Stasha Johnston, 38

As senior vice president of marketing at Clearwater-based Monin Gourmet Flavorings, Stasha Johnston has one of the coolest food industry jobs that don’t require a degree in culinary arts. Kind of like a real-life Willy Wonka, she gets to sample and evaluate new flavors the company’s food scientists are constantly coming up with, and her feedback helps determine which ones move into mass production.

She’s quite literally a tastemaker.

“I get to taste a lot of new aren't quite on shelves yet,” Johnston says. “It’s one of the perks of the job.”