Why a Former Nestlé Food Scientist Chose Local Roots - The Food Corridor

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June 12, 2026

Kitchen Spotlights

Why a Former Nestlé Food Scientist Chose Local Roots

Emily Satterlee

After years developing products for some of the world’s largest food companies, Christine found herself drawn back to the kind of food she grew up with: fresh, locally produced, and rooted in community.

The Butterfinger recipe she still remembers

Christine can still recite the Butterfinger recipe from memory.

Years ago, she worked in research and development for Nestlé International, helping create products for one of the world’s largest food companies. Armed with a master’s degree in food science, she built a career at industry giants like Nestlé and ConAgra, developing food products at a scale most people never see.

But the further she advanced in corporate food, the more the work increasingly felt at odds with her personal values.

"It just didn’t align with how I was living my life," Christine says. "I was buying food at farmers markets but then making things that I wouldn’t feed my own family."

That tension eventually led her somewhere entirely different: a small food co-op in Wooster, Ohio called Local Roots Market & Café.

Growing up with a different relationship to food

Long before she worked in corporate food, Christine learned about food around her family’s table.

Her mother cooked from scratch. Her father maintained a large garden. Tomatoes, salsa, and pasta sauce were canned and preserved at home. She loved cooking so much that she nearly attended culinary school before ultimately discovering food science.

After years working in the food industry, Christine stepped away from her career for thirteen years to raise her four children. During that time, she became a personal trainer and grew increasingly interested in health and wellness.

The experience reinforced values she had learned growing up. Food was not simply something to manufacture. It was something that could improve health, strengthen communities, and bring people together.

Finding a mission she could believe in

About five years ago, Christine accepted a role as Kitchen and Catering Manager at Local Roots Market & Café.

What began as a way for local farmers and producers to sell food year-round has grown into something much bigger. Today, Local Roots includes a local foods market stocked with products from regional producers, a café featuring rotating chefs and cuisines, and a shared-use commercial kitchen that helps entrepreneurs launch and grow food businesses.

For Christine, it offered something she hadn’t found in the corporate food world: the chance to see the direct impact of her work on the people and community around her.

The move required a significant sacrifice.

When she joined Local Roots, Christine says she was only earning roughly one-third of the salary she had made in the big food industry.

The pay cut was significant, but she doesn’t regret it.

"It made up for it," she says. "This is an amazing place with super personalities, and nobody’s here for the paycheck."

Christine manages both our Commercial and Café Kitchens. She also creates dishes with her trusty kitchen-side-kick Jen (who we also love!), often from her own or family recipes to sell in our coolers and freezers. This allows us to supplement to-go food options from our other chefs and producers and utilize produce that we may have in excess in the market.<br>A market built around local producers

The market remains the heart of Local Roots.

Founded in 2009 by local farmers and food producers, the co-op was created to give the Wooster community access to local food beyond the seasonal farmers market. More than fifteen years later, customers can still shop for produce, meats, dairy products, baked goods, artisan products, and prepared foods sourced from regional producers.

For many Ohio food entrepreneurs, the market provides an important first retail outlet and a direct connection to customers.

A café that helps food entrepreneurs build an audience

One of the most unique parts of Local Roots is its rotating-chef café. Each day features a different chef and cuisine. Customers might find Indian food one day, Korean fusion the next, or Tanzanian specialties later in the week.

Christine sees Local Roots Café as an important stepping stone. Instead of immediately investing in a food truck or restaurant, entrepreneurs can test recipes, gather feedback, and build a loyal customer base. It gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to prove their concept before taking on the expense and risk of opening their own location.

A commercial kitchen designed for growth

The commercial kitchen opened in 2014 and now supports roughly 20 to 25 food businesses at a time. Some members use the space a few times each month to produce specialty products. Others operate there almost daily as they build full-time businesses.

Christine says The Food Corridor’s shared...