Blue Wall, Campus Center

Campus Center Auditorium

Campus Center Auditorium

This is a brief talk about the “small plates” I had the chance to taste during my culinary travels in Crete. It is all about those meaningful food experiences that take place in contexts other than restaurant tables and about the details that make them special.

Speaker: Isabella Zampetaki

Campus Center Auditorium

Despite the terrible impacts of Germany’s World War II invasion and occupation, then followed by a devastating civil war, international researchers steadily began to document beneficial effects on nutrition, health and longevity in the post-war Greece of the 1950’s and 1960’s. Underlying these outcomes were a diet and lifestyle based on the traditional products and practices available to and sustainable by the rural agrarian communities of Greece. During these times, the majority of the population closely followed the Greek Orthodox Calendar and its timeless fasting practices. This meant that on about 180 (more than ½) of the days of the year, people abstained from animal products (meats and dairy). The diet was based on local and seasonal – mainly plant products (greens- cultivated and wild, vegetables, legumes, whole-grain cereals and fruits) with a plurality (up to 40%) of calories derived from olives and extra virgin olive oil, supplemented by seafood and snails. Physical activity was an essential practice through chores and walking many kilometers daily as required by the rural lifestyle. They drank local wine at most meals in moderation, and an afternoon siesta was the norm. When they consumed animal products, nothing was wasted. The same was true of tins, barrels and bottles that they recycled and used countless times long before it was a modern fashion. These frugal practices birthed what is now called the “Mediterranean Diet & Lifestyle”. Ironically, those traditional habits of poor farmers are now practiced more commonly by wealthier and more highly educated persons, including in non-Mediterranean countries. The presentation will conclude by examining strategies for the dissemination & translation of Healthy Mediterranean Diet Principles to the greater public worldwide.

Speaker: Stefanos Kales

Campus Center Auditorium

Eating mindfully is key to optimizing our health, fostering inner peace as well as the health of our planet.  This session will provide an overview of the personal health effects of mindfulness and mindful eating. It will also address how this practice can help alleviate our climate crisis.

Speaker: Lilian Cheung                                

Campus Center Auditorium

At present the world is on a path of rapidly increasing temperatures that will devastate human civilizations.  Although near elimination of fossil fuel use is most important, changes in the foods we eat and how we produce them are essential to avoid disaster.  If done well, this can support better health and well being for all.  But will we make these changes in time?

Speaker: Walter Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H.

Campus Center Auditorium

Danone North America

National Peanut Board

Campus Center Auditorium

Dole Packaged Foods

Campus Center Auditorium

This panel discussion will focus on company vision, sustainability, social values, innovation, collaboration, talent management and beyond.

Moderated by Phil Kafarkis, President & CEO of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA)

Panelists: Fleur Veldhoven, Nestle Professional Stuart McAllister, Dole Packaged Foods, Matt Obergfell, Hormel Foods

Campus Center Auditorium

Pulmuone Foods USA

Hormel Foods

National Pork Board

Campus Center Auditorium

Chef Martin Yan

Worcester Commons

Mediterranean Vegetable Meze Feast

A selection of beautiful bold flavored vegetable dishes from my recent travels in France, Italy and Greece.

Jody Adams

Native American Food and how Mediterranean ingredients are incorporated

This workshop will explore how Mediterranean ingredients have changed technique and flavor.

Freddie Bitsoie

“Rye” Me to the Moon

If you’re looking to add another dimension to your bread baking, look no further. Join Master Baker Lumi Cirstea for an interactive hands-on class that covers several hearty and delicious naturally fermented rye breads. This class will cover not only good-looking rye breads, but also a fun way of presenting sweet and savory open-faced sandwiches. Still not convinced? Here’s a sneak peek of her baked goods:  Icelandic Rugbraud Bread, Boiled Cider Rye a Sourdough Rye made FIVE different ways – from dried cranberries, dates and a sunflower seeds crust, all the way to a caraway loaf with sautéed onions, black pepper, and much more. Hmm…so good. Smelling the fresh bread, yet? Join her class!

Lumi Cirstea

De la Milpa al Plato: demystifying  the Mexican kitchen.

