Pamela Low (March16, 1928June1, 2007)
was an American
flavorist, best known for developing and creating the
flavor coating
A coating is a covering that is applied to the surface of an object, or substrate. The purpose of applying the coating may be decorative, functional, or both. Coatings may be applied as liquids, gases or solids e.g. powder coatings.
Paints ...
for the
oatmeal
Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been dehusked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains ( groats) that have either been milled (ground), rolled, or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel- ...
breakfast cereal
Breakfast cereal is a category of food, including food products, made from food processing, processed cereal, cereal grains, that are eaten as part of breakfast or as a snack food, primarily in Western societies.
Although warm, cooked cereals li ...
Cap'n Crunch
Cap'n Crunch is a corn and oat breakfast cereal manufactured since 1963 by Quaker Oats Company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo since 2001. Since the original product introduction, marketed simply as ''Cap'n Crunch'', Quaker Oats has introduced numerou ...
.
Biography
Pamela Low was the daughter of Kneeland West and Pauline (Smith) Low. She was born in
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...
.
She graduated from the
Pinkerton Academy
Pinkerton Academy is a secondary school in Derry, New Hampshire, United States. It serves roughly 3,269 students, making it by far the largest high school in New Hampshire, more than 1,300 students greater than the next largest high school. Pi ...
in 1946 and studied microbiology at the
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...
where she graduated in 1951. She went on to work as a flavorist for the
Arthur D. Little consulting firm in the
Boston metropolitan area
Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...
.
She was reportedly asked to develop a flavor for the new Cap'n Crunch cereal in the early 1960s. Her inspiration for the flavor coating was rice with a sauce composed of
butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...
and
brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...
that her grandmother, Luella Low, used to serve to her family on Sundays as a child in
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
. Cap'n Crunch was officially unveiled in 1963 and the original recipe has been unchanged since its launch. She is often referred to as the "Grandmother" of Cap'n Crunch. She also worked on the flavors for
Almond Joy
Almond Joy is a candy bar manufactured by The Hershey Company, consisting of sweetened, shredded coconut topped with whole almonds and covered in milk chocolate. The company also produces Mounds bars, a similar confection without nuts, coated in ...
and
Mounds
A mound is an artificial heap or pile, especially of earth, rocks, or sand.
Mound and Mounds may also refer to:
Places
* Mound, Louisiana, United States
* Mound, Minnesota, United States
* Mound, Texas, United States
* Mound, West Virginia
* Moun ...
candy bars while at Arthur D. Little, where she worked for 34 years.
Pamela Low lived in
New London, New Hampshire
New London is a New England town, town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College, site ...
since 1973. She was President of the Baptist Women's Fellowship from 1987 to 1988, and of the New London Hospital Auxiliary in 1992. In 1996, she established a scholarship at the University of New Hampshire for students in clinical microbiology. She was also the President of the Women's Golf League of the country club of New Hampshire
Pamela Low died at the
New London Hospital in
New London, New Hampshire
New London is a New England town, town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College, site ...
on June 1, 2007 at the age of 79. Her body lies at the Forest Hill Cemetery in
East Derry, New Hampshire
East Derry, also known as the Upper Village, is an unincorporated community in the town of Derry in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The village center constitutes the East Derry Historic District, listed on the National Register ...
. Low never married nor did she have children.
References
External links
Boston Globe: Pamela Low; kin's treat inspired creation of Cap'n Crunch flavorPamela Low, created flavor for Cap'n Crunch, dies at 79Concord Monitor: Flavorist made it happen: The Cap'n owes it to New Hampshire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Low, Pamela
1928 births
2007 deaths
Women food scientists
American food scientists
Place of birth missing
20th-century American women scientists
20th-century American scientists
People from New London, New Hampshire
Pinkerton Academy alumni
21st-century American women