NONA Vegan Foods Inc.: Food Service Research & Prototype Development of Vegan Soy Based Pasta Sauces

George Brown College’s Food Innovation and Research Studio (FIRSt) is collaborating with NONA Vegan Foods Inc. (NONA) in food service research and prototype development project, for new frozen nut-free versions of their current cashew based cheesy and alfredo retail products. Kailey Gilchrist, owner of NONA, is a returning client of FIRSt’s, and is now interested in growing her company into the food service space. Principal Investigator Robert McCurdy, M.Sc., Senior Food Scientist, FIRSt, will use his extensive industry experience to complete this project, while working with a student from George Brown College’s Culinary Arts program. Work plan: gather industry data from current clients and new potential clients in the foodservice sector; analyze the current recipe and cooking methodology to determine if FIRSt can overcome the technical uncertainties of this new and novel product; development and refinement of nut-free sauces provided by NONA into the most serviceable packaging and delivery formats; Provide processing and storage recommendations on the developed formulations and provide final quality documentation to NONA for deliverable sign off and project completion. Upon completion of the project, FIRSt is aiming to provide NONA with primary industry data, 2 new prototypes, processing and storage recommendations.