Visually Impaired Advancement (VIA) of Western New York is committed to guiding people through vision loss and giving them the skills, confidence, and support to overcome their impairment. VIA’s prevocational summer program explores career pathways with high school students between the ages of 14 and 21. With a handful of aspiring culinarians in the group, VIA staff approached Rich’s about organizing a tour of the Buffalo, NY, world headquarter campus with the goal of increasing the students’ awareness of the various employment opportunities in food manufacturing. To provide a truly Rich experience, Rich’s associates planned and executed an enriching sensory event that exposed the students to the science of food and inspired deeper curiosity in the culinary industry.   

“Each summer we strive to present the students with new experiences, and we have never done anything like the sensory testing we did at Rich’s,” said Corrine Benosa, Director of Workforce Development, VIA WNY. “Rich’s put a great deal of care and thought into planning for our event and the result was a program that was 100% tailored to what we asked them to do. It was great, and the kids loved it!” 

Planning for the July event began in early January of 2023 when Daniela Gawel, Rich’s Community Engagement & Events Specialist, worked with Sensory Scientist Meghan Whyte and Sensory Technician Sue Carbone, members of Rich’s Research & Development Sensory Team, to adapt their Super Taster training program for the event to give the students a taste of careers in food science.  

“We wanted the event to be meaningful and engaging for the students,” said Daniela. “We worked with our partners at VIA to understand the unique needs of the students and then set out to create an experience that would be both accessible and educational.” 

Meghan describes the Super Taster training as a program delivered exclusively to Rich’s associates who are responsible for tasting and describing product – skills that don’t necessarily come naturally to everyone. The course was designed to help expand associates’ vocabulary when it comes to describing food products. To date, less than 100 Rich’s associates have had the benefit of experiencing this rare and unique sensory experience. And now, sixteen local high school students living with visual impairments are among this elite group of Super Tasters.  

The training guides participants through the process of smelling and tasting a selection of seasonings and spices. Typically, sample cups are labelled with numbers and responses are collected on a worksheet. To accommodate for the students’ varying visual impairments, cups were arranged in a grid pattern and VIA staff helped ensure each student had the correct sample in their hand. Then, the group engaged in an open discussion about aroma identification, the various flavor and textural attributes of the sample, and ultimately guessed at what they had just tried.   

“It was evident that the team at Rich’s put a lot of time into planning for our event,” said Corrine. “They ran their ideas past us and asked us if they would work, how they would be received, and what was the best way to present the experience. The attention to those details made for a very successful program for the students.”  

Throughout the presentation, Meghan and Sue took time to explain the different aspects of food manufacturing, including the role Rich’s Sensory Team plays in conducting product testing.  

“The students were so enthusiastic,” recalled Sue. “The noise and energy level in the room was very high. The students were engaged and curious. Best of all, everyone was able to fully partake in the experience and it was clear that they enjoyed themselves immensely.”  

The VIA summer program culminates in an experiential workplace placement. Corrine explained that the goal is to get the students placed in competitive work environments once they graduate. VIA Employment Specialists, like Angela Villota who attended the sensory event at Rich’s, support and prepare individuals with vision loss as they pursue their career aspirations. Angela also does extensive community outreach to identify and collaborate with employers as they onboard a visually impaired employee.  

“My primary goal is to find a client employment,” stated Angela. “The second piece of the puzzle is getting an employer who has never worked with a blind or visually impaired individual to agree to take the client because there are a lot of misconceptions out there.” 

Angela doesn’t make a point of telling people that she is legally blind and has a guide dog, but when she meets with business owners face-to-face, she knows the discovery makes an impression.  

Community engagement efforts like the visit to Rich’s also serve to remove barriers and cultivate understanding.  

“I learned a lot from the students; more than I anticipated,” Daniela reflected. “Interacting with them reminded me of how much we as humans can overcome in life. Their ability and enthusiasm were inspiring to me.” 

Rich’s approach to the VIA visit is reflective of the family-owned company’s Community Engagement efforts, which Daniela said are built around a commitment to meeting community members where they are. Rich’s strives to determine where there are challenges or gaps in the community, then endeavors to fill those spaces through collaboration, donation, allyship and activism.  

“It was very rewarding for me to be able to share a piece of what we do and see how special it can be for these students,” said Meghan. “I wasn’t expecting them to be so into it.”  

The students have already asked if they can go back to Rich’s, which Corrine says is just the kind of feedback she is looking for.  She went on to explain that “The phenomenal thing about working with kids is that you don’t have to wait to get a reaction. They will tell you right away what they like and don’t like.”  

Judging by the response, Sue is confident the experience will stick with the participants for a very long time. Her assurance is also rooted in the profound impact she felt from the event.  

“It really makes you stop and count your blessings and realize what you take for granted each day,” Sue remarked. “I was not expecting to walk away feeling so gratified.” 

If you’d like to learn more about VIA work in the WNY community, and to offer your support or get involved, visit VIAWNY.org/waystogive.