The Burgeoning Palate is a blog created by me, classically trained Chef and Sensory Analyst (Professional Food Taster) Chaquita Johnson-Moore.
I started this journey in my grandmother’s kitchen during the holidays. When I was younger my responsibilities didn’t go beyond washing dishes and running to the fridge for extra eggs or milk. The tasks became more complex as I grew older and more determined to show that I could be trusted with the important parts i.e. desserts.
Baking was a nice hobby and occasional extra income until I entered culinary school in the Fall of 2006 at L’Ecole Culinaire in St. Louis, MO. There I learned classic styles that fine-tuned my skills and narrowed my attention to cakes and pastries. For my internship, I joined the Pastry Department at Lumiere Casino in downtown St. Louis gaining experience with large production and multiple site fulfillment.
In March 2010 I started as a Sensory Analyst at Solae (now Dow DuPont) in their R&D Health and Nutrition Department. I analyze the world of food (ingredients, nutrition bars/shakes, meats, dairy, etc.) using the Sensory Spectrum Method. During this time I decided to start The Burgeoning Palate to talk about food at a more personal, consumer level. To give my opinion about the restaurants and products that we all experience but from a more trained perspective.
