Explore the key steps and best practices for developing a successful fast-casual model from the ground up, from defining your concept and menu to designing an efficient kitchen layout and implementing effective marketing strategies. This session will provide valuable insights and actionable tips to help you achieve your goals.

In this session, Chef Alexandra Ceribelli will discuss the importance of positive management strategies that create harmony and collaboration within your team. From the lense of social sustainability, she will share practices to engage and motivate your talent in order to see your companies’ visions of success prosper from the inside out.

Fierce competition means students face tough decisions when it comes to dining out. How can college & universities attract new patrons, increase student retention, and innovate with brands? During this forum, we’ll discuss how colleges like Rutgers & The University of Kansas have become sought-out dining destinations by pioneering on the culinary front. We’ll also discuss how universities can leverage familiar products & trends to differentiate themselves from competitors outside of our segment.  

Pulses - dry beans, dry peas, lentils and chickpeas are top of mind for plant forward consumers. They meet the on-trend demands of being nutrient dense and a sustainable source of plant-based protein. Let’s talk fiber. During the session, Dr. Rumney will present a practical review of "Why Pulses are Sustainable". Professional chefs from the pulse industry will demo - EGGLESS breakfast, dessert and breads. The workshop will be very useful for any organization wanting to easily introduce simple and institution friendly plant-based solutions.

Amid the labor crunch and cost pressures, technology is moving front and center in the front and back of house. From AI and smart vending to robot servers, hear how foodservice operators are capitalizing on changing technology
and using it to enhance the employee and customer experience. 

As noncommercial operators reinvent their retail options, many are looking to other industries for inspiration. Former Senior Editor of CSP (the largest media brand for convenience stores) and onetime Editor-in-Chief of FoodService Director Abbey Lewis will share what’s happening now in the world of convenience stores and other retail businesses.

Step up your game with one simple, beloved ingredient - blueberries! This informative and delicious demo and tasting will show you how to elevate pantry staples into menu all-stars with everyone's favorite berry. From sweet to savory, sauces to dressings and even center of plate workhorses, blueberries add an innovative but approachable twist your guests are sure to love. 

Mark will take you on a journey combining his passion for numbers and data with your passion for every aspect of your food and beverage operation.  Learn how to apply his unique methodology to discover what producing your menu items for the guest experience really costs you.  Develop a new way to view and manage every cost to run your business: ingredients, labor, and overhead.  Understand why post-COVID, the menu engineering process has changed and how you need to respond to ensure greater profitability and growth.

Kikkoman explores merging traditional flavors and techniques to cultivate globally inspired cuisines. Wafu is a Japanese word meaning “Japanese-Style.” Thus creating the powerful culinary method of Wafu Italian. This style of cooking reimagines Italian dishes through a Japanese lens to seamlessly blend flavors in a perfect melody so you can't distinguish if the dish is Japanese or if it's Italian. You get the best of both worlds with the combination of two cuisines that continue to grow in popularity within the Foodservice industry. 

Join us for a culinary tour through California using dried fruits! Chef will paint a new way of thinking using these fabulous ingredients in an interactive literal “Painters Palette” of flavor. From the ever important where does my food come from to a fun sweet and savory experience, you will never look at dried fruit the same again.

Disjointed systems and hard-to-use tools have left a bad taste in the mouths of food teams who are looking to embrace technology in their operations. Today, it’s a combination of old school systems for recipes, another platform to manage nutrition/allergens, the latest financial platform for accounting, and perhaps a clipboard to keep track of inventory. It begs the question: What’s the recipe for great technology that culinary teams will love? Who should lead the charge on adopting new technology in your operation, and why is it so hard to find the right tools without breaking the bank? 

During this engaging workshop, Galley will discuss:
-    What does the tech landscape look like for food teams?
-    How to overcome company concerns about adopting technology
-    Who needs to be involved in decision making and what’s the right time to buy?

Embark on a culinary journey around the world from the comfort of your own kitchen with our workshop. Explore diverse global flavors and learn how to infuse them into your cooking. Join us for a flavorful adventure!

Watermelon, America’s favorite melon, is more than picnics and feta salads! Learn how watermelon is growing on U.S. menus and consumers are thinking of it as on-trend more than nostalgic. Watermelon is available year-round¬–in multiple types and formats–making it an approachable ingredient for your staff and guests. Explore opportunities with watermelon’s flesh, juice and rind. Taste how watermelon makes global flavors more approachable and be inspired to explore the world of watermelon.

In this workshop, Chef Alexandra Ceribelli will demonstrate strategies to reduce waste in your kitchen by cross utilizing ingredients and up-cycling product to create deliciously fun menus that will support environmental sustainability and your bottom dollar.  

Dean Cathann Kress, Ph.D. examines the current trends, challenges, and opportunities facing the agricultural industry in the US. She explores the forces shaping the future of farming and how farmers are adapting to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the State of Farming in the US.

During this session, Technomic’s Director of Menu Research & Insights Lizzy Freier will cover off on consumer and menu trends to watch. We’ll delve into current data around consumers, including the behaviors and preferences of various demographics (gender, generation, and region), followed with the menu trends that relate to those consumers.

Campus dining at Ohio State has been ahead of the curve for some time, and it’s smart to watch what they’re doing. Tara Fitzpatrick will guide an in-depth discussion with leaders from the dining team focusing on projects they’re currently working on, from menu development to training to sustainability to student engagement and plans for the future.

As a supplier of 100% grass-fed beef, veal, and Halal lamb, Strauss Brands will lead you through an educational and interactive stroll exploring the versatile and simple ways to incorporate claims-based proteins into your daily menu and across multiple day parts. We will demonstrate easy to prepare and repeatable time saving applications on some of today’s viral food trends, using some of our most popular items including our grass-fed, organic, Halal ground beef and our Halal ground lamb.

Culinary innovator Pam Smith, RDN will demo easy to execute (even at large volume!) produce-forward menu items that are built on the pillars of 1) Craveable, 2) Flexible/Versatile and 3) Portable (hold and travel well!). Discover the power of 'shrooms to make every dish more delicious, more nutritious and more sustainable.

Supply chain, labor and inflation challenges will continue but operators have adopted a multi-prong approach to address it while delivering an enjoyable experience for their guests.   In this session Entegra will cover best practices for more transparency, efficiency, and savings taken from food service and culinary leaders on how can create a better food service or auxiliary services by combining tactics around purchasing, cost savings, culinary, and operational efficiency. 
1.    List to examples of how foodservice and hospitality leaders are addressing challenges to keep their operations growing.
2.    How gaining greater control of your food and non-food purchasing can improve your operations. 
3.    Understand how culinary trends and practices can prepare your businesses for the challenges ahead.

Come join us for a session that is sure to awaken your senses and broaden your cultural horizons. Together we will uncover the magic and health benefits of exotic spices. A spotlight on some popular and iconic South Asian dishes will debunk some common misconceptions, revealing the true diversity, richness and, above all, accessibility of this delectable culinary tradition.

What’s the secret sauce that draws potential hires to a job at a streetside restaurant instead of a position within your organization? Peter Romeo, labor reporter for Restaurant Business magazine, shares the strategies and tactics that are enabling savvy restaurant operators to recruit and retain staff that might otherwise be yours.

With the ongoing labor challenge, how can your operation attract and retain top talent? In this lively panel discussion, three graduating students from Ohio State University’s Hospitality Management Program will provide valuable insights for potential employers. As your future foodservice and hospitality workforce, they’ll share their top priorities in choosing a job, the skills and real-world experiences they bring to the table, why workplace culture matters, and what they hope to change about the industry as their careers take off.