Ingenuity - New Orleans City Business

Chef John FolseReviving culinary innovations from Louisiana’s pastFive years ago, Chef John Folse beganresearch on an encyclopedia of Creoleand Cajun cuisine.He went back into the history ofLouisiana and uncovered some surprisingfacts.In the 1600s, Louisiana was a thrivingproducer of olives and inthe 1700s, cheese makersflourished throughoutNew Orleans.Location: Gonzales“There were cheeseCEO: John Folsestands and cheese marketsrun by the French,Spanish and Germanseverywhere,” Folse said.“It made sense that thesecultures that were greatcheese makers in the Old World naturallywould want to bring some of that to theNew World.”Folse began experimenting with the OldWorld cheeses prevalent in the early days ofLouisiana and became confident thatcheese making could thrive in the state.In 2000, Folse built a cheese plant inGonzales, named it BittersweetPlantation, and less than two years laterproduced his first Creole cream cheese.Bittersweet Plantation, one of theGeneScan USACompany capitalizes on demand for accurate food labelingThe rest of the world’s queasiness aboutgenetically modified food is Louisiana’sgain. The country’s leading testing facilityfor genetically modified organisms inprocessed food, GeneScan USA, has itsheadquarters in Jefferson Parish.GeneScan USA began when theRussell Marine Group bought CentralAnalytical Laboratories in an effort towork on food chemistry and food analysis.After this, the RussellMarine Group formed apartnership with aGerman entity calledGeneScan in 1999. Thetrio of companies generatesbetween $15 millionand $20 million in annualrevenues.GeneScan usesapplied molecular biology to authenticateingredients in processed foods. Forexample, if a buyer purchases sausagemeat and wants to make sure there isnothing like horse meat in the sausage,GeneScan can perform tests to authenticatethe ingredients.One of the main services GeneScanprovides for its clients is to test forgenetic modifications in food. TheName: Chef John Folse & Co.Product: Resurrectingtraditional and artisanalcheeses oncecommon in Louisiana.Name: GeneScanLocation: MetairiePresident: Mike RussellService: Test food forgenetically modifiedorganisms.only specialty artisan dairies inLouisiana and the only chef-owneddairy in the United States, createsCreole cream cheese and two varietiesof fromage triple cream cheese.Folse is expanding the product linewith goat cheeses, cottage cheese, fetacheese, butter and yogurt.Bittersweet Plantationproducts are marketed inthe food industry, retailshops, supermarkets andhigh-end grocery stores,and distributed nationally.In 2003, BittersweetPlantation earned$500,000 in product revenuesand expects to doublethat in 2004.Folse says the real obstacle to makingcheese here was the lack of knowledge.“In the 1800s, the Louisiana cheeseindustry disappeared. People whocraved the real Old World flavors wereable to import cheese from Europe, sothe small farmers who converted theirexcess milk into cheese saw no need tocontinue producing. This made localexpertise difficult to find.”Folse networked with cheese makersEuropean Union has strict regulationsstating that all genetically modified substances(DNA or proteins) must beaccurately labeled. GeneScan performstests for American clients that sell foodin the European Union as well asEuropean food processors who useAmerican ingredients. As geneticallymodified food becomes more commonplace,GeneScan’s services becomeincreasingly valuable tofood processors.GeneScan is located inMetairie and employs 75highly skilled workers in arecently renovated 22,000-square-foot laboratory.“Since we startedbusiness here, we arethe largest genetic modificationlab in North America,” saidMike Russell, company president.Not only is GeneScan located inMetairie, but 80 percent of itsemployees have been educated atLouisiana institutions. GeneScanalso conducts testing and suppliesanalytical data for Louisiana StateUniversity food science professors.Russell said two factors setChef John Folse is on a mission to revive Louisiana’s heritage as a center for artisanal cheeses.around the country and took a course instate but across the country,” Folse said.in cheese making at Washington State “This state is known for great food andUniversity.innovation, and if we can market ourFolse hopes Bittersweet Plantation product and get the message out, tie it towill help the struggling local dairy farmersby introducing a new line of products country will once again look to Louisianaour culture and history, the rest of theto the marketplace.as a great producer of cheese.”“We should see a new excitement inLouisiana cheese products not only—-Richard A. WebsterGeneScan’s laboratories in Metairie use molecular biology to test for genetically modified organismsin processed foods.GeneScan apart from competitors.One is the company’s technical superiority,thanks to a large, state-of-theartresearch and development facilityin Berlin. Second, Russell said thetop-notch customer service offeredby GeneScan anticipates and meetsindividual needs for each specificcompany it serves. Russell’s motto oncustomer service is simple: “Keep’em happy.”In the future, GeneScan hopes to keepits place at the top of the American bioengineeringfield while developing andapplying new technical advances in thefield of molecular biology.•—-Fritz Esker2004 Innovator of the Year 11A