BRINGING FOOD TO LIFE AND LIFE TO FOOD

 
 
 

creatING meaningful
 brand experiences through...
food. culture. design.

Food experiences are continually evolving across the globe as tradition meets innovation. Vinessa sees and understands the deep relationship between people and food that exists everywhere — the everyday rituals of food creation that bring people together, and inspire families and communities to put quality food at the heart of the way we live.   

Vinessa specializes in brand + food innovation, working with global agencies, fresh start-ups, and seasoned brands. Through immersing ourselves in food cultures, taking clients on culinary journeys, and interpreting insights via a cultural and business lens, Vinessa fosters and grows fresh ideas from seed to fruition including concept and creation, brand expression, brand experience, and brand packaging through to commercialization. With an approach to brand + food innovation, the focus is put back on people using a methodology rooted in the belief that the culinary journey is as important as the destination.

 
 

Food doesn't just sustain life, it enhances and celebrates it. 

Food is joy, integrally woven into the fabric of culture and life, more than just flavor or sustenance – an experience. It’s about the senses — from the aromas, the colors and shapes of ingredients, the sounds of cooking, and the textures. Food provides an opportunity to experience different cultures, to recall memories, to respect traditions, and enjoy time with others. 

Food innovation is more than a process or product; it’s about people and their diverse perspectives, expertise, and experiences. Vinessa partners with clients to continually understand, challenge and transform the way we create and experience food, by enabling audiences to enjoy and benefit from the transformative power of food.

 

Areas of Focus
Culinary Strategy + Branding
Concept Ideation  
Product Innovation  
Menu/Recipe Development
Product Workshops

 
 

Food products need to be wrapped in well designed stories.

Stories reveal details of the provenance and development of food products, and celebrate the craft skills and leaps of imagination that shape their present form. Vinessa guides clients to create new ways of breathing life into this kind of food-knowledge-sharing, and help broaden palates and differentiate brands.  

Getting hands-on with the history of what they’re producing. Re-discovering the roots of their brands. Refreshing the potential of what they can do. Restoring the essence of their purpose.

 

Areas of Focus  
Cultural + Culinary Journeys
Global Research + Discovery
Consumer Insights
Food Anthropology
'Meet the Makers' Workshops

 
 

Design is storytelling at its most engaging. 

Design is a language. It is through design that meaning and intention are interpreted and transformed into a live experience, whether expressed via culinary, sensorial, physical, or digital. Design-driven strategy and innovation are enlisted to architect memorable experiences for brands that inspire people to explore and invent.

Vinessa helps brands confident enough to create food that will stand out — not just the short-term buzz of a new launch. We craft well-designed and articulated stories that are deep enough to inspire ongoing conversations with audiences, creating interest and engagement. 

Areas of Focus   
Client Engagement
Brand Strategy + Brand Design
Branded Spaces
Package Design   
Experience Design 

 
 
 
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About Vinessa

 

When your family history is so steeped in the joy of cooking, it’s inevitable that you will become a champion of food as a positive force within society. Based in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood—one of the leading culinary capitals in the US—and sharing time in the UK & Italy, Vinessa DePinto has built a career over 20 years as a leading food thinker and doer, collaborating with global partners. She is a Global Brand Innovation leader with a passion for design-driven innovation. Vinessa is a classically trained pastry chef, Slow Food Ambassador, culinary entrepreneur, and guide of global food cultures. She works at the heart of brand innovation, strategy, and design, driving cultural transformation that builds design-integrated organizations. Her work in Humanities/Humanistic studies is the foundation of her approach to creating life-centered brand experiences.

She started her career assisting a food photographer working on food & beverage brands, before joining a manufacturer of custom packaging for global food, spirits, and health & beauty brands. All of this led to her desire to create new brand products and experiences from concept to manufacturing and commercialization. She has staffed and led account, strategy, and creative teams in brand agencies, and worked in the US, UK and Italy over the course of her career.

Vinessa believes food isn’t just life-giving, it is life-changing. It’s a tool for change that too many brands fail to grasp. With Vinessa, food brands can achieve their full potential — reaching across cultures and generations, inspiring, empowering, and connecting people.

 
 
 
 

Trusted relationships create lasting COLLABORATIONS.

Established brands, fresh start-ups and global agencies call on Vinessa for special initiatives that require a combined brand + food innovation methodology, and holistic approach to brand expression and brand experience.

Vinessa curates subject matter experts when clients require additional specialization from designers, photographers, writers, chefs, public relations consultants, strategists, filmmakers, digital technologists, contract food manufacturers, packaging engineers, product designers, and select strategic brand design agencies. 

 

Vinessa has collaborated with a variety of global agencies, fresh start-ups, and seasoned brands over the last 20 years.

 
 

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