Jamie Kistinger, Merrillville, IN

Everyone has to eat in order to survive, but I believe that what a person eats has a lot to say about who they are. I was drawn to this project in part because of my summer internship. As a marketing intern at Jarden Home Brands and part of the fresh preserving team, I was constantly learning old-fashioned methods of preserving food through hands-on experience and research. I also learned an extensive amount of knowledge about fresh foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and herbs and spices, and ways to be healthier by using these fresh ingredients. I am now a regularly producer and consumer of freezer jam, thanks to this education.

Consuming the same foods all the time can be repetitive and boring, and I always try to choose a variety of foods for my diet. I am no expert with food, but I guess I would consider myself a foodie because I enjoy food a lot. There are not many foods that I do not like, and I am willing to try everything once, even if it does not sound appetizing, such as escargot. The thought of eating snails is not too appealing, and the taste is not appealing either. However, I do enjoy what some people would consider exotic foods, such as sushi. It is hard for me to choose just one favorite food, but I never say no to Chinese or Italian food.

The Food Network is probably the television channel I watch the most. My favorite shows are “Paula’s Home Cooking,” “Everything Italian,” and “Ace of Cakes.” I recently made a dessert for my roommate’s birthday I learned how to make from Paula. Although these are my favorites, I will watch almost anything, like “Showdown with Bobby Flay” and “Unwrapped,” but I do not enjoy anything with Rachael Ray. I never get bored watching the chefs create new dishes or learning about how food is made or how it originated.

Because of my internship, I have been involved with a wide variety of marketing activities, such as sales promotions, brand imaging and the importance of packaging, research, benchmarking, and segmenting consumers, to name a few. I am interested in learning about food, and I believe I am capable of completing what is required of this project.