Mexican food has for too long been portrayed as unhealthy, greasy and cheap, when in reality it is a cuisine largely based on vegetables, plants and only a small amount of animal proteins. La milpa is a Mexican term that encompases the core of the Mexican native ingredients: Corn, Beans,  Chiles, Tomatoes, Squashes and edible greens.

Iliana de la Vega

Southern Cooking, Global Flavors

Cooking Southern Cuisine with global flavors has been my life’s work. The melting pot, that is America, has helped shape my creative culinary lens through traveling, fellowship and exploration, all while searching for delicious foods and flavors with their links to the South.

Kenny Gilbert

Good Food, Good Mood!

Linking Healthy Diets with Healthy Minds, and Cooking For Health With Nutritionally Dense Foods

Matthew Jennings

Ancient Dishes Of The Mediterranean For The 21st Century

What’s Old is New – Again!

The Mediterranean Diet has been upheld by medical and nutrition professionals worldwide as one of the healthiest, nutritionally dense, and most delicious diets to maintain, and appears to sustain longevity as evidence by “blue zones” in the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest. Of course, this involves more than diet, it also includes embracing the healthy habits of the people that live throughout the Mediterranean. The region encompasses far more than, Italy, Spain, and Greece, which many consider the only countries that border the Mediterranean. In fact, there are over 20 countries that border the Mediterranean, each with its own unique culinary culture and recipes that reach back to antiquity. 

Ancient cuisines from North Africa, such as Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Lebanon, as well as other diverse countries such as Croatia, Turkey, Israel, and others, together represent a total of 23 immensely distinct cuisines.  Many of their recipes are plant forward as they have been for centuries, and can be served with any protein you choose.

This class offers a bundle of unique and authentic global dishes for your menu.  I’ve chosen unusual recipes from my culinary travels that can easily be scaled up for food service programs. Additionally, these recipes will add excitement and bold new flavors that are sure to please your guests and expand your menu matrix. 

Steve Petusevsky

Ancient Wisdom of Eastern—Transformation

Chef Lee will show you the amazing possibilities weaving traditional Chinese ingredients into cooking for the modern tables.

Yan Li and Jian Yi

Better for you Vegetable Broths and Elevated Cookies and Dessert Bars

Chef Masi has a wonderful workshop planned for conference participants this week. There has been plenty of “buzz” the past couple years about the healthfulness of bone broths. In this workshop we will focus on how we can take a similar approach and create healthy vegetable broths that will be delicious on their own or even better in soups. Additionally, Chef Masi will share some of his favorite cookie and dessert bar recipes, as well as share what we can do to elevate those desserts and others to the “next level”.  

John Masi

Importance of Koji in Japanese Cuisine & Beyond

We will explore the importance and application of koji mold or aspergillus oryzae in Japanese Cuisine and its benefits.  Koji is the heart and soul of Japanese Cuisine.  Without it, there wouldn’t be sake, mirin, soy sauce or miso.  Staples in the modern pantry that we all take for granted.

Hiroo Nagahara

Plant-Forward Incubator – From individual action to collaboration

Even before the pandemic, labor constraints coupled with intense market demand for more costly ingredients that are regenerative, local, clean-label, and plant-forward posed serious challenges in scaled food service environments. Still, colleges and universities throughout North America remained committed to food programs that address some of our most vexing environmental and social challenges.

UMass Amherst, Wholesome Crave, and Nestlé Professional forged a partnership to demonstrate what would happen if diverse supply chain sectors – representing scaled operations, scaled manufacturing, and authentic social enterprise start-ups – came together to collaborate toward broader systems change. The three collaborators proudly presented the Purpose-Driven, Plant-Based Incubator at last year’s Chef Culinary Conference, with the resulting first-edition playbook published in February 2023. Over a dozen additional universities have joined the incubator project to add regional diversity, operational diversity, and a variety of best practices to expand the incubator project toward a broader systems approach.

The playbook recipes leverage value-added products that credibly address climate change, nutrition insecurity, regenerative agriculture, and plant-forward health concerns, while providing speed-scratch solutions that help reach ESG goals in labor-constrained environments. Join the Wholesome Crave and Nestlé Professional culinary teams as we work with existing and new incubator recipes to expand and refine them to benefit a variety of operational and geographic considerations. Join the conversation as we consider design elements that explore the addition of other VAPs like pre-cooked ancient grains, legumes, fonio, and other plant-forward approaches that can save significant time and labor costs while providing nutrient-dense, plant and planet-friendly meal solutions with a real story.

