’m still working on that.

Outside of the office, what do you do for fun?

I take care of a lot of different dogs, so usually whatever they want to do. We tend to go on lots of walks and adventures. I also enjoy reading, putting myself through “Chopped” challenges, and watching reality TV (#BachelorNation).

Hayley Bell