Bluegrass Ingredients, Inc., an R&D-based specialty food ingredients supplier, announced that Innovation Chef Grant Petersen has joined the company’s Agile Kitchen culinary team. The hire reportedly adds another chef with deep culinary and product development expertise to the Agile Kitchen at Bluegrass, a product development center and resource hub for acting on ever-evolving consumer food trends in close collaboration with food manufacturers.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Chef Grant to the team,” says Peter Losee, VP, marketing of Bluegrass Ingredients. “Our customers count on us to deliver innovative ingredient solutions, and Chef Grant has built his career on exactly that kind of collaboration. He joins a robust team of chefs, food scientists, and R&D pros in the Agile Kitchen, and we can’t wait to start bringing him in on customer projects – and taste all the great food he’ll be cooking.”

Petersen brings more than 25 years of culinary and food service experience to Bluegrass Ingredients, most recently serving as the Senior Culinary Specialist at The Mushroom Company. He has also held roles at Impossible Foods, Inc. and Meatless Farm. His expertise in vegetarian and vegan food options will support continued growth of Bluegrass’ plant-based ingredients portfolio, which includes a first-of-its-kind vegan-friendly "cheez" concentrate product.

“I’m so excited to be joining a team where there is a tremendous drive to innovate and solve the challenges the food industry has grappled with for years,” says Petersen. “The Agile Kitchen is a special space, and I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves alongside the team and working with our customers to create ingredients and products consumers love to eat.”

The Agile Kitchen at Bluegrass is a creative space that blends innovation and insights to deliver formulations and products that align with pressing consumer trends. The company’s incubator for advancing flavor, form, and function, the Agile Kitchen is staffed with food scientists and culinary experts who work directly with customers to craft tailored formulations. This commitment to innovation and market analysis is a cornerstone of the company’s Agile Ingredient Innovation service model, it says.

Related: Bluegrass Ingredients debuts new dairy concentrates