Michel Nischan and  Alex Dino

Brain Food for the Soul: How to build dishes that nourish learning and joy

We’ll focus on how to craft customer favorites of Mediterranean cuisine incorporating sustainable seafood in unexpected ways.

Dishes will give chefs hands-on learning with kelp, bivalves, and other sustainable seafoods and give them a chance to work side-by-side with sustainable seafood expert and Harvard neuro-nutrition faculty Barton Seaver. The cooking will be slower paced, allowing for plenty of time for experimentation and dialogue.

Barton Seaver

Terrestrial Thai Cuisine

In this workshop, you will learn 5 recipes that represent some of the best dishes that Thai Cuisine has to offer.  All these dishes are plant-based ingredients with authentic Thai flavors. However, animal proteins can also be added to these dishes. They are Corn Fritters, Som Tum Pon Lamai  (Spicy mixed fruit salad), Tom Kha Hua Plee (Spicy and sour Coconut Soup with banana blossom), Pad Ped Asparagus with assorted mushrooms and Thai chili paste, and Thai Fried Banana.  The fried bananas will also be made with other legume ingredients such as taro, yam, and pumpkin.  This menu is tasty, healthy, and easy to prepare for large batches to serve at your campus.

Chai Siriyarn

The Art of the Noodle

Variety, preparation and presentation of the noodle.  Will demonstrate the versatility of this amazing ingredient in a variety of dishes, using different cooking techniques.

Chef Martin Yan

Campus Center, 1^st floor, Room 162

Consumers demand sustainable food options: it is not that simple

Alissa Nolden is an Assistant Professor at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst in the Department of Food Science who works with her colleagues and students to enhance the field of food science and human health. Alissa believes understanding factors influencing sensory perception and taste preferences are important in increasing consumption and creation of delicious, healthful, and sustainable foods. She has conducted consumer surveys and supported collaborative projects regarding plant-based foods to understand consumers’ motivation to adopt a diet that includes plant-based products, focusing on sensory attributes and personality factors associated with liking and intake.

Speaker: Alissa Nolden

Campus Center, 1^st floor, Room 162

Celebrating Cultures: Building Culturally Responsive Practices

As dietitians and health professionals, it’s important to create an inclusive environment that celebrates culture without unintentionally appropriating them. This session will review current topics in nutrition research, media, and menus, including food patterns, food naming, superfoods, food shaming, and erasure. You will learn how to develop best practices and opportunities for honoring cultures and communities.

Speaker:  Sherene Chou   

Campus Center, 1^st floor, Room 162

Excitement in Food Allergy forward in 2023: FDA, food allergy policy, and best practices to keep all safe with food allergies

We are experiencing more food allergy needs today than ever before with the number expecting to double within the next 5 years.   It’s expected that 25% of all dinners will need some level of accommodation.  Are you ready for more? 

2023 has a record number of food allergy updates in the FDA Food code, in new legislation and in proposed potential legislation. Betsy will make sure to share an overview and dive into a few she is deeply connected to that are altering the expectations for years to come. 

Speaker: Betsy Craig

Student Union Ballroom

Industry Presentation by Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast

UPub, Campus Center 2nd Floor

North Lawn, Campus Center

Erin Wachtendonk

Lower Level, Campus Center

The Food and Beverage industry is continuously evolving and impacted by economic trends and shifts in consumer preferences and behaviors. During this session, we will share McKinsey’s perspective on current macro-economic trends including commodity inflation, supply availability, labor availability and wages, and consumer spending as well as provocations for how foodservice can continue to deliver value and growth in an environment increasingly focused on sustainability, health and wellness, and social values.

Speaker: Kimberly Stover and Kate Toews

Campus Center Auditorium

La Colombe Coffee Roasters

The Mushroom Council

Campus Center Auditorium

We are moving towards a customer centered world powered by AI. Today’s consumers want what they want, when, where, and how they want it, with the least amount of friction possible. At the same time, they’re looking for a wide variety of choices, especially when it comes to food. How do you stay ahead of the onslaught of changes coming our way? How do you stay relevant in an exponential age?

