Canada’s Smartest Kitchen: a recipe for success at Holland College
From the Springboard Content Lab
We don’t often think of a kitchen as a laboratory or chefs as scientists.
But that’s exactly what is happening at Canada’s Smartest Kitchen (CSK): it is a state-of-the-art research and development kitchen that is on the cutting edge of innovation in the food and beverage industry.
As the R&D arm of The Culinary Institute of Canada, CSK is based at Holland College in Charlottetown, PEI.
Collaborations with local clients & industry
CSK’s multi-disciplinary research team includes chefs and food scientists with a wide range of clients from small-and-medium-sized food businesses and entrepreneurs to industry leaders such as the potato giant Cavendish Farms. They develop and market-test innovative food and beverage products, recipes and processes.
They work with the sensory sciences of taste, aroma and visual presentation to develop new recipes, provide research-based client consulting to improve production processes, as well as food styling and photography services for consumer marketing campaigns.
CSK’s team of research chefs is always on the lookout for the next big thing in food: they curate novel product flavours or reformulate client’s current SKUs to meet evolving consumer demand for healthy, sustainable and more clean-label food & beverage options.
Springboard Atlantic has been, and remains, a valued partner and resource for CSK at Holland College. From navigating ecosystem R&D opportunities to direct supports for activity in our centre, Springboard Atlantic has helped us grow in the agri/aqua food.
Tim McRoberts,
Director – Canada’s Smartest Kitchen
Here are a few collaborations:
Lobster dip hits the market – CSK worked with seafood processor Royal Star Foods to create a savory dip from lobster by-products. CSK researchers developed the dip recipe, sourced equipment and conducted sensory analysis before the dip was launched to consumer markets in December 2023. The value-added dip is considered sustainable because it maximizes lobster processing activity for the company and is sold in plastic-free packaging. Industry partner Royal Star says the lobster dip operations will extend the working time of 30-40 employees who will have two-to-three months of additional employment. The product was developed from underutilized lobster meat and shells which were processed with natural additives like lemon and garlic.
Cooking with kelp – CSK was a part of a collaborative research project with two community colleges and several industry partners in Atlantic Canada to study the availability, sustainability and culinary uses of kelp (seaweed) in high potential cultivation areas in Atlantic Canada. A team of product developers from CSK prototyped kelp recipes including bread, chips, crackers, pasta, and beverages such as a vegan Caesar and kombucha utilizing the kelp products. The research teams at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and College of the North Atlantic (CNA) in Newfoundland mapped kelp beds using remote sensing and underwater cameras to understand the harvest opportunities and potential to set up kelp farms. This project came together with guidance and support from the respective college IEPs.
Exciting beverage innovations – CSK product developers have worked with Deep Roots Distillery, an innovative family-run business in rural Prince Edward Island on a number of product line iterations and launches over a multi-year partnership. Some of the award-winning SKUs include locally flavoured liqueurs, Spiced Apple and Blueberry, as well as an oyster enhanced Ocean Pearl Vodka, a vibrant Limoncello, and a ready-to-drink (RTD) canned Island Mule. CSK also provides fee for service supports including event services highlighting Deep Roots locally made products, and alcohol by volume (ABV) testing for a number of their market line items on an ongoing basis.
Healthy options to support students and food security – CSK has been contracted over a number of years and projects with PEI School Foods Inc., a not-for-profit organization tasked with running the province wide school food program for Grades K – 12 in Prince Edward Island. CSK’s product development chefs provide services including menu development, meeting the nutritional requirements as well as taste preferences for the target youth population; as well food styling & photography, for menu promotion and social media purposes; and consulting services, reviewing the food preparation hubs across the province to report on quality assurances and food transport processes.
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Springboard Atlantic is a network of 19 colleges and universities specializing in research commercialization and industry-led research in Atlantic Canada. It is supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency , Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and member institutions.