Food Innovation Studio
About me.
I build things.
Slowly enough to be right.
Fast enough to matter.
I’m Ilse.
Food scientist by training.
Strategic by experience.
Curious by nature.
Founder at heart.
My work has taken me through R&D labs, kitchens, corporate rooms and start-ups. Different environments, but always drawn to the same point: where ideas begin to take shape.
I enjoy that phase. The uncertainty, the possibilities, the need to make choices.
That's where I do my best work.
My professional foundation
I started my career in food science and microbiology.
Over the past 20 years, I've worked in R&D, product development and innovation, building expertise in fermentation, ingredient functionality, sensory exploration, long-term research and innovation strategy.
Later, my work expanded into innovation consultancy, helping companies identify opportunities, define innovation strategies and translate ideas into concrete development projects.
Those years taught me how ideas behave: scientifically, technically and commercially.
And how much clarity is needed before they can move forward.
How Bureau·Cuisine evolved
While building my career in the food industry, I founded Bureau/Cuisine in 2017 as a way to give my entrepreneurial side room to grow.
For years, it was a physical kitchen studio, workspace and creative venue where people came to cook, meet, work, create and explore. COVID changed a lot. Creative projects became fewer. The business model shifted and moved toward permanent rental.
By the end of 2024, I decided to sell the building. It wasn't an easy decision. I had put my heart into that place. At the same time, I chose to fully focus on the work that had become the common thread throughout my career: building food innovation.
So the slash became a dot: Bureau·Cuisine. No longer a physical place, but an innovation studio where food science, entrepreneurship and the urge to build new ideas come together.
Building ventures
Building a venture is different from advising one.
I learned that first-hand as part of the founding team of B3ET, a start-up developing bio-based materials from apple wood.
It taught me what it really means to build a science-driven venture: creating a technology roadmap, securing funding, building partnerships and making tough decisions, including recognising when an idea is no longer viable, no matter how much you believe in it.
Today, I'm building FabaFusion, where I apply those lessons to develop sustainable food ingredients from local pulses. It continues to sharpen how I approach innovation: validating assumptions, making trade-offs, securing funding, finding the right partners, and knowing what to do next.
That's the perspective behind every project I take on through Bureau·Cuisine.
A short professional snapshot
20+ years in food R&D and innovation means I’ve seen the full lifecycle of a product, from the first petri dish in the lab to the final pallet in the warehouse.
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With a PhD in Food Microbiology, I provide the scientific depth needed to de-risk your concept, while my track record in venture building and public funding ensures we stay focused on what is commercially viable and fundable.
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I’ve worked across corporate, start-up and research environments, which allows me to cut through complexity and support clearer, better-timed decisions.
Working together
I work hands-on and stay closely involved.
Sometimes as a sparring partner to unlock direction.
Sometimes as a builder to help carry the work forward.
Often somewhere in between, as the project evolves.
Outside the work
When I’m not working, you’ll likely find me outdoors, travelling, running, dining or exploring places quiet enough to think.
Curiosity doesn’t switch off.
It just changes shape.
