Presenters

Ana Torrealba is the Chef de Cuisine at El Naranjo restaurant in Austin, Texas. She was born in Mexico City, growing up in the beautiful city of Oaxaca in Southwest Mexico, a city well known for its food. She grew up at her family’s restaurant, El Naranjo, always surrounded with the aromas of corn, chiles and freshly baked bread. During school vacation, she helped her parents bake bread and make desserts. In 2006, she moved to the United States and eventually realized that she wanted to make a career in the food industry too and got her start working at various bakeries and restaurants.

Torrealba graduated from The Culinary Institute of America with an Associate’s Degree in Baking and Pastry. Then, she returned to Austin to work at her family’s restaurant for a couple of years. In 2015, Zagat included her in their list “30 under 30” best chefs in Austin. Since she was deeply interested in learning more about the process and chemistry of food, in 2016 she moved to Mexico City to study a career in food engineering. She graduated in 2020.
Since her return to Austin, chef Torrealba has been working at El Naranjo, developing various breads, desserts, and pastries, as well as other parts of the savory menu of the restaurant and gradually taking over the whole menu.

Beth is a primary care physician, medical educator and Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist at the Brightwood Health Center in Springfield. She works to improve health systems’ responses to food and nutrition insecurity in the populations they serve. She uses her teaching kitchen with community members, patients, medical learners and clinic staff.

Chef Branden J. Lewis, EdD, is a Professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he helps students turn a passion for food into meaningful, future-focused careers. With advanced training in culinary arts, international organizational leadership, and educational sustainability, Dr. Lewis prepares the next generation of food leaders to address real-world challenges in sustainability, food equity, and innovation.

A Certified Executive Chef with the American Culinary Federation and a Certified Mushroom Forager, Dr. Lewis brings hands-on expertise in international and plant-based cuisines together with a systems-level understanding of the global food web. His teaching centers on experiential learning—connecting students directly with farmers, fishers, food businesses, and community organizations—so graduates leave with both practical skills and professional networks.

Since returning to his alma mater, Dr. Lewis has played a central role in shaping Johnson & Wales’ leadership in sustainable food education. He led the development of the Sustainable Food Systems Bachelor’s degree and the Culinary Sustainability minor, and currently helps guide the MS in Food Systems Innovation & Leadership and the Graduate Certificate in Advanced Food Systems Studies. Across these programs, he mentors students in building careers that balance culinary excellence with environmental responsibility, social impact, and economic viability.

Dr. Lewis’s work has been recognized nationally and regionally. He was named one of Edible Rhody magazine’s “Food Heroes” for his support of immigrant and refugee communities, appeared on Bizarre Foods America highlighting sustainably harvested seafood, and was featured in the 2024 documentary Against the Current. At Johnson & Wales, he has earned multiple honors, including the Distinguished Scholarship Award, Outstanding Service Award, Advisor of the Year, and the Robert M. Nograd Teacher of the Year Award.

Beyond the classroom, Dr. Lewis serves on the Board of Directors for Farm Fresh RI and collaborates with industry and community partners to create pathways for students to make a lasting impact. His goal is simple: to help students use food as a force for positive change—locally and globally.

Chai Siriyarn

Chai Siriyarn is the chef-owner of Marnee Thai Restaurant, which has two locations in San Francisco since 1986. Marnee Thai has been among the city’s Top Thai Restaurants for almost 4 decades and has been recommended by the Michelin Guide for many years. Marnee Thai received the Thai Select Premium Award from the Ministry of Commerce for past years. Bangkok born and bred, Chef Siriyarn grew up in a culinary family and spent his childhood steeped in the restaurant business. His culinary accolades include winning the grand prize in the Los Angeles Pad Thai Festival contest in 2000 and earning the “Thailand Superchef Award” in Thailand in 2003. He was also named “International Chef of the Year” by the Awards of the Americas in New York City in 2001. Chef Siriyarn was also a guest chef to the Royal Thai Embassy for a tsunami relief fundraising event held in Washington, DC. Chef Siriyatn was also a guest chef to the Consul General in Los Angeles to promote their Thai kitchen of the World Project. He has been a guest chef at The Culinary Institute of America, at Greystone since the year 2000. Chef Siriyarn has also been a guest chef at the University of Massachusetts, (Amherst), Cornell University, (Ithaca), and Stanford University. He is a member of the CIA’s Asian Cuisines Advisory Council and is the author of Thai Cuisine Beyond Curry. For more information please visit his website at MarneeThaiSF.com

As a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist at Cornell Dining, Clara employs her creativity daily to coordinate individualized plans for students with medical dietary needs, lead organization-wide allergy training initiatives, and manage a team of undergraduate nutrition outreach specialists. She is passionate about inclusion and has helped create INDIGO Kitchen, a specialized approach to dietary accommodations.