In this interactive presentation, Anat Baron shares how the transformative power of AI, robotics, information, and communication technologies will impact how we relate to one another. She will share how AI can help create personalized dining experiences, increase efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance food safety. Anat will make the case for Human + AI collaboration as the best way forward in order to connect, predict and adapt to changing customer expectations.     

Speaker:  Anat Baron

Campus Center Auditorium

Wonderful Citrus

Loumidis Foods, Inc.

Campus Center Auditorium

Numerous examples of next-generation plant-based foods, such as meat, seafood, egg, and dairy analogs, are already commercially available.  These products are usually designed to have physicochemical properties, sensory attributes, and functional behaviors that match those of the animal sourced products they are designed to replace.  However, there has been concern about their potential negative impacts of these foods on human health.  In particular, many of these products are ultraprocessed foods, which are thought to be unhealthy. In this presentation, I discuss the importance of ensuring that the next-generation of ultraprocessed plant-based foods is specifically designed to be healthier.  The nutrient content, digestibility, bioavailability, and gut microbiome effects of these foods should be designed to be similar or better than those of animal-based foods, otherwise there may be unforeseen adverse nutritional consequences associated with switching to be more plant-based diet. 

Speaker: Julian McClements

Campus Center Auditorium

What does it mean for consumers, particularly younger consumers, to eat healthy today — and what will they look for in the future? The health landscape is often confusing, contradictory, and it’s always changing. In this session, we’ll break down the data on what your customers really think about healthy, mindful eating. Discover the foods they consider to be healthy, from tried-and-true options to newer, on-trend, globally-inspired ingredients and dishes. We’ll look at diet changes, from keto to intermittent fasting. Make sense of the plant-based landscape to understand if options like plant-based meats were fads or if they’ll have staying power. Dive into trends in mindfulness, stress relief, and creating a better environment for food industry workers. Finally, we’ll leave you with five takeaways that you can take action on immediately when it comes to health. 

Speaker: Mike Kostyo

Campus Center Auditorium

AFP Advanced Food Products LLC

General Mills

Campus Center Auditorium

The Blue Zones food and nutrition plan is based on the eating habits of five communities in various parts of the world that boast the most centurions. In this session you will learn the 11 guidelines of the Blue Zones food plan and why following a more plant-based diet is better for your overall health and longevity.

Speaker: Andrea Giancoli

Campus Center Auditorium

Nestle Professional

Campus Center Auditorium

Moderated by Rafi Taherian Associate Vice President, Yale Hospitality and 4 Directors of Dining from Universities across the nation and Canada.

Eric Montell, Assistant Vice Provost, Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliaries

Andre Mallie, Assistant Vice President, Auxiliary Services, University of San Diego

Cheryl Fabrizi, Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services, Syracuse University

Oliver de Volpi, Food Service Manager, Concordia Univerisity

Blue Wall, Campus Center

Join us for lunch at our Industry Showcase. Connect, eat and experience what’s new and exciting with over 50 of our conference partners

Worcester Commons

Native American Food and how Mediterranean ingredients are incorporated

This workshop will explore how Mediterranean ingredients have changed technique and flavor.

Freddie Bitsoie

“Rye” Me to the Moon

If you’re looking to add another dimension to your bread baking, look no further. Join Master Baker Lumi Cirstea for an interactive hands-on class that covers several hearty and delicious naturally fermented rye breads. This class will cover not only good-looking rye breads, but also a fun way of presenting sweet and savory open-faced sandwiches. Still not convinced? Here’s a sneak peek of her baked goods:  Icelandic Rugbraud Bread, Boiled Cider Rye a Sourdough Rye made FIVE different ways – from dried cranberries, dates and a sunflower seeds crust, all the way to a caraway loaf with sautéed onions, black pepper, and much more. Hmm…so good. Smelling the fresh bread, yet? Join her class!

Lumi  Cirstea

De la Milpa al Plato: demystifying  the Mexican kitchen.

Mexican food has for too long been portrayed as unhealthy, greasy and cheap, when in reality it is a cuisine largely based on vegetables, plants and only a small amount of animal proteins. La milpa is a Mexican term that encompases the core of the Mexican native ingredients: Corn, Beans,  Chiles, Tomatoes, Squashes and edible greens.

