
26th Annual Chef Culinary Conference
Planetary Health and The Impact of COVID-19 on College and University Dining
University of Massachusetts, Amherst June 9-11, 2020 (Virtual Conference)
Free Registration Presentations Culinary & Full-Day Videos Recipes
Planetary Health and The Impact of COVID-19 on College and University Dining
Dear All,
I trust you are all staying well and staying healthy during the pandemic. There is a bit of good news I would like to share with you.
We had numerous requests to conduct our 2020 Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference in a virtual format. Therefore, we will have a condensed version of 120 minutes each day, over a three-day period, during June 9-11, 2020, and will include a keynote speaker for 30 minutes, a chef session with food demonstrations and a panel discussion for 60 minutes.
Our plan is to offer the sessions for free to those who planned to attend and expect more than 500 will tune in to view daily. Everyone is welcome.
Our theme will still be Planetary Health, however, there will be a focus on post-COVID -19 times in the areas of strategic operational planning, wellness and safety, and communication. Dr. Walter Willett, the famed epidemiologist will kick off the event on Tuesday, June 9 at 2 pm. During the event we will discuss how operators and the supply chain can support each other and how we can rebuild our foodservice segment and community during and after the COVID 19 pandemic. We will also hear how operators are preparing for reopening their dining programs in the fall. There will also be a session of students from across the country discussing their expectations of what the fall will look like. We will also discuss how social media will continue to play a very important role in these times by keeping everyone connected. We will hear from universities about their shift in dining operations and what that we expect that to look like during our new normal.
Thank you for your continued support of Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference. We also encourage you to take part in the conference and connect with each other after the conference.
Registration is now open and space is limited. We look forward to seeing you.
Best,
Ken
Ken Toong
Executive Director and Chair
ktoong@umass.edu