Canada 
Alberta 
British Columbia 
Manitoba
New Brunswick 
Newfoundland Labrador 
Nova Scotia 
Ontario 
Prince Edward Island 
Quebec 
Saskatchewan 
United States 
Belgium
France 
Italy 
Switzerland
Elsewhere
Elsewhere
×
Elsewhere
Elsewhere
Photo: Vincent, our technical director, in the middle of a cooking session
Vincent Crête, our Technical Director with an Unusual Background
Many of you have been curious to learn more about the SOSCuisine team. Behind the website, recipes, newsletter and professional services, there is a multitude of talent and expertise to inspire you and help you to eat better. This week, we introduce Vincent, our technical director (and most tenured employee!) at SOSCuisine.
What does your career background look like?
I have a rather special background! I defy anyone to find someone in Quebec who has had a similar trajectory (laughs). I completed a DEC in computer science, but I knew when I left that I didn’t want to do just that. So, I also took courses in business creation. In addition, I already had a parallel video game project underway with some colleagues. So, in order to complete my bachelor’s degree at the University of Montreal, I chose courses that best fit my interests. Since I already had an interest in ancient civilizations, but there was no certificate available in anthropology, I chose the one that most resembled it: religious sciences! So, yes, I ended up having a joint bachelor’s degree that includes a certificate in religious sciences.
How did you end up on the SOSCuisine team?
In 2011, my video game project turned out to be unsuccessful. I also had my new family to look after, so I started looking for a job and saw that SOSCuisine was hiring. I knew that I could help with the technical aspects, so I applied. I often say that I got the job because I brought apple cookies to the interview to try to bribe Cinzia (laughs)! Apart from my internship, I had never worked in the IT field at that point and had zero experience as a developer. It’s really SOSCuisine that gave me my start in the field. I am now the most senior employee of the company. Not in age, but in length of time working at SOSCuisine.
What do your days at SOSCuisine look like as a technical director ?
Basically, I am responsible for the entire SOSCuisine IT fleet, so I make sure that the site and all its different facets work. Whether it’s our dynamic pages like the My Menu page, or recipes, emails, newsletters, etc. I fix bugs and help with customer support if our members run into technical problems. In other words, it’s my job to analyze, find and fix problems. I also participate in the development of the company, so there is a lot of project analysis to do, whether for a new menu or a partnership, for example. I like the atmosphere of working for a small company like SOSCuisine. Everyone puts their hand in the dough and bring their pinch of salt so to speak (laughs).
What are the challenges you face as a technical director ?
There are technical challenges, ofcourse, but one of the big challenges is to be able to anticipate what the next new developments will be. Computer software is constantly being updated. There is always a search for new technologies. In addition, as everything is now interconnected on the Internet, we can no longer just do things our own way: we have to follow the river even if we are a small company. We have members from all over the world, which is great, but it also comes with the challenge of following the legal regulations and being up to date all over the world. The Internet is amazing and strange at the same time!
Vincent in the kitchen
If I were a food, I would be… flour! There’s flour in everything I love in life: if you give me a cake, a cookie, a croissant or a pie, I can’t say no.
My culinary specialty is… desserts. I think I have 40 cake pans and chocolate molds at my home.
In my kitchen, I avoid … products or brands that can harm the environment or cause deforestation, for example.
My preferred SOSCuisine recipe … Quick “Semifreddo” with Macaroons, a kind of Italian ice-cream .
Quick “Semifreddo” with Macaroons
Author
A graduate of UQAM and the University of Montreal, Émilie has been a freelance communications expert since 2012. A foodie and passionate about new technologies, she's always on the lookout for trends and loves to share fascinating tidbits on social media.
Leave a Reply