Meet UNISG Alumna Christina Gutiérrez-Williams, Director of Culinary Development at a meal delivery company

What brought you to UNISG for the Master in Food Culture, Communication & Marketing? What was your path before it?
I had devoted most of my teens and early twenties to cooking, catering, writing & testing recipes, learning about nutrition and sustainability related to food, working in agriculture, and conducting food-related research. I knew that I'd gotten hands-on experience cooking, working for food policy and public health NGOs, and even doing business analysis for the grocery division of a large retailer in the U.S. Still, I didn't feel like I'd done enough to learn about food on a global scale and what businesses were doing to try to address the issues surrounding malnutrition and public health outcomes, and the sustainability of our food system. I wanted to get a better sense of how businesses can help respond to consumer demands for better, cleaner, fairer and more sustainable food choices, and also help shape people's food choices by making the most delicious, nutritious choice, also the most sustainable one. Through an Italian professor I had at my undergraduate alma mater, I was connected to a professor who was working at UNISG, and the rest is history. I met with students and professors who showed me what a special place UNISG is, and knew that I wanted to be a part of it. Additionally, I applied for the Casten Family Fulbright Fellowship and received the award, which made my decision to attend UNISG the following year an easy one. 

What values and enrichments has the Master in Food Culture, Communication & Marketing left you with, and how do you apply them in your job every day?
I am Director of Culinary Development at Thistle, a meal delivery company specialising in fresh, plant-forward, prepared meals delivered directly to customers' doors. I manage a team of recipe developers, nutritionists and project managers and oversee new dish ideation, menu development, recipe writing & testing, and new product launches. I oversee the launch of hundreds of innovative, globally-inspired, plant-forward breakfast options, lunches, dinners and snacks using local ingredients at their peak of seasonality every year for our direct-to-consumer business, as well as leading longer-term research & development, benchmark testing, and co-manufacturer relationships for different product lines. 

I learned so much about food on a global scale during my Master, specifically how to think about more sustainable food systems and how people around the world are employing both traditional and new-age methods to address issues of climate change, food justice, and public health. I also loved the opportunity to learn about so many food-adjacent topics I had never delved into before, including philosophy, chemistry, food writing and photography.

What advice do you give to someone seeking a career in gastronomy nowadays?
Continue to lead with curiosity and a desire to learn more. Immerse yourself in topics you're unfamiliar with and challenge yourself to try new things - you may just be surprised by what aspects of the gastronomic world end up speaking to you most. I didn't go into my Master's program assuming I would end up working for a food startup, but I am happy to say that I just hit my 4-year anniversary of working at Thistle this month!