Career
After his rejection by the cosmetics industry because he was color-blind, Porcello joined Nabisco.[3] When he was hired, Nabisco promised that he could eventually earn a salary of up to $12,000 per year if he was successful.[3] He began his Nabisco career at the company's plant in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.[4] He later worked at Nabisco's corporate headquarters in East Hanover, New Jersey.[4]
Porcello joined Nabisco's research and development department, which develops new lines of snacks.[3] He was considered one of the world's leading experts on cocoa, which is used to make chocolate.[1][3] He was given the title, "principal scientist," during his career at Nabisco.[1] The Oreo cookie has been sold since 1912, but it was Porcello who invented the modern creme-filling (excluding the kosher and trans fat changes later on[2]) for Oreos and Double Stuffed Oreos, which have 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][3] Porcello found the particular type of chocolate which he used for chocolate-covered Oreos while attending a food industry trade show in Europe.[3]
Aside from his work with the Oreo, Porcello developed other Nabisco snack products, including SnackWells.[3] His position required him to travel extensively in search of new potential products and ingredients.[3] 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.[3] Porcello was not a huge eater of Oreo cookies, preferring to eat the cookie without dunking it in milk.[3]