Iliana de la Vega

Southern Cooking, Global Flavors

Cooking Southern Cuisine with global flavors has been my life’s work. The melting pot, that is America, has helped shape my creative culinary lens through traveling, fellowship and exploration, all while searching for delicious foods and flavors with their links to the South.

Kenny Gilbert

Good Food, Good Mood!

Linking Healthy Diets with Healthy Minds, and Cooking For Health With Nutritionally Dense Foods

Matthew Jennings

What’s Old is New – Again!

The Mediterranean Diet has been upheld by medical and nutrition professionals worldwide as one of the healthiest, nutritionally dense, and most delicious diets to maintain, and appears to sustain longevity as evidence by “blue zones” in the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest. Of course, this involves more than diet, it also includes embracing the healthy habits of the people that live throughout the Mediterranean. The region encompasses far more than, Italy, Spain, and Greece, which many consider the only countries that border the Mediterranean. In fact, there are over 20 countries that border the Mediterranean, each with its own unique culinary culture and recipes that reach back to antiquity. 

Ancient cuisines from North Africa, such as Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Lebanon, as well as other diverse countries such as Croatia, Turkey, Israel, and others, together represent a total of 23 immensely distinct cuisines.  Many of their recipes are plant forward as they have been for centuries, and can be served with any protein you choose.

This class offers a bundle of unique and authentic global dishes for your menu.  I’ve chosen unusual recipes from my culinary travels that can easily be scaled up for food service programs. Additionally, these recipes will add excitement and bold new flavors that are sure to please your guests and expand your menu matrix. 

Steve Petusevsky

Ancient Wisdom of Eastern—Transformation

Chef Lee will show you the amazing possibilities weaving traditional Chinese ingredients into cooking for the modern tables.

Yan Li and Jian Yi

Importance of Koji in Japanese Cuisine & Beyond

We will explore the importance and application of koji mold or aspergillus oryzae in Japanese Cuisine and its benefits.  Koji is the heart and soul of Japanese Cuisine.  Without it, there wouldn’t be sake, mirin, soy sauce or miso.  Staples in the modern pantry that we all take for granted.

Hiroo Nagahara

Plant-Forward Incubator – From individual action to collaboration

Even before the pandemic, labor constraints coupled with intense market demand for more costly ingredients that are regenerative, local, clean-label, and plant-forward posed serious challenges in scaled food service environments. Still, colleges and universities throughout North America remained committed to food programs that address some of our most vexing environmental and social challenges.

UMass Amherst, Wholesome Crave, and Nestlé Professional forged a partnership to demonstrate what would happen if diverse supply chain sectors – representing scaled operations, scaled manufacturing, and authentic social enterprise start-ups – came together to collaborate toward broader systems change. The three collaborators proudly presented the Purpose-Driven, Plant-Based Incubator at last year’s Chef Culinary Conference, with the resulting first-edition playbook published in February 2023. Over a dozen additional universities have joined the incubator project to add regional diversity, operational diversity, and a variety of best practices to expand the incubator project toward a broader systems approach.

The playbook recipes leverage value-added products that credibly address climate change, nutrition insecurity, regenerative agriculture, and plant-forward health concerns, while providing speed-scratch solutions that help reach ESG goals in labor-constrained environments. Join the Wholesome Crave and Nestlé Professional culinary teams as we work with existing and new incubator recipes to expand and refine them to benefit a variety of operational and geographic considerations. Join the conversation as we consider design elements that explore the addition of other VAPs like pre-cooked ancient grains, legumes, fonio, and other plant-forward approaches that can save significant time and labor costs while providing nutrient-dense, plant and planet-friendly meal solutions with a real story.

Michel Nischan and  Alex Dino

Brain Food for the Soul: How to build dishes that nourish learning and joy

We’ll focus on how to craft customer favorites of Mediterranean cuisine incorporating sustainable seafood in unexpected ways.

Dishes will give chefs hands-on learning with kelp, bivalves, and other sustainable seafoods and give them a chance to work side-by-side with sustainable seafood expert and Harvard neuro-nutrition faculty Barton Seaver. The cooking will be slower paced, allowing for plenty of time for experimentation and dialogue.