Dr. Daiva Nielsen is an Associate Professor in the School of Human Nutrition (SHN) and Canada Research Chair at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She is also the Scientific Director of the SHN’s Clinical Nutrition Research Unit. Her research program evaluates gene-environment interactions on nutrition, behaviour and health outcomes, with a focus on neurobehavioural aspects of eating including food reward and sensory perception. Her lab also engages in knowledge translation activities to advance nutrition research and practice, and aims to raise awareness about nutrition misinformation. Dr. Nielsen is regularly interviewed by local and national media groups for her expertise in nutrition, behaviour, and health.

David Julian McClements is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Massachusetts. He specializes in food biopolymers and colloids, with an emphasis on using structural design principles to improve the quality, safety, shelf-life, sustainability, and healthiness of foods. His current recent research focusses on food nanotechnology, delivery systems, designing healthier processed foods, and creating next generation plant-based foods. He is the author of eleven books, including “Beyond the Ultra-processed Label: The Science Behind Food Processing and Health” (2026). “How to be a Successful Scientist” (2024). “Meat Less: The Next Food Revolution” (2023), “Food Nanotechnology” (2022), “Next Generation Plant-based Foods” (2022), and “Future Foods: How Modern Science is Transforming the Way We Eat” (2019). He has published over 1700 articles in scientific journals (>210,000 citations; H-index 218, Google Scholar, 2026) and secured over $25 million in external funding.

Eliza Haffey, MPH, RD, is the Senior Culinary Nutrition Specialist for Michigan Dining. In this role, she acts as the primary liaison between dining operations and food suppliers, managing product communications, supply chain issues, product substitutions, and she approves all food products introduced to campus. In addition to this procurement work, Eliza oversees the university’s food allergy program and coordinates dining accommodations for students with allergies or dietary restrictions. Eliza leads a nutrition team responsible for recipe development and the accuracy of ingredient, allergen, and nutrition data in the menu management system. She collaborates with campus chefs on menu planning across residential, catering, and retail operations.

Eric Decker is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Dr. Decker’s research expertise is in areas of characterization of the mechanisms of lipid oxidation, antioxidant protection of foods and the health implications of lipids. Dr. Decker has over 480 publications and he has been listed as one of the Most Highly Cited Scientists in Agriculture since 2005. Dr. Decker has served on numerous committees for institutions such as FDA, National Academy of Science, Institute of Food Technologist, USDA and the American Heart Association. He has received recognition for his research and service from the American Oil Chemist Society, Agriculture and Food Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society, Institute of Food Technologists, University of Massachusetts and the University of Kentucky. Dr. Decker has also been elected to serve as an officer for American Meat Science Association, Institute of Food Technologists and most recently as the President of the American Oil Chemist Society.

Dr. Hannah Holscher is a Professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she also serves as Associate Director of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative and is a member of the Division of Nutritional Sciences, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. Her research integrates clinical nutrition, microbiome science, and computational biology to investigate the impact of diet on human health. Dr. Holscher has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and leads multidisciplinary research projects funded by government agencies, foundations, food commodity boards, and private industry. She has held leadership roles in the American Society for Nutrition. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), the American Gastroenterological Association’s Gut Microbiome Research & Education Scientific Advisory Board, and as an academic advisor to the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IFANS) Carbohydrate Committee. She is also an Associate Editor for Nutrition Research and a member of the editorial board for The Journal of Nutrition.

Chef Hiroo Nagahara was born and raised in Tokyo but spent most of his adult life honing his culinary career in the United States. He’s worked with some of the finest chefs and restaurateurs in the industry including the late Charlie Trotter. His career blossomed when he landed the executive chef position at Bar Charlie in Las Vegas. Working with Trotter’s team opened doors for Hiroo to stage with some of the world’s most talented Michelin-starred chefs like Guy Savoy (Restaurant Guy Savoy ***), Hideki Ishikawa (Kagurazaka Ishikawa ***) and Yoshihiro Narisawa (Narisawa **).

