What qualities does someone need to successfully lead a food company? That topic captivated me last September when Refrigerated & Frozen Foods profiled Nestlé Prepared Foods Co. and, in part, its President and CEO Angelo Iantosca.

The food world is full of unlikely combinations. For example, a few years ago a friend told me about her new odd “combo” obsession. I tried it, and consequently spent more than a handful of evenings eating spoonfuls of peanut butter dipped in vanilla yogurt.

I admit it. After attempts at resistance, I recently jumped on two bandwagons.

It was back in the early '70s and most often, right after school. That's when every able-bodied kid in my block huddled together. Each one stuck a foot in the middle and then one kid (certainly a leader among us) used a mathematical process to determine who would be "it" in the next game of freeze tag.

A self-proclaimed “packaging” and “product” addict, I am the type of person who could spend hours in a Target store just looking at all the boxes and bags of goodies, giving special attention to those marked “new packaging,” “now with more flavor!” or “on sale for a limited time only.”

Fortune magazine recently profiled General Mills’ ongoing success with cost cutting.

With eyes around the globe turning to the upcoming presidential election, it’s an interesting time to think about symbols of American culture.

Any number of memories, images, events and, yes, foods can provoke feelings of patriotism and pride in Americans. 

They say that speed kills. Then again, I’m convinced that the pace of change in today’s food industry - driven by technology and consumer demographics - bodes well for new business opportunities. So, in my scenario: speed thrills.

It’s no secret among friends and family that I don’t really cook. And although marriage usually leads to a modest rise of time spent in the kitchen, it’s had the opposite effect in my household.

Talk about food for thought. Before I turn the page on this issue, I’m still chewing on comments from Nestlé Prepared Foods President and CEO Angelo Iantosca and leadership author Kenneth Blanchard.