What does auditing business has to do with culinary, how can an airline security experience help in the kitchen and where do information systems can come in for a different culinary approach? Let me introduce myself, who did all of the above just to find my passion in the kitchen.
This is Shirley Kaston. Thanks to my curiosity I have a diverse background. My professional journey started when I received my degree in Economics. I was pretty good with numbers and had an eye for detail. Auditing was my thing. But I was born into an age that technology was the key, so I felt the urge dig deeper. I had to learn and become proficient in that field. That unsatisfied eagerness to learn followed by my Masters Degree in Information Systems. But all these educational efforts had to be financed. This is where my career in airline security came in. I was in my mid twenties and sleepless nights at the airport didn’t seem so bad to support my education and pay the bills. After three long years, I ran out of gas. My energy levels started to decline. But why? Was it malnutrition? What should I eat? How should I eat? Where were these things coming from anyway? As soon as these questions popped up in my head, guess what happened? I was at Culinary Arts Academy of Istanbul for my culinary training in 2012. All along the way I knew and dreamed that all these would come together for me to shape my future and hopefully the whole humankind.
I am currently studying in Food Innovation Program Master Program. My previous work experiences as a finance and administrative manager and an airline security officer / guard equipped me with different aspects of business and management skills, all of which i find them to be very useful in the kitchen as well. Through working as a finance / administrative manager I have a solid understanding of the stock systems, cost analysis of the product and pricing structures. Working at airline security, I have gained remarkable experience on direct human relations, service to guests, decision-making and working under pressure.
My personal interest and my challange for Food Innovation Program Global Mission is ‘Food Waste’.
My research will be focused on:
Phase 1, perception of food waste in different cultures and re-branding. Discovering the showcases for food waste in different countries.
Phase 2, how to teach the use of leftovers, damaged produce etc. in daily life.
Phase 3, dispersion of food waste along distribution and production process, development of new techniques to reduce