In 2010, Nagahara moved to San Francisco and partnered with Mobi Munch to launch The Chairman, an award-winning food truck that blurred the lines between fine-dining and street food. After the success of The Chairman, Hiroo went on to open Nomica, a modern Japanese restaurant serving refined rustic cuisine in the heart of the Castro District. And in 2019 with Bao Hiroo, Nagahara brought his pedigreed resume and mother’s cherished recipes for stuffed bao to the Arts District in DTLA. His menu offered a unique mix of sweet, savory, steamed, baked and fried bao, all hand-crafted and delicious. Since then, he has consulted at two 5-Star Hotel Properties in Santa Monica, consulted for the Award-Winning Culinary Program at UMass, cooked privately for high profile clients, and ran numerous successful Residencies at Kimpton La Peer Hotel and The Restaurant at Japan House LA. In May of 2025, he taught a Master Class on the Fundamentals of Japanese Cuisine at West Africa’s largest annual Food & Drink Festival in Lagos, Nigeria. Currently, he is the Executive Chef for Club Hue, a very exclusive ultra high-end private club in the heart of Korea Town in Los Angeles.

Chef Nagahara has earned a number of accolades including a Michelin 1 Star Award while working for Charlie Trotter in Las Vegas within its first year. With The Chairman, his truck was named one of America’s Top Asian Food Trucks by Details Magazine as well as Most Mouth-Watering Food Trucks by Maxim. He also competed on Iron Chef Showdown in 2017.

Hoss Zaré: Culinary Leader & Operational Strategist

Chef Hoss Zaré is a culinary visionary whose 40-year career bridges heritage and modern global food systems. Born in Tabriz and based in San Francisco, Zaré’s journey began with a bold choice to leave a pre-med path to master his craft in the “real world.” Immersing himself in the rigorous techniques of French, Italian, and American professional kitchens, he built a foundation that allowed him to transform Iranian cuisine’s narrative on a global scale.

Currently serving as Lead Operational Training Executive Chef with Bon Appétit Management Company at Google, Chef Zaré develops scalable menu frameworks and executive training systems across complex corporate and academic environments. A master of the “Scale of Excellence,” he has led national initiatives, training nearly 500 executive and senior chefs across 13 U.S. campuses in the techniques and production systems required to implement Persian cuisine at scale.

A former celebrated restaurateur, including Zare Restaurant, Bistro Zare, and Zare at Flytrap, Zaré successfully transitioned his signature “Hoss-Pitality” from intimate boutique dining to high-stakes institutional leadership, including high-end hotel clubs, large-scale corporate events, and international charity galas.

Through immersive residencies at University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of Michigan, he uses food as an operational discipline and a platform for cross-cultural exchange, culminating in public celebrations such as Nowruz that engage students, faculty, and families. His forthcoming Iranian cuisine television project continues this mission, expanding access to heritage cuisine and cultural storytelling for global audiences.

Whether mentoring the next generation of chefs, developing large-scale dining programs, or advancing the reach of Iranian culinary traditions, Chef Zaré’s mission remains constant: promoting heritage cuisine through education, operational excellence, and authentic cultural exchange.

Chef Iliana de la Vega. Mexican born chef dedicated to the Mexican gastronomy and culture.
Chef, educator, restaurateur and culinary consultant.
Served as the Mexican Cuisines Specialist for The Culinary Institute of America.
Her former trend-setter restaurant El Naranjo in Oaxaca Mexico won worldwide acclaim.
In 2012 opened El Naranjo restaurant in Austin Texas.
Chef de la Vega is 2022 Best Chef Texas at The JBFA.

Jason Evans is the Dean of the College of Food Innovation and Technology (CFIT) at Johnson & Wales University, which offers baccalaureate and graduate programming in Culinary Arts, Culinary Science, Culinary Nutrition, Food & Beverage Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Food Systems.

Formerly, Dr. Evans was an Associate Professor of Agricultural Business Management at the State University of New York’s College of Agriculture and Technology, Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill), where he also served as the Director of the Institute for Rural Vitality and Chair of the Department of Agriculture & Food Management. Before joining the SUNY Cobleskill faculty in 2009, Dr. Evans was an Assistant Research Professor at West Virginia University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics in 2007.

Chef Jonathan Poyourow, PhD, RD, CSCS, WCEC, WCCE, is a nationally recognized expert in culinary nutrition, sports performance, and food as medicine. A graduate of the Culinary Nutrition program at Johnson & Wales University, he completed his Registered Dietitian internship with the U.S. Army and went on to serve in multiple military medical centers as a Clinical Dietitian and Chief of Food Service. He quickly established himself as one of the Army’s leading sports dietitians, working with elite units including the U.S. Army Rangers and Special Forces. He later served as Division Dietitian for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), deploying to Afghanistan where he developed and implemented evidence-based fueling strategies to enhance soldier readiness, resilience, and recovery in high-demand operational environments.

