Alumni
Spicing Up the Culinary World
CINDY GILBERT ’95
As McCormick & Company’s culinary development manager, Chef Cindy Gilbert ’95 is the creative force behind recipes enjoyed by millions. Gilbert’s culinary adventure surprisingly began not in a kitchen but at Christie’s Auction House in New York City. Immersed in the city’s vibrant culture, the art history major discovered a new passion that would ultimately reshape her career.
“New York City has a pretty robust food scene,” said Gilbert. “It was there that I decided to transition into the food industry.” With that revelation, she pivoted from fine art to fine dining.
Eager to dive into her newfound calling, Gilbert relocated to Boston, where she split her time between an internship at America’s Test Kitchen and night shifts as a line cook at an upscale seafood restaurant. The dual experience offered valuable insights into meticulous recipe development and the fast-paced restaurant industry.
“It showed me that restaurants are definitely not for me,” Gilbert admitted. “It was the recipe development side of things from America’s Test Kitchen that I fell in love with because it speaks to my type A personality that loves the minutiae and why this works or doesn’t work.”
Determined to hone her skills further, Gilbert returned to New York to study at the Institute of Culinary Education. Her career blossomed with positions in the test kitchens at “Good Housekeeping” and “Family Circle” before she joined McCormick in 2014.
Gilbert’s role at McCormick is wideranging. She develops recipes for product packaging and the company’s website, coordinates photo shoots, and ensures that home cooks experience McCormick’s flavors at their finest, just as the company’s food scientists intended. Her influence extends to product innovation and high-profile campaigns, including the buzzworthy French’s mustard ice cream she helped develop for National Mustard Day in 2019.
“New York City has a pretty robust food scene. It was there that I decided to transition into the food industry.”
Gilbert has been influential in popular licensing collaborations like Old Bay Seasoning Goldfish and Frank’s RedHot Goldfish. This season, she’s especially excited about the launch of new holiday finishing sugars. “Working on those big holiday campaigns is really, really fun,” she said.
Through it all, Gilbert finds deep satisfaction in her work: “I love my job because it allows me to have a real, tangible impact on people’s lives — helping them enjoy life more through the food we eat and the meals we share.”