Barton Seaver

Terrestrial Thai Cuisine

In this workshop, you will learn 5 recipes that represent some of the best dishes that Thai Cuisine has to offer.  All these dishes are plant-based ingredients with authentic Thai flavors. However, animal proteins can also be added to these dishes. They are Corn Fritters, Som Tum Pon Lamai  (Spicy mixed fruit salad), Tom Kha Hua Plee (Spicy and sour Coconut Soup with banana blossom), Pad Ped Asparagus with assorted mushrooms and Thai chili paste, and Thai Fried Banana.  The fried bananas will also be made with other legume ingredients such as taro, yam, and pumpkin.  This menu is tasty, healthy, and easy to prepare for large batches to serve at your campus.

Chai Siriyarn

Modern Social Media Savvy Chef- Harnessing the power of Social Media

Being media savvy is an important attribute in a modern chef’s list of skills. With the proliferation of social media, being able to navigate the online world is just as important as culinary training. Not only is it important to have exceptional culinary skills, but a chef needs to be media savvy enough to tell an extraordinary story about their creations.  In this social media training hands on workshop, Chef Jet Tila will help participants curate engaging posts and stories about their creations.  He will do a deep dive into the most important apps like Tik Tok, IG, and twitter and demonstrate how to create/edit/act in posts that will have long-lasting impacts on audiences.

Jet Tila

MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN, a Diet to Live By

The Mediterranean diet is a life-style primarily plant-based including a rich daily intake of vegetables, fruits, beans and other legumes, whole grains, nuts, herbs, spices and fruity virgin olive oil as the dominant cooking medium of choice. Think of bold flavors like spicy harissa, sweet basil, briny capers, golden-colored pungent saffron, bright citrus, and plenty of healthy garlic. Consuming foods like fish, shellfish, dairy, and eggs are often incorporated into the Mediterranean diet and animal proteins are eaten in smaller amounts and used sparingly as to not dominate the center of the plate.  This cuisine appeals to wide range of vegetarians, pescatarian, those who are health conscious, and those who enjoy a flexitarian diet. This delicious food is found in the countries that surround the Mediterranean Sea like Morocco, Greece, Southern France, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Israel and the Middle East.  The Mediterranean Diet has been named “best diet overall” for the last 6 years by US News and World Report.  

Joanne Weir

Campus Center, 1^st floor, Room 162

The “Blue Zone” for Every Culture

Join us as we highlight the benefits of living in the “Blue Zones” and how we can translate those elements around the world to fit your work cultures. Breaking down the blue zones and seeing how it is possible to translate the success into the communities that we serve in 5 simple steps.

Speaker:  Ashley Carter and Jasmine Westbrook

Campus Center, 1^st floor, Room 162

The Blueprint for Healthy Eating: Leveraging the Mediterranean diet and Blue Zones cuisine in your operation

Blue Zone cuisines and the Mediterranean diet have been cited as some of the healthiest on the planet.  In this engaging presentation, we will look at how operations can leverage the principles of healthy eating within these areas and make them exciting for their generation z customers.

Speaker: Abbie Gellman

Campus Center, 1^st floor, Room 162

A Panel on Navigating Food Allergies and Dietary Requirements: Promoting Advocacy, Diversity, and Inclusion in College Dining Programs

College dining programs are vital to the health and well-being of students, and ensuring that all students have access to safe and healthful food options are crucial. However, for students with food allergies and dietary requirements, navigating campus dining can be challenging, and lack of support may lead to serious health consequences. 

In this panel discussion, three Registered Dietitians will share the importance of their role in managing student food allergies, promoting advocacy, diversity, inclusion in college dining programs, and more. Conversation will focus on emerging concepts, best practices, risk assessment and menu planning for managing food allergies on campus. The panel discussion will highlight the crucial role of Registered Dietitians in creating customized meal experiences, advocating for policies that promote diversity and inclusion, and raising awareness of food allergies on campus. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how to implement these concepts in their own campus dining programs, as well as a newfound appreciation for the role of a Registered Dietitian within campus dining.

