Sam Porcello
Sam J. Porcello (1935 or 1936 – May 6, 2012) was an American food scientist who worked at Nabisco for thirty-four years.[1] He is particularly noted for his work on the modern Oreo cookie. Porcello held five patents directly related to the Oreo.[1] In particular, Porcello was the inventor of the white Oreo cookie creme-filling.[1] His work earned him the nickname, "Mr. Oreo."[1][2][3]
Early life
Porcello was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey.[3] He also lived in Wayne, New Jersey. He and his family moved to Tom's River, New Jersey, in 1974, where he resided for the rest of his life.[3] Porcello initially worked as a teacher for a short time during his early career.[2] He then worked for the former The Charms Company, a candy manufacturer.[2] He was nearly hired by a major cosmetics company, but his candidacy ended when the company learned that Porcello was color blind.[2]
Career
Porcello joined Nabisco after his rejection by the cosmetics industry.[2] When he was hired, Nabisco promised that he could eventually earn a salary of up to $12,000 dollars per year if he was successful.[2] He began his Nabisco career at the company's plant in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.[3] He later worked at Nabisco's corporate headquarters in East Hanover, New Jersey.[3]
Porcello joined Nabisco's research and development department, which develops new lines of snack foods.[2] He was considered one of the world's leading experts on cocoa, which is used to make chocolate.[1][2] He was given the title, "principal scientist," during his career at Nabisco.[1] The Oreo cookie, has been sold since 1912 (450 billion Oreos have been sold since their introduction), but it was Porcello who invented the modern creme-filling for Oreos and the Double Stuffed Oreo, which has extra filling.[1]
In total, Porcello held five patents related to his work on the Oreo. He also developed a product line of Oreos enrobed in white chocolate and dark chocolate.[1][2] Porcello found the particular type of chocolate which he used for chocolate-covered Oreos while attending a food industry trade show in Europe.[2]
Aside from his work with the Oreo, Porcello developed other Nabisco snack products, including SnackWells.[2] His position required him to travel extensively in search of new potential products and ingredients.[2] According to his son, Curtis, Porcello often brought new snacks home with him to see how his family liked or disliked the potential new products.[2] Porcello was not a huge eater of Oreo cookies, preferring to eat the cookie without dunking it in milk.[2]
Later life
Porcello left the company as its principal food scientist in 1993 after thirty-four years.[2][3] Additionally, he was a longtime volunteer with ACDI/VOCA, for which he helped create a food and program and company in Thailand.[3]
Sam Porcello died May 12, 2012, at the age of 76. He was survived by his wife, Karen; two sons, David and Curtis; two grandchildren, and his dog, Évry.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Locker, Melissa (2012-05-24). "RIP, 'Mr.Oreo': Man Who Invented Oreo Filling Dies At 76". Time Magazine (Time NewsFeed). Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Hinkley, David (2012-05-20). "Celebrating the life of 'Mr. Oreo'". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sam J. Porcello Obituary". The Star-Ledger. 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2012-06-02.