Building on his military performance background, Dr. Poyourow now consults with professional sports organizations and NCAA Division I programs, designing integrated performance nutrition systems that align culinary execution with strength and conditioning objectives. His work translates advanced sports science: macronutrient periodization, recovery nutrition, hydration strategy, and body composition optimization, into chef-driven, practical fueling systems that elevate both performance and long-term health.

Dr. Poyourow serves as a Full Professor in the Culinary Nutrition program at Johnson & Wales University and directs the Johnson & Wales Teaching Kitchen, where he leads innovative programming at the intersection of culinary arts, clinical nutrition, and human performance. Through experiential education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and applied research, he prepares the next generation of chefs, dietitians, and performance professionals to lead in healthcare, athletics, and industry. He is also featured bi-weekly on NBC 10’s Cooking with Class, sharing evidence-based culinary strategies that promote health, performance, and lifelong wellness.

Laura Lapp is a strategic leader with 18 years of progressive experience in foodservice operations, sustainability, and organizational leadership. She spent the majority of her career with Compass Group, rising through the ranks from the company’s first higher education dietitian to Vice President of Sustainability and Culinary, leading to a role as Global Director of Sustainability for Compass at Google — overseeing operations across 100+ locations and more than $250M in revenue. In the fall of 2025, Laura founded her own consulting group, 369 Hospitality Group, focused on leadership risk mitigation and organizational diagnostics.

Known for her ability to drive results at both the account and enterprise level, Laura has renegotiated multi-million dollar contracts, led union negotiations, launched nationwide programs, and built the sustainability framework into higher education. Her work has earned the 2022 Central Division Account of the Year award and the National Restaurant Association’s Operator Innovation Award in Health and Wellness.

Laura holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Kentucky, with continuing education in financial management from Cornell and sustainability from Harvard Extension School.

In her spare time, Laura enjoys spending time with her grown children, her husband and her fur babies. She enjoys cooking, reading, and planting flowers. Laura lives with her husband outside of Chicago, IL.

Lauren Sharifi, MS, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian specializing in Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and neurodivergent-affirming nutrition care. She works with children, teens, adults, and caregivers to support nourishment, safety, and autonomy in the context of sensory sensitivities, anxiety, and nervous system differences.
Lauren is the founder of ARFID Dietitian, a virtual practice and education platform offering nutrition counseling, support groups, courses, and trainings for families and professionals. Her work integrates trauma-informed principles, lived-experience insights, and body-based frameworks to challenge traditional, compliance-focused models of treatment. She is passionate about helping individuals feel understood in their relationship with food and equipping caregivers and providers with tools that prioritize consent, flexibility, and compassion.

Chef Lumi Cirstea
Master Baker | Associate Professor, Culinary Institute of America

Master Baker Lumi Cirstea is an educator and artisan deeply committed to inspiring, empowering, and elevating the next generation of baking and pastry professionals. With over a decade of experience in both American and European pastry labs, Lumi cultivated a comprehensive mastery of bread and pastry arts, shaped by rigorous hands-on practice, academic study, and a lifelong dedication to craft.
During her eleven years as a faculty member at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, Lumi mentored hundreds of aspiring bakers, challenging them to pursue excellence with intention and purpose. Guided by her philosophy—“Wake up each day with a desire to be better than yesterday”—she earned the prestigious Master Baker title along with an MBA focused on Hospitality. This blend of artisan skill, academic insight, and business acumen informs Lumi’s holistic approach to baking and pastry within the broader food service management landscape.
Lumi’s work has been featured in leading industry publications, including Bread Lines, Baking and Pastry of America, and The Providence Journal. She is a passionate advocate for artisan bread, known for pushing creative boundaries while holding true to the traditions, techniques, and discipline at the heart of the craft.
Today, Lumi serves as an Associate Professor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, where she continues to shape and inspire future leaders in the baking and pastry world.

Maeve Webster has been a go-to thought leader, consultant and trend expert in the food industry for over 20 years. Her clients rely on her to identify critical trends that impact the industry, consumers and their business specifically, and to explain the relevance of those trends in a way that is engaging, approachable and actionable.

Working closely with manufacturers, national account operators, commodity boards and agencies, Maeve has supported menu strategy, product concept development, trend prioritization and implementation, concept development and operational efficiency efforts.

She is a sought-after speaker for everything from client sales meetings and customer events to large industry events such as the RCA Conference, New Products Conference, MISE, VIBE, and Flavor Experience (to name just a few). She has been quoted as an expert on the food industry by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR and BBC Radio.

