From Line Cook to Lab: Can Plant Fats Taste Like Meat? Ft. Ernesto R. Vecilla

🎙️ EP193 — Ernesto R. Vecilla, R&D chef at Nourish Ingredients, breaks down how fermentation is engineering plant fats to nail the taste, texture, and mouthfeel of real animal meat, plus what pushed him to trade the line for a lab coat and chase flavor through food tech instead.

🎧 In This Episode:

🔬 From Restaurant Line to R&D Lab

🧪 What Precision Fermentation Actually Is

🥩 Making Fungi-Derived Fat Taste Like Meat

🧀 Cracking the Code on Dairy Alternatives

📅 A Day in the Life of an R&D Chef

🌍 Why Cows Can't Feed 10 Billion People

🍺 The Bioreactor Is Just a Beer Vat

🦠 The Cheesecake That Grew Its Own Mold

👨‍🍳 Growing Up in His Father's Michelin Kitchen

🇯🇵 Narisawa, Discipline, and Kitchen Chaos in Tokyo