Moderator: Amelia Alonzo- Yale Hospitality

Panelists: Kristi Baonga- Kansas State University

                  Kelsey Patterson- Michigan State University

                  Carole Bartolotto- University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

Blue Wall, Campus Center

Industry Presentation by Barilla for Professionals

UPub, Campus Center 2nd Floor

Blue Wall, Campus Center

Panelists:

Manahil Zaid, University of Guelph

Arianna Mills, Vanderbilt University

Kathryn Handen-llopis, UC San Diego

Trinity Manzke, UW Madison

Kimberly Dang, UMass Amherst

The Hershey Company

Kellogg’s

Integrative Learning Center S140

1.   Charlie McConnell: Creating Value, Delivering Experience, Controlling Cost and Growing Business

The college and university dining segment is one of the most exciting, innovative and rewarding arenas around. We do more than just serve good food.  We improve the quality of the student experience, we enrich the image of  the university, we support sustainability, build community and act as an incubator for innovation.

During this session, we will cover the state of the collegiate dining industry, focus on challenges and opportunities, provide insights, discuss solutions and best practices to mitigate rising costs and labor challenges, discus how to champion authenticity and promote sustainability, and improve the customer experience while facilitating collaboration.

Betsy Helgesen, Senior Director, Campus Retail, University of Minnesota Duluth

Zia Ahmed, Senior Director, the Ohio State University

Kirk Rodriguez, Director, Hospitality Services, Texas Tech University

Christopher Henning, Executive Director, UC Berkeley

Garett DiStefano, Director of Dining, UMass Amherst

Moderated by: Charlie McConnell, Director of Insights & Best Practices, IFMA

2.   Mzamo Mangaliso: Visionary leadership in complex and disruptive environments: Lessons from the qualities of MLK, Mandela, and Gandhi

The talk will focus on the leadership qualities of three global icons, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi. It will discuss how these qualities can act as moral guidelines and reference points for leaders as they respond to the challenges presented by today’s complex and disruptive environments.

3.   Paul King: What’s Your Story, The Human Side Of Your Business

Telling your story is an essential element of marketing any business. But what is “your story?” How do you tell it? To whom do you tell it? And where should you tell it? In this 30-minute presentation, we’ll ferret out the answers to these question and place you solidly on the road to making people more aware of what your department has to offer its customers.

 4.   Rob Franek: Deep Dive: Trends in College Admissions:Understanding student and families hopes, worries and determining factors in choosing a best-fit school

The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief, Rob Franek, will lead this look-back and look-ahead session using the company’s opinion data sets to supply a cross-section of metrics around choosing a best fit school.  Rob will serve up results from current college students, college-bound students, parents, and counselors helping them along the way.

 5.   Briana Warner and Matt Haight: Kelp for a more sustainable future

6.   Frank Hu: Diet Strategies for Promoting of Longevity

 7.   Bruce Weinberg: Story telling for success

Worcester Commons

·       Bridging the Gap: Creating Menus that Reflect Culture and Diversity

How authentic are the menus you offer? In this session, participants will explore dishes that represent and appeal to today’s college diner. From diversity to dietary restrictions, we will explore the culture, origins, and foundations of flavor for some of the most iconic dining hall offerings, past and present as well as dive into the not so common menu items they should be showcasing.

Matthew Britt, C.E.C, Assistant Professor Johnson & Wales University | College of Food Innovation & Technology

·       Blue Zones and Ocean Greens: Sustainable Seaweed is on the Menu

Movement toward healthier, Earth conscious eating has inspired diners to look for indicators of sustainable ingredients and practices in their food choices. To deliver, todays chef must stay ahead of the wave in their menu and recipe designs. Participants in this workshop will discuss the advantages of incorporating ocean plants and blue zone inspired seaweed dishes into their menus. They will devise strategies for use and adaptability, apply practical hands-on preparation to dishes reflective of Sardinia, Okinawa, Ikaria, and Nicoya cuisines, and walk away with a novel and more sustainable blue/green approach to the student dining experience. 

Branden Lewis, Ed.D, CEC, Professor Johnson & Wales University | College of Food Innovation & Technology

·       Rising to the Occasion: Flatbreads from around the world

In this workshop we will explore variety of flatbreads that utilize alternative grains such as ancient wheats, sprouted grains, and gluten free alternatives. Each Flatbread will be accompanied by nutritious dips and toppings that are indigenous to their region. In this class, certified artisan bread baker Chef Jeff will share approachable recipes that are focused mostly on ideas that inspire a healthy lifestyle. From breakfast to dinner and snacking in between, consumers demand now more than ever knowing where their food comes from and understand nutritional benefits in every product. Let’s come together and create something unique, yet humbled.  