Maeve has an MBA from the University of Illinois and a culinary degree from the Le Cordon Bleu. Before launching Menu Matters, she honed her skills at two large industry research firms, and for 4 years ran a successful café/bakery in Bennington, VT, which was named “best café” in each of the years it was in operation under her leadership.

Marie Molde, RDN, is a consultant to the food and beverage industry. Most recently, she spent eight years at Datassential helping foodservice and retail companies turn emerging trends into strategic menu and product innovations, often with a focus on better-for-you. Marie has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and BuzzFeed.

Marion Nestle is a consumer advocate, nutritionist, award-winning author, and academic who specializes in the politics of food and dietary choice. Her research examines scientific, economic, and social influences on food choice and health, with an emphasis on the role of food industry marketing. Her books explore how politics affects food production, dietary intake, food safety, and human and planetary health.

She is the author of the classic Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health which won awards from the Association of American Publishers, the James Beard Foundation, and World Hunger Year. Her second book, Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety, won the Steinhardt School of Education’s Griffiths Research Award.
Dr. Nestle’s book, What to Eat was named as one of Amazon’s top ten books of 2006 and a “Must Read” by Eating Well magazine; it also won the Better Life Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the James Beard Foundation book award for best food reference in 2007. With so many changes in the foodscape over the last twenty years, Nestle has written a thoroughly revised version titled What to Eat Now. An excerpt titled The Fish Counter was published by Picador as part of their “Oceans, Rivers, and Streams” series.

Dr. Nestle’s other books include Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine; Feed Your Pet Right, co-authored with Malden Nesheim; Why Calories Count: from Science to Politics, also with Malden Nesheim, which won book of the year from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP); Eat, Drink, Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics, which won an IACP book award; Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning), which won an IACP book award along with the James Beard Award for Writing & Literature; Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat which exposes how the food industry corrupts scientific research for profit and was one of Nature’s Best Science Books of the Year; and Let’s Ask Marion: What You Need to Know about the Politics of Food, Nutrition, and Health with Kerry Trueman. Dr. Nestle has also written a memoir titled Slow Cooked: An Unexpected Life in Food Politics.

Marion Nestle is the emerita Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health and Professor of Sociology at New York University. She also holds an appointment as visiting professor in the Cornell Division of Nutritional Sciences. Her degrees include a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Nestle has received many awards and honors, among them the Bard College Prison Initiative’s John Dewey Award for Distinguished Public Service, the National Public Health Hero award from the UC Berkeley School Of Public Health, the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award, the Innovator of the Year Award from the United States Healthful Food Council, she was named Grande Dame by Les Dames d’Escoffier, the International Association of Culinary Professionals Trailblazer Award, the Changemaker Award from the Food Policy Center at Hunter College and Edinburgh Medal. She has been awarded Honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Transylvania University in Kentucky and from CUNY’s Macaulay Honors College. Dr. Nestle also appears frequently in documentary films, among them SuperSize Me!, A Place at the Table, Fed Up, El Susto, and Code Blue.

Dr. Nestle blogs daily (almost) at www.foodpolitics.com.

Matthew Britt is a chef and associate professor contributing his years of experience running restaurants in Washington, DC to New England’s growing culinary scene. Britt has experience in several types of cuisines but specializes in tying New England tradition with world flavors. He currently works as a full-time faculty member at Johnson & Wales University, where he also serves as the lead organizer of the annual FIT Symposium.

Growing up in Nashua, New Hampshire, Britt became a dishwasher at the age of 16 and worked to advance his skills as a line cook at local restaurants. Like many in his field, Britt attended the Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 2004. He went on to work at the Ritz Carlton in Boston and for the Back Bay Restaurant Group in that same city. In 2006, Chef Britt moved to Washington, DC and joined the Passion Food Hospitality family where rose to become the executive chef at the Latin inspired Ceiba, in 2011. After several years leading the Ceiba team, Britt and his wife Erin decided to relocate, returning to their roots in New England. There, Britt landed teaching positions at Le Cordon Bleu and then Johnson & Wales. Chef Britt holds a Master’s Degree in Education and celebrates incorporating the natural world into everything he cooks and teaches. From leveraging global flavors, to celebrating what thrives in our local eco-system, his goal is make every dining experience memorable.

Michelle joined Cornell Dining in Fall 2019 as the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, supporting students with dietary restrictions and promoting nutrition and inclusivity across campus dining programs. She now serves as Nutrition Program Manager, where she has expanded the nutrition team and helped lead efforts to reimagine dietary accommodations. One major outcome of this work was the August 2025 opening of INDIGO Kitchen, a dedicated accommodation kitchen designed to help students with SDS-diagnosed medical conditions safely access food while building autonomy in managing their health.

