Culinology - September 2020 - 32

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Fulfilling an early ambition
Ms. Martey was certainly ahead of the
curve with her goal of becoming a product
developer early in her career. She received
her bachelor's in food science from the
University of Wisconsin-Stout with a minor
in food technology, and an associate's of
occupational studies culinary arts degree
from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in
Hyde Park, NY.
"I wanted to get into food product
development all my life, and I did my
internship with an ingredient company after
the CIA to confirm that my path was in R&D,"
she said. "I went back into restaurants for
several years because I wanted to be a
head chef and understand the nuances and
dynamics of running my own kitchen and be
able to speak with authority about that side of
the industry."
She worked as a manager at a casual
restaurant chain and served as head
executive chef at Rico y Rico restaurant
in Maryland. Under her tenure, the
establishment was named one of the "20
to Watch" restaurants two years in a row by
Washingtonian magazine, as well as the "Best
of Gaithersburg, Md."
She said not many women of color
were executive chefs then or even
product developers.
"There are more women in the industry
now than 20 years ago, and also more

African-American women," she said. "I
encourage more women of color to enter
the field. It's a wonderful industry. I love my
job's creativity, and I like using flavor with
food to create something unforgettable."
Ms. Martey recently received her
Certified Research Chef certification (CRC)
from the Research Chefs Association
(RCA). She has been a member of RCA
for almost 20 years and served on its
conference planning committee this year.
"The RCA has made great strides in
bringing credibility and establishing what
R&D chefs do as a legitimate profession,
raising salaries and providing visibility," she
said. "I even applied for and received a job
in the past through the RCA job list. And
I use Culinology every day in everything
I do."
When not at work, Ms. Martey said she
likes to travel, enjoys live music, movies and
amateur photography. She volunteers on
the board of directors at the University of
Wisconsin-Stout and is on the Restaurant
and Hospitality Advisory Committee of
the Delaware County Community College.
"A good education was strongly instilled
in me growing up, and I am a passionate
supporter of lifelong learning," she said.
For Ms. Martey, being a research chef is
all about taking those lessons learned and
sharing them through her work and with
others. *

From a family of foodies
Lauren Martey said eating is a lifelong hobby, so
she is definitely in the right profession as a research
chef.
"I come from a family that loves great food," she
said. "My mom and grandmother were masterful
cooks and are of West-African heritage. I never
met my grandfather, but my uncle told me he was
a confectioner in Ghana. I'm not sure what kind of
candy he created, but Ghana is known for cocoa,
so it wouldn't surprise me if it were that."
Two of the Ghanaian dishes her family enjoys
preparing are her mother's jollof rice - a West-

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Culinology | SEPTEMBER 2020

African dish similar to paella - and kelewele - a
fried, sweet plantain with Red Red, black-eyed peas
with red palm oil.
Chef Martey not only enjoys foods from her WestAfrican heritage, but also memorabilia. "I collect
art - usually carvings and paintings - from several
African countries, frequently from Ghana," she said.
"One of my personal favorites is a Ghanaian Ashanti
stool that you can sit on, and I tend to be drawn to
photographs of African women carrying items on
their heads."

Culinology - September 2020

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