Jeffery Alexander M.Ed, CBB, Johnson & Wales University Associate Instructor | International Baking & Pastry Institute and College of Food Innovation & Technology

·       A Sports Dietitian’s Role in Fueling Student Athletes

We’ve all heard the saying, “Food is fuel.” But what does that really mean when it comes to adequately fueling a student-athlete? How do you maximize an athlete’s performance on and off the field, especially for students that are eating on a meal plan?  In this session, Sports Dietitian and Certified Strength Coach, Chef Poyourow, will review the current trends on fueling the student-athlete, supplements, the needs of vegetarian athletes, and how to work with your university dining staff and athletic department to optimize how and when athletes should be eating throughout the training cycle. 

Jon Poyourow MA, RD, LD, CSCS Associate Professor, Johnson & Wales University | College of Food Innovation & Technology

Worcester Commons

Kitchen & Culinary Nutrition Essentials for C&U Registered Dietitians

As Registered Dietitians (RDs), we understand that food is vital to overall health and wellness. C&U RDs are looked to as the nutrition experts throughout their work with students, faculty, and foodservice staff. Competence in the kitchen is an important element for C&U RDs. This hands-on workshop will help increase confidence with regard to cooking and culinary skills, with the ultimate goal to foster a more collaborative environment within the overall C&U foodservice team. We will also cover specific areas of interest specific to C&U foodservice needs.

This workshop will cover four main areas:

•           Kitchen Essentials and Culinary Nutrition Basics

•           Plant-Based and Plant Forward Meals

•           Allergy-friendly Meals

•           Late Night Ideas

Student Union Ballroom

Industry Presentation by North Coast Seafoods

How far will you go for real food? Presentation by Isabella Zampetaki

UPub, Campus Center 2nd Floor

Worcester Commons

Worcester Commons

Worcester Commons

The Common Denominator is Food

Think about the biggest challenges we face on a daily basis. From social justice to our health, food is the common denominator. At Johnson & Wales University (JWU) we are preparing students to combat issues far beyond the stove. Our work connects the craft of cooking to help serve solutions to the issues facing our society. Through partnerships with leading institutions and historically untapped student innovation, JWU is leading the way in preparing the next generation of leaders. In this session, JWU chefs/professors will share insights into how they are shifting what culinary education means today and field questions from the audience on how they can enact change within their own organization.

Chefs Jonathan Poyourow, Matt Britt, and Branden Lewis

Worcester Commons

This event is one of the most anticipated during the conference. Thirteen teams of four will compete in a hot food competition. Each team will be given a mystery basket of products with which they will have three hours to prepare 10 servings. We will crown the best culinary team in the nation. More details will be provided at Thursday’s mandatory afternoon meeting. The competition is evaluated by a panel of national judges. This is a serious but fun event.

Let the competition begin!

Show Chair: John Noble Masi
Judges: Lead Judge Christopher Tanner, CEC, CCE, AAC
Elena Clement, CEPC, AAC
Derrick D. Davenport, CEC, CEPC, MBA
Dale Miller, CMC, WGMC, AAC
Michael Morgan, CEC, FMP, AAC, ACE
Victor Sommo, CEC Sarah Deckert, CEC
Nick Zakharoff, CEC
Walter S. Zuromski, CEC, CCE

UPub, Campus Center 2nd Floor

Worcester Commons

This event is one of the most anticipated during the conference. Thirteen teams of four will compete in a hot food competition. Each team will be given a mystery basket of products with which they will have three hours to prepare 10 servings. We will crown the best culinary team in the nation. More details will be provided at Thursday’s mandatory afternoon meeting. The competition is evaluated by a panel of national judges. This is a serious but fun event.

Show Chair: John Noble Masi,
Judges: Lead Judge Christopher Tanner, CEC, CCE, AAC
Elena Clement, CEPC, AAC
Derrick D. Davenport, CEC, CEPC, MBA
Dale Miller, CMC, WGMC, AAC
Michael Morgan, CEC, FMP, AAC, ACE
Victor Sommo, CEC Sarah Deckert, CEC
Nick Zakharoff, CEC
Walter S. Zuromski, CEC, CCE

Worcester Commons