Within her role as Nutrition Program Manager, Michelle serves on the Culinary, Wellness and Innovation team, providing guidance and support for initiatives within the Dining program including menu review, recipe development and ingredient approval as well as general programmatic development. Michelle also plays an integral role at Risley—Cornell’s AllerCheck Approved residential dining room—helping support its commitment to safe and inclusive dining for students with food allergies.

Mike Kostyo has been a leading voice in food industry trends and insights for over a decade, known for digging through the messy information landscape to uncover unique insights that help brands think differently. Viewing food through a human-first, anthropological lens—shaped by his master’s degree in gastronomy—Mike brings depth and expertise to industry research and analysis. He excels at collaborative problem-solving with clients, bringing high energy, humor and a personal touch to every project.

His cross-disciplinary background, ranging from magazine journalism to advertising to political communications, allows him to communicate complex trends and ideas with clarity and impact, earning him coverage in the New York Times, a featured profile on Huffington Post (“This Food Trendologist Knows What We’ll Be Eating Before Anyone Else”), on NBC Nightly News, as a recurring guest on Fusion TV’s The AV Club Show, and even as a judge on Food Network’s Eating America. He is also a sought-after speaker who has presented to over a hundred industry events on topics like innovation and AI, as well as his still-talked-about “How to Be Weird” presentation.

Based in Chicago, Kostyo is also a freelance writer who regularly contributes to food industry publications. In addition to his gastronomy degree from Boston University, he has certificates in the culinary arts, baking arts, wine, and artisan cheese production and he proudly serves on the advisory committee for the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at the Market Center of the Ozarks.

Nausica Ronca is an Italian chef, culinary educator, and storyteller whose work is dedicated to sharing the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean diet.

Born in Southern Italy and deeply connected to the culinary identity of Campania and the Amalfi Coast, her work explores the relationship between food, landscape, and community. Through her cuisine, she highlights how regional knowledge, seasonal ingredients, and time-honored cooking practices can contribute to contemporary discussions about sustainability, well-being, and cultural identity.

Ronca combines professional culinary practice with education and narrative. She leads cooking classes, gastronomic experiences, and collaborations with international culinary programs and academic institutions, where she presents Mediterranean ingredients, cooking techniques, and the philosophy that shapes Italian food culture.

Her approach emphasizes simplicity, seasonality, and respect for ingredients, often featuring emblematic products of the Mediterranean such as extra virgin olive oil, handmade pasta, Cetara anchovies, and Amalfi lemons.

Through her work, she seeks to demonstrate how cuisine can become a powerful instrument for education, cultural dialogue, and community building.

Nausica Ronca – Cook. Teach. Tell.

Chef Nico SanFilippo’s connection to food began in her grandparents’ Sicilian kitchen, where she learned that cooking is an act of care and culture. At 15, she stepped into her first professional kitchen and never looked back. Her culinary path has taken her across the country, from her hometown of Buffalo, New York, to the Midwest, where she worked at Alma in Minneapolis, a James Beard Award–winning restaurant. It was there that she developed not only a deep respect for season-driven cuisine, but also an appreciation for enlightened hospitality and the responsibility we carry in how we care for others. Her time at Anathoth Farm in Luck, Wisconsin, challenged her understanding of food systems as she worked hands on as a live-on farm community member. Italy has remained a constant thread throughout her life and career. Over the years, Nico has spent extended time there, immersing herself in traditional Italian cuisine. These experiences continue to ground her in the traditions of whole-animal butchery, regional cooking, and the understanding that it is not just the food that matters, but the table we gather around.

Now as Executive Chef of Auxiliary Services at Johnson & Wales University, Nico leads multi-site campus dining locations, catering, and large-scale events with a focus on mentorship, sustainability, and student-centered experiences. She oversees culinary operations that serve more than 5,000 meals each day across more than ten outlets, partnering with campus departments and community organizations to design high-impact events, admissions programs, and engagement initiatives that reflect JWU’s culture and hospitality standards.

In addition to her culinary leadership, Nico also teaches classes through JWU’s Kitchen Academy, finding joy in helping students and staff build confidence in the kitchen while developing practical skills. For Nico, food is a human right and one of the most powerful tools for building belonging. Whether she is mentoring emerging culinarians, collaborating with student groups, or producing campus-wide catering and signature events, her work centers on creating experiences where food brings people together and strengthens a sense of place.
Degrees
AAS, Culinary Arts, Saint Paul College
BS, Human Resource Management, Johnson & Wales University
MBA, Organizational Leadership, Johnson & Wales University (In progress)

Pamela has recently begun her career as an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America, where she is honored to share her expertise, passion, and cultural heritage with the next generation of culinary professionals. Pamela Adams grew up in Haiti, immersed in a vibrant culture where food is a language of rhythm, memory, and celebration. Surrounded by bold spices, bustling markets, and generations of culinary tradition, she learned early on that food holds the power to tell stories, build community, and honor history. This foundation continues to shape her work today, infusing her craft with heart, intention, and a deep respect for heritage.

