The 2019 Philly Chef Conference: Food Science, #MeToo, Tipping, and More
Check out the full slate of programming, and get your tickets when they go on sale at 12 p.m. today.
The schedule for the this year’s Philly Chef Conference has been announced, and programming looks like it’ll be the best yet. The Drexel University Center for Food & Hospitality Management has been changing the culinary school game with its programming, and the conference serves as a centerpiece of that strategy.
The 2019 conference features more than 50 renowned chefs, food journalists, and hospitality experts (see the full list of presenters and panelists here). Tickets go on sale today at noon.
Programming kicks off on Friday, March 8th at 10:30 a.m. with a conversation between Esquire‘s Jeff Gordinier and chef-author Edward Lee at Drexel’s Academic Bistro. Federal Donuts and La Colombe will provide donuts and coffee, and the ticket price includes a copy of Lee’s new book, Buttermilk Graffiti.
On Sunday, March 10th, programming is open to the public. At 11 a.m., a panel of industry leaders — luminaries Harold McGee, former Nordic Food Lab researcher Joshua Evans, and MIT flavor scientist Arielle Johnson — will speak in a Q&A session at the Academic Bistro on the role of food science in the restaurant industry. Tickets to the morning session are $75 each and include brunch.
Next on Sunday are two panels, beginning at 3:30 p.m.: “Improving on Perfection in the Restaurant Industry: A Discussion on How Not to Sit on Your Laurels,” moderated by Gordinier, and “Finding the Right Middle Ground: A Discussion on Achieving Balance in the Restaurant Industry,” moderated by the New York Times‘ Kim Severson. Tickets to Sunday evening’s session are $75 each.
Industry-only programming takes place on Monday, March 11th starting at 9 a.m., with panels, lectures, and demos on topics like session wines, cooking with koji, tasting tea, cookbook development, and improving kitchen culture. Breakfast, lunch, coffee and dessert, and bites at the evening’s closing reception will be provided by local restaurants and makers like Essen Bakery, South Philly Barbacoa, Weckerly’s Ice Cream, and Fu-Wah (Kevin Sbraga’s famous hot chicken sandwiches will make an appearance again this year), with an afterparty hosted by Pub & Kitchen.
Check out the full conference schedule here. Tickets for all programs go on sale today at 12 p.m. and tend to sell out quick, so get yours early.
