As professionals living in 2015, we’re constantly on the move and can’t always take the time to find the healthiest foods. Such a conundrum is why Taryn Fixel created the Ingredient1 app.
Fixel, founder and CEO of Ingredient1, created the application that is focused on providing the appropriate foods tailored to specific dietary needs or taste preferences. If that wasn’t enough, she’s also an award-winning investigative journalist, who has worked for renowned companies such as CNN and CBS.
“There is incredible value to beginning your career in a larger, more established organization,” Fixel said. “I found mentorship, a range of opportunities … was a part of a team, learned to lead a team. But perhaps the biggest lesson was humility – I didn’t get to be at the top on day one. When I was a page at CBS, I had to organize an entire room of unedited transcripts for a month. I would sit and read them until late in the evening – and that’s how I learned how to ask questions.”
Fixel’s passion for her journalism career has become a bit overshadowed by a larger obsession with food, health, and technology.
Her love and passion for food comes from traveling, she explained. “Learning the unique foods, flavors, and food philosophies of a community and its subcultures connected me to people and places in deeper way,” she stated. Fixel wanted food to be healthy and delicious, and she realized that such a concept was a very real possibility.
The application allows users to pick their diet type and allergies. They can search by flavor, texture, and size and receive suggestions as well as nutritional facts.
Users can also search for specific items or check out the “Daily Food Type” to see a list of similar foods that may fit their fancy.
The app also gives the user the ability to save, favorite, and share food options that are appealing to them.
“Ingredient1 enables you to discover the best foods for you, from anywhere,” Fixel said. “It made sense for Ingredient1 to be mobile first … since food is tactile, we wanted to create a delightful and interactive experience.”
Fixel was quick to admit that she could not have created the app alone. She had a team of contributors who tested several different versions before releasing the final design. There is currently a team of five individuals working toward the growth and success of Ingredient1. “We are hiring engineers – so if you’re a talented coder with a passion for food – reach out,” she said.
When asked whether she’d resign from her journalism career to pursue her entrepreneurial endeavors full time, Fixel replied, “You can take the girl out of journalism, but you can’t take the journalist out of the girl.”
Ingredient1 can be downloaded for free via the App Store for Apple products; an Android launch is still being considered. More information is available at ingredient1.com.
Steph Elizondo is an intern at Lioness. The 21-year-old Western New England University (WNEU) junior is an English-Literature major. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the literary magazine at WNEU, as well as a staff writer for the school’s newspaper. She enjoys writing stories and poetry creatively, as well as essays and articles professionally. She hopes to become a professional writer and editor.
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