With more than 20 years of professional experience, Pamela is a distinguished baking and pastry chef known for her leadership in high volume, award winning culinary operations. She previously served as the Director of Bakery Operations and Executive Pastry Chef at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she led a highly skilled team of bakers, managed largescale production, and developed menus for one of the nation’s premier university dining programs.

Her career spans luxury hotels, university dining, and educational leadership—always with a focus on quality, mentorship, and creating memorable culinary experiences. Pamela’s work has been recognized with multiple ACF Gold Medals, the Massachusetts Commonwealth Heroine Award, and the UMass Chancellor’s Citation. She is also dedicated to nurturing the next generation of pastry professionals through coaching, guidance, and hands-on support.

Service and community remain at the heart of her mission. Pamela volunteers with local organizations and provides translation services in Haitian Creole. She holds a BA in Community Development Education and a certification in Baking and Pastry.

Chef Leah is a dynamic educator and Culinary Medicine expert who brings over 30 years of experience to the intersection of food and health. As Culinary Medicine Manager at the University of Vermont Medical Center, she leads programs that empower patients, clinicians, and communities to use food as a powerful tool for healing and well-being.
Her teaching approach is all about creating a safe, welcoming space where participants can connect with food on their own level. Chef Leah meets people where they are – making nutrition approachable, practical, and deeply personal. Through engaging classes and evidence-based guidance, she helps learners build confidence in the kitchen while understanding how food can support health.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Leah is a founding member of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative and chairs its Culinary Committee. Her mission is simple: to teach, inspire, and transform the way we think about food in healthcare – not just as nourishment, but as medicine, culture, and care.

Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Clinical Attending at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Gupta has over 20 years of experience as a board-certified pediatrician and health researcher and currently serves as the founding director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR). She is world-renowned for her groundbreaking research in the areas of food allergy and asthma epidemiology, most notably for her research on the prevalence of pediatric and adult food allergy in the United States. She has also significantly contributed to academic research in the areas of food allergy prevention, socioeconomic disparities in care, and the daily management of these conditions. Dr. Gupta is the author of The Food Allergy Experience, Food Without Fear, and Baby’s Skin Health, has written and co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed research manuscripts, and has had her work featured on major TV networks and in print media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Netflix’s Rotten (episode: “The Peanut Problem”). She and her team strive to improve the lives of children and their families through their research and hope to continue finding answers and shaping policies around allergic conditions.
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Shelby Miller, RD, is a registered dietitian serving as a Nutrition and Culinary Support Specialist for Michigan Dining at the University of Michigan. In her role, she supports campus dining operations through recipe development within the menu management system and collaborates closely with students to navigate dining spaces that align with their dietary restrictions and personal preferences. Shelby’s work focuses on creating practical, inclusive dining solutions shaped by student needs, food preferences, and allergen considerations across campus.

My journey with food began at a young age, cooking alongside my grandmother, and has since evolved into a lifelong commitment. Over the years, I’ve refined my skills in fine dining kitchens across the U.S. and Europe, specializing as a pastry chef. A pivotal moment in my career came during my time at The Waterside Inn in England, a three-Michelin-star restaurant, where I expanded my expertise beyond pastry to include fish fabrication, whole animal butchery, and, most significantly, a profound understanding of the true value of food—the artistry, the respect for its origins, and the power it has to bring people together.
This deepened respect for food led me to shift my focus toward cooking as a means of fostering health, wellness, and environmental stewardship. In 2017, I furthered my knowledge by enrolling in the Gastronomy program at Boston University, concentrating on food policy and nutrition.
After earning my master’s degree, I transitioned into an Associate Professor at the College of Food Innovation and Technology at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. Here, I have the privilege of mentoring future nutritionists and dietitians, sharing my expertise in culinary nutrition and the importance of sustainability.

