Check Out the 2018 Philly Chef Conference Schedule

Mark your calendars for noon on Tuesday, January 16th, when tickets go on sale.


Drexel University Center for Food and Hospitality Management/Facebook

Last month, we reported that the 2018 Philly Chef Conference would be tackling some big topics, like sexism and harassment in the restaurant industry and self-care for chefs.

Now, Drexel University’s Center for Food & Hospitality Management has released the schedule for both days of the conference.

Take a look at the full schedule below. Mark your calendars for noon on Tuesday, January 16th, when tickets for both days of the Philly Chef Conference — and for a conference satellite event, The Cooking Gene author Michael W. Twitty’s book talk on February 26th — go on sale. The conference will take place on the sixth floor of Drexel’s Academic Building at 101 North 33rd Street.

The first day of the conference — Sunday, March 11th — is open to the public; tickets are are $30 each and can be purchased here. Tickets for the industry-only day, Monday, March 12th, are $150 and can be purchased here.

Day 1 (open to the public)
Sunday, March 11th
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Gen Z Appetites: Co-evolving with Demographic, Digital and Climate Changes
June Jo Lee, food ethnographer

X-Ray Vision For Cooks
Ali Bouzari, culinary scientist and co-founder of Pilot R&D and Render

Transformation of the Modern Soup Kitchen
Lara Gilmore, Food for Soul

Keynote Conversation: The Current State of Women in the Restaurant Industry
Jen Agg, restaurateur/writer and Brett Anderson, The New Orleans Times-Picayune

Day 2 (industry only)
Monday, March 12th
8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

8 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.

Registration
Note that certain sessions will have sign-up sheets due to room capacity.

8:45 a.m. – 9 a.m.

Opening remarks
Michael Traud, JD, Ed.D

9:15 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Food Issues for Chefs
Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank; Diane Hatz, Change Food; Arlin Wasserman, Changing Tastes with moderator Katharine Millonzi, Yale/MAD symposium

The New Dining Room: Rendering Restaurant Dishes Into Retail Products
Ali Bouzari, Pilot R&D and Render

Sereni-Tea Now: Tea Tasting
Sebastian Beckwith, In Pursuit of Tea

10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Elevating Your Dish with Custom Spices
Lior Lev Sercarz, La Boite and Nick Anderer, Martina

App, Entrée, and Dessert: Menu Development
Noah Sandoval, Oriole; Brad Kilgore, Alter; Alex Stupak, Empellon; Matt Jennings, Townsman with moderator Daniela Galarza, Eater.com

From Kitchen to Camera: Chefs are Public Figures
Andrew Friedman, Andrew Talks to Chefs and David Watluck, Institute of Culinary Education

The Science Behind Coffee and Water
Christopher Hendon, University of Oregon

11:15 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Food Styling: The Art Behind Plating and Photography
Evan Sung, photographer and Alex Stupak, Empellon

Taking Cuisines Across Continents
Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura, Maido and Michael Solomonov, Zahav with moderator Adam Sachs, Savuer

Building a Winning Team
Phillip Tessier, Hestan Smart Cooking

12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

Lunch
Featuring South Philly Barbacoa, Caviar, and Honeygrow

1 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Familiar Ingredients in an Unfamiliar Form: Utilizing Dessert Techniques for Savory Dishes
Brad Kilgore, Alter

Miracle Grow: Development Strategies for Growing your Group
Fabio Trabocchi, Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants; Johno Morisano, owner of The Grey in Savannah, Georgia; Stephen Bernacki, CFO for Alinea Group with moderator Phil Collichio, Collichio Consulting

Saving Food, Saving Lives
Matt Jozwiak and Evelyn Kim, ReThink Food NYC

Expanding Your Palate
Helen Johannsen, Director of Operations and Beverage Director of Animal, Son of a Gun, Petit Trois, Trois Familia, Trois Mec, Jon & Vinny’s and Helen’s Wines

Texture and Taste: A Sensory Analysis of Local Bread
Michael Kalanty

2 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Chop Chop: Butchery Demo
Rob Levitt, Local Foods Chicago

Achieving 100%
Bobby Stuckey, Frasca Food and Wine; Gail Simmons, Top Chef; Tanya Holland, Brown Sugar Kitchen with moderator Jeff Gordinier, Esquire

How to Fuel the Body: Health and Wellness for Industry Professionals
Dr. Robert Graham, FRESH Med NYC and Matt Jennings, Townsman with moderator Dr. Stella Volpe, Drexel University

Elevated Bar Service
Jim Meehan

Developing a Comprehensive Cheese Program
Brian Keyser, Casellula Cheese & Wine Café

2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Coffee and dessert break

3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Go Fish: Butchery and Tasting
Fabio Trabocchi, Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants

The Restaurant as a Catalyst to Social Change
Jen Hidinger, The Giving Kitchen; Lara Gilmore, Food for Soul; Jehangir Mehta, Graffiti with moderator: Alice Cheng, Culinary Agents

Avoiding Sexual Harassment in the Restaurant Industry
Carolyn Richmond, Fox Rothschild LLP

The Bitter Truth: Tasting Amaros
Brad Thomas Parsons, author and journalist

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Go Wild: Foraging
Tama Wong

The Current State of Women in the Restaurant Industry
Sarah Abell, Baltz & Company; Deborah Harris, Texas State University; Kristen Kish, chef; Randi Weinstein, FAB with moderator Nilou Motamed, journalist

Relaxing the Mind: Health and Wellness for Industry Professionals
Dr. Annette Willgens, Drexel University

On Suds: Beer Tasting and Lecture
Justin Kennedy, journalist and author

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Post-conference reception