Degrees and Certifications:
MLA, Gastronomy, Boston University, MA, 2019
BS Food Service Entrepreneurship, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI, 2005
AS Baking & Pastry Arts, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI, 2003
Certified World’s Chefs Culinary Educator, World’s Association of Chef Societies
Certified Executive Pastry Chef by the American Culinary Federation

Tom Brenna, PhD, earned a BS in nutrition at UConn (Storrs) and a PhD at Cornell University. He is professor/professor emeritus of human nutrition and of chemistry at Cornell, and since 2017 is professor of pediatrics, of human nutrition, and of chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. His group’s research over four decades has helped define metabolism and human requirements for food fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3, omega-6), saturated, and branched-chain fatty acids. He is recipient of numerous professional research awards from the learned societies. He has been formally involved with 3 of the last 4 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), including the recent DGA released in January 2026.

Victoria is an expert in leadership development and has coached leaders across the world for the past 20 years. Originally from Sweden she now lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia. She has led Commercial as well as Learning & Development teams for large corporations across Europe and the Middle East. She works closely with the FranklinCovey innovations team and is one of the authors of FranklinCovey’s bestselling book on
Leadership: Everyone Deserves A Great Manager – the 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team. Victoria is an experienced facilitator and public speaker who engages her audience, on stage, online and in the classroom, no
matter if 20 or 2000 people are in the audience. Her global leadership experience makes her at ease both in the boardroom as well as with first level leaders. She always strives to help her participants move from insight to action, combining enthusiasm with focus and drive to help leadership teams achieve their desired results. She is a popular executive coach.

UMASS Chef Conference 2026 – WZuromski – Short BIO
Special Announcement: Chef Zuromski will be inducted to the American Academy of Chef’s AAC this year at the ACF National Convention. Great Honor and privilege to be recognized by your peers.
Walter Zuromski is the owner and Chief Culinary Officer of the Chef Services Group, Inc., Rotonda West, Florida. For the past 30years, his company has provided consulting services to a wide variety of industry leading companies in both the food service and manufacturing segments of the industry. He is a former Executive Committee Member, founding member and Lead Culinology Judge with the Research Chefs Association, where he was responsible for trademarking the founded profession of “Culinology”, (the blending of food science and culinary arts). Walter is a Certified Executive Chef, Culinary Educator and Food Technologist working in these roles for a diverse consulting portfolio of Private Restaurant Developers, National Food Service and Retail Chains in all segments that includes Industrial Ingredient Companies, USDA Manufacturers and Food Processors. Research Chef Zuromski is responsible for the commercialization of food products for National retail supermarket chains in the refrigerated fresh and frozen food categories. He has directed major R&D projects for many of the leading food manufactures and ingredient companies that includes Spice, Flavor, Hydrocolloid, Starch, Cook Chill, Dressing, value added Seafood and USDA Meat Processors. His experience has involved direct engagements with major chains Nationally and Internationally. Many of his products can be found on the shelves of many major US retailers which he has consulted to. A seasoned veteran of the kitchen, he is a highly successful Executive Chef, pastry chef and bread baker having worked in this capacity at luxury 4-star hotels and restaurants for over 26 years. Research Chef Zuromski is committed to the advancement of the culinary profession and remains an active certified culinary judge with the American Culinary Federation. Having judged high level professional and Jr culinary competitions across the country he is committed to the advancement of the Culinary R&D profession. He is excited to be once again supporting educational programing with this year’s Chef Conference & ACF Competition at this year’s ACF / NACUF Competition Amherst UMASS.

Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN is President and CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC), a nonprofit 501c(3) research and education foundation focused on effectively communicating science-based information about food safety, nutrition, and sustainable food systems, serving the public good.

Prior to joining IFIC, Wendy served as the President and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) (now known as the Foundation for Fresh Produce). At PBH, she guided the Foundation’s efforts with hundreds of public and private partners to advance fruit and vegetable consumption for happier, healthier lives. Under her leadership and through a two-year transformation, the organization launched the Have A Plant® Movement in 2019, which today inspires millions of consumers to eat and enjoy more fruits and vegetables every day.

From 2012 to 2016, Reinhardt Kapsak held multiple leadership positions in the Food, Nutrition & Health Partnerships as well as Corporate Engagement verticals at what is now known as Bayer Crop Science. While in these roles, her efforts focused on connecting the food, nutrition, culinary, and agriculture communities for greater understanding, collaboration, and innovation.

Wendy returned to IFIC after a previous tenure from 2000–2012, including service as Senior Director, Health & Wellness. During this time, she directed food and nutrition communication strategies, including consumer research, opinion leader and media outreach, as well as publications and partnerships, for multiple food safety, nutrition, and agriculture issues.

Wendy earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nutrition and exercise science from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and James Madison University, respectively. She completed her dietetic internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital — an affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine.