9th Annual Leadership Summit: Virtual Edition June 22 – 24, 2021
www.menusofchange.org
PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES
OMER ALKALAY is culinary director of Google Israel, working under Yarzin-Sella. Yarzin-Sella provides culinary solutions for the world’s leading high-tech companies. Omer discovered his passion for cooking while on vacation in New Zealand, where he bonded with a chef mentor, who took him on an exciting, two-year journey, focused on local sourcing. Upon his return to Israel, Oelleymer was presented with the opportunity to lead as executive chef in opening a new fine-dining restaurant, Chloelys, at Hilton Tel-Aviv. Omer’s cooking approach is to keep his dishes simple and fresh, providing the stage for the ingredients to speak. Omer maintains close contact with his growers, in order to keep up with best agricultural practices yielding top ingredients, allowing him to maintain balanced and delicious dishes. As a chef at Yarzin-Sella for Google, Omer has found a great marriage between his approach to cooking and the food program at Google. (Tel Aviv, Israel)
MICHIEL BAKKER, MS, MBA is vice president of global workplace programs for Real Estate & Workplace Services, Google’s renowned workplace programs and services such as food, transportation, events, sustainability, and fitness and well-being. Michiel is focused on providing integrated workplace services and experiences that enable Google and Googlers to thrive. He is also focused on supporting the growth of Google through the scalability of the programs and innovating the future of workplace services. From 2012 to 2017, he led Google’s Food program, supporting all foodservice-related activities and initiatives for Google’s global community as well as developing internal and external partnerships to explore and tackle the challenges and opportunities in the broader food system. Before joining Google, Michiel spent 17 great years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. in various roles. He continues to be very involved in the ever-evolving and growing intersection of food, health, and sustainability through various roles and organizations around the world such as The Culinary Institute of America’s Menus of Change Business Leadership Council; the EAT Forum Advisory Board; and the Yale School of Management Center for Customer Insights' Advisory Board. He holds a bachelor of business administration degree from the Hotel Management School Maastricht (The Netherlands), an MBA from the University of Bradford (UK), a master of hospitality administration degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a master’s degree in real estate and construction management from the University of Denver, Colorado. (Los Gatos, CA)
Most people know RICK BAYLESS from winning the title of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, besting the world-class competition with his authentic Mexican cuisine. His highly rated, Emmy-nominated public television series, Mexico: One Plate at a Time, is broadcast coast to coast and his nine cookbooks have earned multiple high-profile accolades. Located in Chicago, Rick's Frontera Grill and Topolobampo have each received the “Outstanding Restaurant” designation from the James
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Beard Foundation — an unprecedented feat for side-by-side restaurants. His wildly popular fast- casual Xoco has been drawing big crowds since 2009, and Tortas Frontera at Chicago’s O’Hare airport has changed the face of airport dining for good. In 2016, he opened Frontera Cocina in Disney Springs. In 2018, Rick opened Bar Sótano, a Oaxacan-inspired mezcal bar with modern Mexican bar food in the basement of Frontera Grill. Also in 2018, he opened Tortazo, a fast-casual restaurant located in Chicago's iconic Willis Tower. Always a philanthropist, Rick and his staff established the Frontera Farmer Foundation in 2003 to support small Midwestern farms. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly 200 grants totaling nearly $3 million. He also launched the Frontera Scholarship, a culinary school scholarship for Mexican-American students in Chicago and in 2019 founded Impact Culinary Training, a restaurant job readiness program on the city’s west side. The Government of Mexico has bestowed on Rick the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle–the highest decoration bestowed on foreigners whose work has benefitted Mexico and its people. (Chicago, IL)
JACKIE BERTOLDO, MPH, RDN is assistant director of nutrition & food choice architecture at Stanford University. As Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises’ resident nutrition and behavior change expert, Jackie is a leader in translating research into practical strategies for guiding food policy and practice. She works collaboratively with academics, chefs, university administrators, and operational staff to study the food environment and design transformative dining experiences that promote healthier, more sustainable eating practices for the Stanford community and beyond. She is also pursuing her doctorate in public health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as a fellow with the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, specializing in nutrition and food systems. (Stanford, CA) @StanfordDining
MEGAN BLOOMER, PHD has served as the vice president of sustainability and CSR for The Cheesecake Factory Inc. since the creation of the department in 2014. In this role, Megan creates and manages the strategic planning for all social justice and environmental stewardship endeavors for The Cheesecake Factory and its subsidiaries, domestically and internationally. Named one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® for seven consecutive years, The Cheesecake Factory owns and operates 294 restaurants throughout the United States and Canada under brands including The Cheesecake Factory®, North Italia® and a collection within the Fox Restaurant Concepts subsidiary. Internationally, 26 The Cheesecake Factory® restaurants operate under licensing agreements. The company employs more than 46,000 staff members. Megan has a bachelor of science in environmental studies, a master of science in environmental policy and management, a master of business administration with an emphasis in sustainable marketing, and PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies. She has studied across the world, from the urban jungle of Manhattan to the rainforest of Queensland, Australia and her work spans Fortune 500 companies, governmental organizations, academia, and non-profits. Megan’s doctoral dissertation explored the intersection of leadership and communication and she continued this work in a TEDx Talk and a TED2019 workshop. She was also awarded a 2019 Fortune Best Places to Work for All Leadership Award for Innovation. In her free time (when there is any), Megan volunteers for several dog rescues. Megan enjoys traveling and finding great “hole-in-the-wall” food spots. As a queer woman, it is important to Megan to spend time mentoring and coaching LGBTQ youth and young adults in her community. (Los Angeles, CA)
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ANNA BOHBOT is the global food program manager at LinkedIn, where she influences nutrition, marketing, communication, sustainability, sourcing, food operations, and food service design, as well as onsite food education/engagement programs. She is also an alum of the University of California Berkeley, a certified holistic nutrition consultant, and the founder of “Women in Tech” a networking group with other female leaders in the corporate and university dining industry. Anna joined LinkedIn in 2013 and has managed food service operations in the San Francisco Bay Area LinkedIn offices, feeding over 5,000 people daily. She is passionate about sustainable, just food systems and accessibility to fresh, local, and seasonal food, and has worked and volunteered with organizations such as Pie Ranch, CUESA, Kitchen Table Advisors, The Lexicon Group of Sustainability, and the IFMA B&I Foodservice Advisory Council. Anna previously owned a boutique catering business, where she taught healthy cooking classes and nutrition workshops for the American Heart Association in Spanish and English. Anna's recipes have been featured in two books and she has co-authored three cookbooks focusing on healthy diets. In her free time, Anna enjoys traveling, being active, and going to the beach with her husband and three boys. (Santa Cruz, CA)
AARON BROWN is an associate professor of baking and pastry at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Before graduating from Portland’s Western Culinary Institute, Aaron worked as a cook, kitchen manager, caterer, pastry cook and baker. After an apprenticeship at Grand Central Bakery in Seattle, Aaron opened his own artisan bread bakery. He later worked as head baker and pastry chef at Il Fornaio in Portland, Las Vegas, and finally in Denver. Before coming to work at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in 2004, Aaron started Big River Breads, a wholesale artisan bakery in Corvallis, Oregon. At Greystone, Aaron started the Café Operations class for the Baking and Pastry AOS program and opened the Illy Café on the Greystone campus where he also teaches general baking skills, baking science, gastronomy, bread baking, and specialty baking classes. (Napa, CA)
EDWARD G. BROWN '83 is the president of Restaurant Services for Restaurant Associates, a role he was promoted to in January 2018. In addition to his new role, he continues to be the head of culinary for Restaurant Associates. Having started his career at the New York Times three-star Maurice Restaurant and worked in Paris in the kitchen of the famous Michelin three-star Lucas Carton, Ed became executive chef of The Sea Grill, the gem of the Restaurant Associates family. During his 14 years in that role, Esquire magazine called The Sea Grill “one of the best restaurants in the world” and Ed, “perhaps the most impressive talent in his field.” Throughout his career, Ed has earned 14 stars from The New York Times for such properties as Marie Michelle, Tropica, Judson Grill, and The Sea Grill. In 2008, Ed fulfilled his lifelong dream of owning a restaurant, and opened Eighty One. The Upper West Side eatery was an immediate hit and earned a Michelin star. In March 2010, Ed closed the restaurant and returned to Restaurant Associates as the company’s chef/innovator and senior vice president. In 2015, Ed re-conceptualized ACES by Ed Brown, the premium level seafood restaurant that operates during the 14 days of the U.S. Open. He is a frequent guest on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s Morning Show, as well as a 2010 competitor on Iron Chef America and judge on Beat Bobby Flay. The author of The Modern Seafood Cook, a comprehensive guide to buying and preparing seafood and fish, he has also contributed to other cookbooks, including the updated Joy of Cooking (Scribner, 1997), Chef Pierre Franey’s 60 Minute Gourmet, (Clarkson Potter, 2000), as well as other publications. (New York, NY)
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SARA BURNETT serves as the vice president of food values, sustainability and PR at Panera where she manages strategy for a wide range of issues including food policy, sustainability and societal impact in addition to brand-wide public relations. She is responsible for the policies that shape the company’s perspective and commitments on food issues ranging from animal welfare to food additives. Prior to this role, she worked for more than a decade on the quality assurance team, overseeing special projects including the creation and implementation of the company’s clean food initiative, raised without antibiotics program, animal welfare standards and 2014 food policy. (St. Louis, MO) @SaraBurnettPNRA
KATHY CACCIOLA is vice president of enterprise sustainability at Aramark. In this role, she is responsible for Aramark’s strategy to make a positive impact on people and the planet. Most recently, Kathy led development of the company’s global sustainability plan – Be Well. Do Well. – by engaging leadership, cross-functional teams, and external stakeholders to inform and shape the strategy. In partnership with internal teams such as supply chain, food management, culinary, safety, legal, and key stakeholders across all business units, Kathy leads the development and implementation of enterprise-wide policies and practices such as the development of the company’s climate goal and industry-leading sustainable sourcing policy. Kathy has a master’s degree in urban and environmental panning from the University of Virginia School of Architecture. Previously, she worked at the university's Office of the Architect, managing its inaugural sustainability report. Kathy’s prior work experience also includes sustainability roles with the National Wildlife Federation, American Rivers, and the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska through the Student Conservation Association. Kathy graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy and international development. (Philadelphia, PA) @aramark
JACQUELYN CHI, MA is director of programs and special projects for the Strategic Initiatives Group at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). In this role, Jacquelyn oversees the Flavor Summit retreat, targeting food and beverage executives in the hotel, resort, cruise line, casino, and upper-tier multi-unit restaurants sector; and co-directs the Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit, a deep dive into plant-forward culinary and menu R&D strategy, drawing upon the work of the college’s Menus of Change initiative and longstanding Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival. She also previously directed initiatives exploring the intersection of technology, behavior, design, and food; and culinary excellence and cultures of innovation in retail foodservice. In 2013, Jacquelyn project-managed the CIA’s first mobile app which won the 2013 Cvent Plannie Award for “Best Use of a Mobile App.” Prior to joining the CIA in 2012, Jacquelyn earned a bachelor’s degree in radio-television-film from Northwestern University, and a master’s degree in international communication from American University, where she researched food as a tool of public diplomacy and the social construction of authenticity in foreign eating experiences. A third-generation food professional, Jacquelyn has also served as photographer and videographer for a Turkish coffee truck diplomacy project; managed social media for a start-up food company; and worked in a chocolate factory. (Napa, CA) @jaxiecracks
AMANDA COHEN is the James Beard-nominated chef and owner of Dirt Candy, the award- winning vegetable restaurant on New York City's Lower East Side. She is also one of the Iron
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Chefs on Iron Chef Canada. Dirt Candy was the first vegetable-focused restaurant in the city and is a pioneer of the vegetable-forward movement. It’s included in Paul Freedman’s Ten Restaurants That Changed America as “Ten Restaurants Changing America Now” alongside Momofuku and Eleven Madison Park. Dirt Candy’s original location only had 18 seats and was open for seven years, during which time it became the first vegetarian restaurant in 17 years to receive two stars from the New York Times, was recognized by the Michelin Guide five years in a row, and won awards from Gourmet Magazine, the Village Voice, and many others. Its new location opened in January 2015 and was the first restaurant in the city to eliminate tipping and share profits with its employees. Amanda was the first vegetarian chef to compete on Iron Chef: America and her comic book cookbook, Dirt Candy: A Cookbook, is the first graphic novel cookbook to be published in North America. It's currently in its seventh printing. In 2018, New York Magazine named Dirt Candy "The Absolute Best Restaurant on the Lower East Side" and Wine Enthusiast selected it as one of the 100 Best Wine Restaurants in America. (New York, NY)
CHLOE COSCARELLI has since been recognized for bringing vegan cuisine to the mainstream as an award-winning chef and best-selling cookbook author. She initially broke into the culinary scene as the first vegan chef to capture the top prize on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. Chloe shares her bright, colorful vegan recipes using fresh, healthy ingredients. She has published four best-selling cookbooks, Chloe Flavor, Chloe’s Kitchen, Chloe’s Vegan Desserts and Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen. The New York Times, Zagat, and Forbes have each recognized Chloe in their 30 under 30 lists. (Marina del Rey, CA) @chefchloe (Instagram)
FABRICE DECLERCK, PHD is the science director for EAT, and senior scientist for Biodiversity International. He is also a member of the core team for Blue Food Assessment. Fabrice is a Belgian national based in Montpellier and leads innovative and synthetic food systems research using systems-based approaches to set clear science targets for healthy and sustainable foods systems. Using global targets, he works closely with multiple networks to drive uncommon collaborations between disciplines (agriculture, environment, health) and domains (science, business, policy) for food systems transformation. His research emphasizes the critical role that agricultural ecosystems play in supporting sustainable development goals, and the role of agricultural diversity both in as underpinning healthy diets, as well as sustainability. This same research has demonstrated that while agriculture is the current driver of increasingly poor dietary health, and environmental degradation globally, a systems-based approach working across domains and disciplines can transform agriculture to the primary driver of health and sustainability. Fabrice has extensive experience in multiple regions and enjoys strong collaborations ranging from direct engagement with farmers and farming communities to interactions with food and agricultural companies and policy makers. Fabrice has regularly contributed articles to peer reviewed journals spanning environment, agriculture and health. He is a contributing author to the EAT Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems, The Economics of Ecosytems and Biodiversity for Agriculture and Food reports, and both the Africa and Global IPBES assessments. (Montpellier, France)
TERRI DIEN joined Bon Appetit Management Company in 2019 as the executive chef managing the food program for Google’s childcare centers. Terri changed careers in 2003 leaving political consulting to attend City College of San Francisco’s culinary arts and hospitality studies program
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with the goal of becoming a chef instructor. Since then, she has taught cooking classes, worked in restaurants, in both savory and pastry roles, managed a cooking school for Sur La Table, and launched a media start-up company producing culinary content for YouTube and other social media platforms. She has authored three cookbooks: The Big 10 Fish and Seafood Cookbook, The Essential Seafood Cookbook, and Easy Wok Cooking; and her fourth cookbook, Dumplings for Beginners will be published in July. (San Mateo, CA)
VINCENT DOUMEIZEL is the vice president, food, beverage and sustainability for the food programme for Lloyd’s Register Foundation as well as editor of Seaweed Revolution: A Manifesto for a Sustainable Future). With 20 years’ experience in the food industry, Vincent is now also senior advisor on oceans at United Nations Global Compact. Vincent leads the charitable objectives of the foundation through the funding of innovative projects to drive safety in the food supply chain. Partnering with UN, FAO, The World Bank, WWF, universities, NGO’s and large brands, Vincent led and released the “Seaweed Manifesto” in a call to scale up the seaweed industry to address some of the world’s most important challenges (hunger, global warming, pollution, poverty and many more). Vincent is now co-leading the first international platform for seaweed stakeholders, the Safe Seaweed Coalition. He is also a member of the expert panel, working to define the algae strategy at the European Commission and supporting the preparation of the UN Food System Summit in fall of 2021. (London, UK) @doumeizel
GREG DRESCHER is vice president of strategic initiatives and industry leadership at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He oversees the college’s leadership initiatives for the foodservice industry, including academic and other strategic partnerships, conferences, invitational leadership retreats, digital media, and other global initiatives. He is the creator of the college’s Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival (now in its 22nd year), as well as a portfolio of health and sustainability leadership initiatives including Menus of Change and Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives, jointly presented by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, co-led by the CIA and Stanford University in association with more than 50-plus leading colleges and universities; and the recently launched annual Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit and Plant-Forward Kitchen digital media platform. Co-developer of the CIA’s new partnership with the University of Barcelona—the Torribera Mediterranean Center, with its focus on the healthy, traditional Mediterranean Diet and regional food studies—and a strategic advisor to the European-based EAT Foundation, Greg works internationally to advance innovation at the intersection of health, sustainability, culture, and culinary insight. In 2005, Greg was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America. He served on the National Academy of Medicine’s Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States (final report 2010). In 2011, he was inducted as a member of the Accademia dei Georgofili, Europe’s oldest agricultural academy based in Florence. (Napa, CA) @CIALeadership
SOPHIE EGAN, MPH is the author of How to Be a Conscious Eater (Workman, 2020)—named one of Bon Appétit’s “Favorite New Books for Climate-Friendly Cooking and Life”—and the founder of Full Table Solutions, a consulting practice that’s a catalyst for food systems transformation. An internationally recognized leader at the intersection of food, health, and climate, Sophie proudly serves as Director of Strategy for Food for Climate League, Co-Director of the Menus of Change
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University Research Collaborative, and Senior Advisor for Sustainable Food Systems at R&DE Stanford Dining. For over five years, Sophie served as the Director of Health and Sustainability Leadership/Editorial Director for The Culinary Institute of America’s Strategic Initiatives Group. Sophie’s writing has been featured in The Washington Post, TIME, Parents, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, WIRED, EatingWell, Edible San Francisco, FoodTank, and Sunset. (Boulder, CO) @SophieEganM
FELIPE FRANGIONE is culinary operations manager for Compass Group at Google overseeing the culinary operations in Latin America. His passion for food and cooking started at a young age by assisting his Italian grandmother in preparing craft pastas and breads. After graduating from a culinary arts program in Brazil, he started working in restaurants and in the hospitality industry, where he was invited to run the culinary operation for branded products for St. Marché, a big retail chain in São Paulo. In 2014, Felipe won the “Best Dish Brazilian,” promoted by the International Oil Council. (Sao Paolo, Brazil)
MARIO GARCIA is executive chef of the Hilton Chicago. (Chicago, IL)
CHRISTOPHER GARDNER, PHD is the Rehnborg Farquhar professor of medicine at Stanford, the director of Stanford Prevention Research Center’s (SPRC) Nutrition Studies Group, and the director of the SPRC postdoctoral research fellow training program. His primary research focus for the past decade has been randomized controlled nutrition intervention trials (soy, garlic, antioxidants, ginkgo, omega-3 fats, vegetarian diets, weight loss diets), testing the effects of these on chronic disease risk factors that have included blood cholesterol, weight, inflammatory markers, and the microbiome. His research interests have recently shifted to two new areas. The first is to approach helping individuals make healthful improvements in diet through motivators beyond health, linking to ongoing social movements around animal rights and welfare, climate change, and social justice, and their relationships to food. The second is to focus less on trying to improve individual behaviors around food, and more on a food systems approach that addresses the quality of food provided by universities, worksites, hospitals, schools, etc., using a community-based participatory research approach and taking advantage of the many complementary disciplines represented on the Stanford campus, such as medicine, business, education, law, and earth sciences. (Stanford, CA) @GardnerPhD
STACY GELLMAN is the director of brand marketing for the K-12 food and nutrition services group at Aramark. In this role, Stacy leads the K-12 brand development team to develop highly effective insights driven marketing strategies and dining solutions, that satisfy student preferences and nutritional needs. With a true passion for consumer insights, she has developed strategies that have effectively increased dining program awareness throughout 350 school districts, which has led to increased meal participation and student satisfaction. She has a background in food marketing and operations that spans over two decades and has held many roles within Aramark including field operations, culinary development, strategy and insights and brand development across multiple businesses. Stacy holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in executive food marketing from Saint Joseph’s University. (Philadelphia, PA)
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MARION GIBSON is director of culinary innovation for Aramark. Before joining Aramark, Marion was at the helm of several fine dining restaurants around the country including Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia. An avid reader and researcher of food and culture, Marion loves learning how food knits us all together. She spends her free time volunteering in underserved communities teaching families how to stretch their food dollars on nutritious meals while learning more about cultures and cuisines. That passion for people continues at work as she focuses on sharing the stories, passions and talents of the culinary community through the Chef Spotlight series. Marion was raised in northeast Texas farm-country which gave her strong ties and interest in sustainable crops and farming practices. Her years in California afforded her a unique opportunity to meet and know organic farmers, artisan producers of cheese, beer and wine, and local ranchers and meat suppliers. Her personal philosophy is to serve seasonal foods using local products as simply as possible. If she had a motto it would be “Delicious food…that’s what love looks like!” (Philadelphia, PA)
CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN, PHD is an assistant professor of nutrition and planetary health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also a National Geographic explorer and fellow as well as a member of the Blue Food Assessment Scientific Leadership Team. As an ecologist and epidemiologist, his research investigates the human health impacts of global environmental change, with a focus on food systems. He received his BA from Harvard College and two graduate degrees from UC Berkeley; an MPH in epidemiology with a focus in nutrition, and a PhD in environmental science, policy and management. Golden has been conducting research in Madagascar for the past 20 years, and has recently begun research in West Africa and the South Pacific. He is a core member of the CBD-WHO task force on biodiversity and health, the Lancet Food Systems Countdown, and the co-lead of the nutrition chapter for the Blue Foods Assessment. His research has been published in Nature, Science, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. His current research focuses on climate-driven fisheries impacts across the globe on food security and human nutrition; the role of coral reef management in increasing access to seafood and reducing diabetes and metabolic disease; and, creating systems of climate- smart public health. (Boston, MA)
Missouri native, JOHNNY GRAHAM, attended the California Culinary Academy and spent 25 years cooking around the globe before returning home to open REVEL, in 2014. Early influences included jobs with Geoff Felsenthal in Chicago, the late Charlie Trotter, and working the “Masters of Food & Wine” event in Carmel, CA. Working in Los Angeles, Turks & Caicos Islands, New York City, and Martha’s Vineyard gave Johnny the experience needed to create truly memorable culinary experiences and the flair for extraordinary celebrations and events. Johnny's list of clients have included Keith Richards, Bruce Willis, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, Bill Clinton, Woody Harrelson, Demi Moore, Madonna, Aerosmith, Ted Danson, as well as the major motion picture sets of Pirates of the Caribbean and Live Free or Die Hard. (Jefferson City, MO)
CHAVANNE HANSON, MPH, RD joined Google in December 2018 as the food choice architecture and nutrition manager on the global food team. With cafes, teaching kitchens, and events that serve thousands of meals each day, the Google Food team works with a variety of partners and suppliers to deliver delicious, nutritious food and innovative experiences to fuel Google’s culture and future. Chavanne is actively involved with Google Food’s external partnerships, including
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Google’s Food Lab, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's FReSH program, and Menus of Change, for which she is the vice chair of the Business Leadership Council. These partnerships aim to inspire and enable the world to make food choices and use food experiences to develop more sustainable lifestyles and communities. Before joining Google, Chavanne was the assistant vice president and senior public affairs manager of Nutrition, Health & Wellness at Nestlé SA, located in Vevey, Switzerland. Prior to joining Nestlé, Chavanne helped develop and implement a preventive cardiology program for University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH. She also worked in television as the associate producer for the Gathering Place television series, and nutrition communications consultant to Graham Kerr, the “Galloping Gourmet." Chavanne has taught nutrition at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, and Schoolcraft College in Michigan. She has also been involved with various publications, co-authoring My Personal Path to Wellness Journal, and conducting recipe testing and development for the Health Guaranteed Cookbook. Chavanne received her BS in dietetics from Baylor University and her MPH in human nutrition from the University of Michigan. (Mountain View, CA) @google
AKEISHA HAYDE is executive chef at Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS). She joined HUDS in April 2015 in the role of executive chef for residential dining. She focuses on recipe development, quality assurance, staff training, and overall excellence in execution. Akeisha came to Harvard from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she served as executive chef since 2011. Akeisha is particularly interested in exploring cuisines of the world and exploring how to share them on campus. She is a graduate of Newbury College. (Cambridge, MA) @HUDSInfo
PETER HOFFMAN is a curious cook’s cook; interested in the cultural, historical and botanical backstories of foods as well as making them taste delicious. Chef-owner of the renowned Savoy, Back Forty and Back Forty West from 1990 until 2016, his memoir What’s Good? A Memoir in Fourteen Ingredients (Abrams) will be released in June 2021. Named “A Locavore Before the Word Existed” by the New York Times and recognized by Slow Food NYC with a Snailblazer award, Hoffman sat on the board of Chefs Collaborative from 1997 until 2010, acting as its national chair from 2000-2006. As a speaker and writer he can be seen on YouTube giving a TEDx talk on fracking and has had numerous articles published in Edible Manhattan and op-ed pieces in the New York Times. For over thirty years, he has been cycling to the Union Square Greenmarket to source the best in local and seasonal ingredients, the core of his cooking. (New York, NY)
DIANE HOLDORF is managing director of food and nature at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Before joining WBCSD, Diane was the vice president, chief sustainability officer for Kellogg Company. She was recognized as a Maize and Wheat Super Woman by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center as part of the United Nations’ International Women’s Day in 2015. Diane received her bachelor’s degree in public communications and German from Syracuse University. She also completed the executive master’s in business administration program at the University of St. Thomas. (Geneva, Switzerland) @DianeBHoldorf
Acclaimed for her inventive take on modern soul food, as well as comfort classics, TANYA HOLLAND is the executive chef/owner of the internationally renowned and beloved Brown Sugar Kitchen restaurant, located in Oakland, CA. The author of The Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook and
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New Soul Cooking, Holland competed on the 15th season of Top Chef on Bravo, appears on the new HBO Max show Selena + Chef featuring Selena Gomez, and is the host of OWN’s Tanya’s Kitchen Table. In 2020, Holland launched the Tanya’s Table podcast with MuddHouse Media. She is on the board of trustees for the James Beard Foundation, and Brown Sugar Kitchen has received multiple Michelin Bib Gourmand awards. Additionally, she has teamed up with Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) to create a new café concept for the museum: Town Fare by Tanya Holland in 2021. She is an in-demand public speaker and lecturer who frequently leads the conversation on inclusion and equity in the hospitality industry. (Oakland, CA) @mstanyaholland
EDWINA HUGHES is head of engagement for cool food at the World Resources Institute. She is responsible for recruiting and supporting organizations to reduce the climate impact of the food they serve. Partners include Panera, Harvard University, BASF, Hilton Hotels, Morgan Stanley, the cities of Milan and Toronto and a range of healthcare facilities including the Hackensack University Medical Center. (London, UK)
ROBERT JONES ‘20 is head of public affairs for Mosa Meat, the Dutch food technology startup that pioneered the first cell-cultured beef in the world. His role at the company, which just closed a Series B of $85M, is to safeguard the political environment in which regulatory decisions are made that impact Mosa’s products. As part of that work, he helped launch Cellular Agriculture Europe, the continent’s first trade association for cell-culturing companies. Based in Brussels, it represents 13 startups across Europe and Israel that will seek Novel Foods approval for cell-cultured animal products. Previously Robert acquired 22 years of experience in government affairs, advocacy, and communications including holding positions such as director at the environmental defense fund and as an appointee by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, a master’s degree from The George Washington University, and is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. (Maastricht, The Netherlands)
MICHAEL KAUFMAN is a senior lecturer at the Harvard Business School where he teaches an MBA course, “Challenges and Opportunities in the Restaurant Industry.” He is a co-founder and partner of Positive Strategy LLC, a creatively-led strategy consulting firm that advises organizations seeking to make a sustained positive impact in these profoundly changing times. Michael, formerly a partner, remains an advisor to Astor Group LLC, a boutique M&A advisory and investment firm. A nationally recognized industry leader, Michael previously led Metromedia Restaurant Group (a $1.4 billion chain restaurant company), created and successfully exited a restaurant start-up, and innovated a restaurant brand for a luxury retailer. He served as chair of the Board of the National Restaurant Association, and is currently a director of the Association, a trustee emeritus of the Association’s Educational Foundation and of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), chair of the Business Leadership Council of Menus of Change, an executive advisor to Gryphon Investors (a San Francisco-based private equity firm), a director of Dessert Holdings LLC (a $300 million dessert manufacturer), and a member of the Board of Northern Westchester Hospital and chair of its Community Health Committee. He also served on the boards of Benihana, Inc., Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges, and the Chappaqua School Foundation (including as its president). The recipient of a number of industry awards, including the Golden Chain Award and the Cecil B. Day Ethics Award, and a recognized keynote speaker, Michael is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. (Chappaqua, NY)
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NAZIM KHAN, CEC, WCMC is executive chef of nutrition and dining services at Bryan Health. Chef Nazim Khan is an award-winning professional executive chef, CEC, WCEC, WCMC. Nazim began his career as a sushi chef in 1997. He has worked at the New York Marriott Marquis, Long Island Marriott and even as executive sous chef at the New York Battery Park Ritz Carlton, as well as an educator and chef for Virginia Tech. Today he serves as executive chef for Bryan Health where he has developed multiple popular plant-based protein dishes for both retail and patient meal service. In 2016, Nazim was named one of the United Fresh Produce Excellence in Foodservice award winners. In 2019, Chef Khan achieved Worldchefs Certified Master Chef status. In his free time, you can find Chef Nazim serving local firefighter dinners, a continuing tribute to those who died on 9/11. Chef Khan is currently sharing his passion for healthy, locally sourced food at multiple Lincoln Farmer’s Markets and doing in-house demos helping people to eat in a way to maintain health and helping those struggling with illness to nourish body and spirit. Chef Khan is a proud member of the Nebraska Food Council. (Lincoln, NE)
JI HYE KIM is the chef and managing partner of MISS KIM, a Korean restaurant greatly influenced by Korean ancestors and Michigan farmers. Miss Kim is a part of the Zingerman’s community of businesses in Ann Arbor, MI, famed as much for its fair values and innovative business practices as for its full-flavored artisanal food. Miss Kim’s food is simple and good, with the menu dictated by seasonality and locality as Korean culinary tradition dictates. After graduating from the University of Michigan and successful career in hospital administration, Ji Hye switched to the hospitality industry in 2008. Having trained at various Zingerman’s businesses and the Rome Sustainable Food Project, she then went on running an Asian street food cart for 4 years before opening a brick and mortar location in 2016. As well as providing convivial service and delicious food, Miss Kim has been committed to doing away with tipped credit and paying a fair wage to all staff since opening. Ji Hye is a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award Best Chef Great Lakes in 2020. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and as independent restaurants across the country are at risk, she was admitted to and participated in the James Beard Chef Boot Camp for Policy Change and Food Lab Detroit’s Fellowship for Change in Food and Labor. She believes that service is an honorable profession and envisions a more delectable, sustainable, and equitable future for the industry. (Ann Arbor, MI)
CHRIS KOETKE, CEC, CCE, HAAC has worked in culinary arts for more than four decades, with experience in many facets such as teaching, consulting, recipe development, product development, cooking equipment development, kitchen design, writing, presenting, performing and cooking. Currently, Chris is president of Complete Culinary LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to the comprehensive view of food and beverage, chairman of the Feed the Planet Committee of Worldchefs and pioneer of a new concept in post-secondary culinary education at the Sun Valley Culinary Institute in Idaho. For 20 years of his culinary career, he devoted his professional life to culinary education, principally at Kendall College and then in managing 48 campuses in 12 countries. Before culinary education, he worked as a chef in gastronomic restaurants and in some of the finest restaurants and patisseries in the United States, France and Switzerland. Koetke has an MBA from Dominican University and a BA in French literature from Valparaiso University. He has been honored with the Outstanding Alum from the Brennan School of Business at Dominican University, Alumni Achievement Award from Valparaiso University and Worldchefs
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Educator Award. His industry involvement has also included hosting his own television show for five years, writing for prominent newspapers and trade publications, speaking at international events and authoring a culinary textbook, The Culinary Professional. Chris is an expert on food concept development, culinary sustainability and culinary applications of amino acids as flavor elements. (Oak Park, IL)
JODI KREFETZ, CDM, CFPP is director, food services at Stanford Health Care, the 2020 Healthcare Without Harm Culinary Contest Winner. Jodi has led the Stanford Health Care Food Services Department since 2016. Prior to joining Stanford, she acquired an extensive culinary background that includes food services, catering, culinary education, restaurants, corporate and event management. Jodi is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. She subsequently attended several cooking schools around the globe to further her education. Upon joining Stanford Health Care, Jodi and her leadership envisioned a future for food as medicine in the healthcare environment where healthy, delicious food would enhance the healing process for patients. A commitment to local and sustainable ingredients became the core of the program. Under Jodi’s leadership, the team set out to improve the nutritional quality, flavor profile and dining experience for patients, visitors, and staff. The award-winning team has been featured in publications and has been a consistent contributor to Stanford Health Care’s Partner for Change awards from Practice Greenhealth for their sustainable purchases. Currently, Jodi continues to push her team to new heights. She envisions a zero-waste operation and hopes to someday open a teaching kitchen for patients, visitors, and staff to continue health and healing through food. (Stanford, CA)
CHEETIE KUMAR is chef-owner at Garland. As a child in India, Cheetie could often be found in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother watching, and learning as they prepared daily meals. Her family held strongly to their culinary heritage, thoughtfully passing on generations old techniques and authentic preparations. At the age of 8 her family settled in the Bronx, NY. Immersed in a world of various ethnicities, Cheetie was exposed to new cultures, flavors and food. Cheetie is a self-taught cook who studied recipes while pursuing a career as a guitarist in The Cherry Valence and more recently Birds of Avalon, alongside her husband and business partner, Paul Siler. Time on tour and as the owner of the music venue Kings and its adjoining cocktail bar, Neptunes Parlour, taught her the value of the independent, artistic spirit that is the backbone of the downtown Raleigh community which she considers home. Upon moving to North Carolina, she embraced the area's culture of readily available renowned agriculture, and incorporated these seasonally evolving foods to fit her multi-cultural menus at Garland. Cheetie creates her menus in a refined and thoughtful way, filled with imagination and rebellion. Her cuisine is unassumingly delicious. Her food may seem “foreign” but is rather an interpretation of local ingredients made through the eyes of someone who grew up in India, New York City and the South. She was profiled in the New York Times in October 2018 and Southern Living in September 2019, and the Wall Street Journal in 2020, among other national publications. She has been nominated as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award’s “Best Chef: Southeast” annually from 2017- 2020 and is currently a finalist in 2020. (Raleigh, NC)
JULIE KUNEN, PHD is director of sustainability for Oatly North America. Her passion for sustainability studies began with a PhD in anthropology focused on agricultural practices of the
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ancient Maya. Julie went on to hold roles in academia, government (USAID), non-profit (Wildlife Conservation Society), freelance journalism, and business consulting before joining Oatly at the end of 2020. She is also a writer on topics at the nexus of food, culture, and the environment for independent food and travel-focused outlets, and she recently spent five months during the pandemic working as a farmhand on an organic vegetable farm in Montana. (New York, NY) @OatlyUS
KITAMI LENTZ is a bay area chef specializing in Japanese, Afro-Caribbean, and plant-forward cuisines. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA, Kitami has always had an affinity for cooking with local ingredients, organic produce, and the fruits of the sea. Her 15-year cooking career ranges from event catering, high end restaurants, food program management at health and wellness centers, and recipe development for Daily Feast. Currently, Kitami is an executive brand chef for Compass Group working on brand management for the La Place Concept and the R&D team. When she isn’t in the kitchen, Kitami enjoys camping, golfing, and Afro-Brazilian dance. (San Francisco, CA)
CARLY LEVIN is a plant-based expert at Datassential. (Chicago, IL)
JACK LI is president and Haiku™ master at Datassential. During his 20-year tenure with Datassential, Jack has created multiple tools that dramatically improve the innovation process including MenuTrends™ and Haiku™ to predict food trends, SCORES™ concept screening, and the HORIZON™ model to help companies fill their long-term innovation pipeline. Today, Jack works on a variety of projects including targeted innovation, go-to-market strategy, and health & wellness. Jack is a recipient of the IFMA President’s Award for his contributions toward improving industry insights and holds an MBA from the Anderson School at University of California Los Angeles. (Chicago, IL) @datassential
KIKI LOUYA is a chef, writer, food activist and restaurant consultant. (Detroit, MI)
NICK MARTINELLI is the founder and CEO of Marty’s Local, a western Massachusetts-based food distribution business, specializing in local and regional foods. Nick is a graduate of Williams College, Suffolk University Law School, and The Farm School. He previously worked as an attorney in the office of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Founded in 2016, the mission of Marty’s Local is to help re-build our regional food system by linking area farmers and food producers with nearby grocers, schools and colleges, restaurants, farm stores, and other institutions. (South Deerfield, MA)
ANNE MCBRIDE, PHD is deputy director of the Barcelona-based Torribera Mediterranean Center. This joint initiative of the University of Barcelona and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) was recently launched to advance research and education around Mediterranean food, health, and culinary innovation. She also serves as program director for the annual Worlds of Flavor® International Conference & Festival and the Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit at the CIA. She holds a doctorate degree in food studies from New York University (NYU), and focuses her research on the changing role of the chef in the 21st century. She is the director of the Experimental Cuisine Collective at NYU, an interdisciplinary group of more than 2,500 scientists, chefs, media,
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scholars, and food enthusiasts. She also teaches in the food studies departments of NYU and the New School. A native of Switzerland, Anne is the chair of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards, a member of the Menus of Change Scientific and Technical Advisory Council, and a past board member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society, New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, and Culinary Trust. She was named to the Heritage Radio Network Hall of Fame in 2019 and is a frequent presenter and moderator at academic and professional conferences around the world. Anne has co-authored seven books and regularly writes on topics related to professional and experimental cooking for both academic and consumer audiences. These include past contributions to Plate, New Worlder, Bake from Scratch, Roads & Kingdoms, Food Arts, Gastronomica, The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, Savoring Gotham, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, and Food Cultures of the World. (Barcelona, Spain; North Plainfield, NJ) @annemcbride
MIKE MESSERSMITH is the president of Oatly, North America leading all aspects of business and brand development since their U.S. launch in 2017. Oatly makes vegan, plant-based food and beverage products made out of oats and was originally founded in Sweden over 25 years ago. Prior to joining Oatly, Mike held a variety of marketing and commercial roles at The Nature’s Bounty Co, Chobani, and PepsiCo. Before starting his career in CPG, Mike served as an officer in the Navy in a variety of roles including nuclear engineering management on aircraft carriers. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School, along with a masters in engineering management from Old Dominion University, and his undergraduate degree from Duke University. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and their dog. (New York, NY)
KEVIN MITCHELL ‘96, CEC is an author, culinary historian, chef-instructor at the Culinary Institute of Charleston, and adjunct instructor at The Culinary Institute of America. Upon earning dual degrees from the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Mitchell further refined his skills in notable restaurants throughout the country. In 2008, he became the first African American Chef Instructor at the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College. In 2018 Chef Mitchell earned a master’s degree in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi. Among Chef Mitchell’s passion for good food, he expertly shares the stories behind the uniquely regional dishes we enjoy today. In his own words, it is vital to “connect the food to the people” and remember the once enslaved chefs and cooks “on whose shoulders we stand for creating the food we now know as Southern cuisine.” Chef Mitchell was named a South Carolina Chef Ambassador for the year 2020, a leadership position he will hold through 2021. He also has co-authored Taste the State: South Carolina's Signature Foods, Recipes, and Their Stories with Dr. David Shields, distinguished professor at the University of South Carolina Press which will be released in August of this year. (North Charleston, SC)
MARIE MOLDE, RD, MBA is account executive for client solutions at Datassential and has a strong background in both nutrition and business. She brings Datassential a unique culinary perspective and health-driven point of view. Restaurant chains and suppliers have relied on Marie’s expertise in menu and product development, and for years she has helped foodservice and retail companies excel in better-for-you innovation. Marie is a member of the Menus of Change Business Leadership Council, working to confront issues that surround the food industry today
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and establish plant-forward dining as one of the main areas of focus for culinary innovation. (Seattle, WA) @datassential
KELSEY NASH is editor-in-chief at FoodService Director, a trade publication for noncommercial foodservice operators, where she oversees all editorial content for the brand. In her role, Kelsey covers multiple segments of noncommercial, with a particular focus on colleges and universities. (Chicago, IL) @fsdeditor
ROZ NAYLOR, PHD is the William Wrigley professor of earth system science, professor (by courtesy) in economics, and founding director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment (FSE) at Stanford University. She received her PhD from Stanford University in applied economics, her MSc in economics from the London School of Economics, and her dual BA degrees in economics and environmental science from the University of Colorado. Her research focuses on policies and practices to improve global food security and protect the environment on land and at sea. She currently co-chairs The Blue Food Assessment, an international initiative aimed at providing a comprehensive scientific evaluation of the sustainability, nutrition, equity, and justice dimensions of aquatic foods cultured and captured in freshwater and marine environments within the global food system. She is a fellow of the Ecological Society of America, a Pew Marine fellow, and a Leopold Leadership fellow. (Stanford, CA)
MICHEL NISCHAN is founder and CEO of Wholesome Wave, co-founder of the James Beard Foundation’s Chefs Action Network, as well as founder and partner with the late actor, Paul Newman, of the former restaurant, Dressing Room. He is a four-time James Beard Award winning chef with over 30 years of leadership advocating for a more healthful, sustainable food system. Michel, whose parents were farmers, began his career at 19, cooking breakfast at a truck stop. He quickly realized that the ingredients coming in the back door fell far short of the farm- fresh harvests he’d grown up on, and began a life-long career championing the farm-to-table concept, decades before it had a name. Nischan was instrumental in securing $100M for Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) grants for the food equity field in the 2014 Federal Farm Bill, which was recently expanded to $300M in the 2018 Farm Bill to become a permanent part of all future farm bills. The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program permanently expands affordable access to fruits and vegetables for low-income Americans, while creating a legacy for Wholesome Wave’s late co-founder, Gus Schumacher. He's also the author of three cookbooks on sustainable food systems and social equity through food. A lifetime Ashoka fellow, he serves as a director on the board of the Jacques Pepin Foundation and on the advisory boards of Chef’s Collaborative, Modern Farmer, Good Food Media Network and The Culinary Institute of America. The James Beard Foundation honored Nischan as the 2015 Humanitarian of The Year, and he was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Post University with the graduating Class of 2019. (Bridgeport, CT) @michelnischan
MAI PHAM is the chef-owner of the nationally acclaimed Lemon Grass Restaurant and Star Ginger in Sacramento, CA. A recognized expert on Asian cuisine, she is known for her fresh Southeast Asian cuisine featuring the bright flavors of Vietnam, Thailand, and beyond. She has hosted Vietnam: My Country, My Kitchen on the Food Network and authored Pleasures of the Vietnamese
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Table. That cookbook received a James Beard Award nomination and was named among the best cookbook titles in 2001 by The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. She has also authored The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking, which was featured on NPR’s Fresh Air and in Martha Stewart Living. Her newest book, Flavors of Asia, a collaboration with The Culinary Institute of America, features the best recipes from seven countries in Asia. In recent years, Mai has partnered with campus, corporate, healthcare, and government dining entities to launch Star Ginger outposts, which feature on-trend Southeast Asian flavors, from hearty authentic Thai curries and grilled meats to fresh, flavorful Vietnamese noodle soups and salads, among others. Born in Saigon and raised in Vietnam and Thailand, Mai worked as a television journalist for various ABC News affiliates and later as a speechwriter for a California governor before returning to her love of food and cooking. (Sacramento, CA)
SAM POLK is founder and CEO of Everytable, a social enterprise restaurant chain on a mission to transform the food system to make delicious and healthy food affordable and accessible to everyone, everywhere. He is also a board member for FEAST, and the author of For the Love of Money. Sam Polk is the founder and CEO of Everytable, a social enterprise. A former hedge fund trader, Sam left a successful career on Wall Street to follow his heart to fight food injustice and inequality in America. In 2013, he founded a nonprofit called FEAST (originally called Groceryships) to address food-related health problems in South Los Angeles by helping family food providers make healthy choices through nutrition education, cooking classes, free produce, and support groups. In 2015, Sam created Everytable, which offers made-from-scratch meals priced according to what is affordable in a specific neighborhood. To date, Everytable has sold more than 5 million fresh-prepared meals throughout communities and on college campuses across greater Los Angeles, through a combination of grab-and-go markets, a home delivery service and SmartFridge vending machines. With the backing of food-forward investors like Kimbal Musk, Maria Shriver, Gwyneth Paltrow, TOMS Social Enterprise Fund, Acumen, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Annenberg Foundation and The California Wellness Foundation, Everytable has the potential to work in every major metropolitan area across the county. (New York, NY)
CHANDRA RAM ‘99 is the editor of Plate, an award-winning food magazine read by chefs all over the country. Chandra is a James Beard and IACP nominated cookbook author who worked in restaurants for years before turning to food writing and editing Plate. She holds degrees in journalism and culinary arts and is the vice chair of the James Beard Foundation journalism award committee. She is a member of IACP, Les Dames d’Escoffier, and Southern Foodways Alliance. (Chicago, IL) @chandrasplate
THOMAS RAMSEY is senior executive chef at Drexel University. He has also been an executive chef at a casino where was named one of the Top Chefs in Atlantic City while running 5 restaurants including a fine dining establishment that hosted the first Food Network Food and Wine Festival, James Beard dinners and events that focused on molecular gastronomy. Some other key accomplishments include being a contestant on Guy's Grocery Games, receiving his CIA Pro Chef 2 certification in 2020 and being recognized through Aramark's Chef Spotlight series in partnership with Aramark’s Leaders & Employees of African Descent employee resource group. Chef Tom enjoys volunteering and is dedicated to increasing food security and building
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community through organizations such as Everybody Eats Philly. He has been a board member for the Chester High School Board of Culinary Education and was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame at Gloucester County Institute of Technology. (Philadelphia, PA)
TAYLOR REID is assistant professor of applied food studies at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He teaches courses in food systems sustainability, farm to table, and applied food studies. His current research interests include the restaurant industry’s response to COVID-19; chefs’ motivations for including foraged food on menus; and depictions of farming, foraging, and food insecurity in the zombie genre. Before coming to the CIA in August of 2018, Taylor served as chair of the Sustainable Farming and Food Systems Program at Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, NY. He has a broad academic and professional background in areas ranging from agricultural product development to national farm policy, organic farming systems, beginning farmer education, and the creation of agricultural standards. (Hyde Park, NY)
ALLISON RIGHTER, MSPH, RDN is an assistant professor for the School of Culinary Science and Nutrition at the Culinary Institute of America, where she teaches nutrition, food safety, food systems and public health courses. She also works on a variety of projects to bridge the CIA’s health and sustainability industry leadership work with its educational curriculum. Allison completed her bachelor's in Public Health Studies and her master's in Public Health in a coordinated dietetics program, both at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining the CIA, she served as a program officer for the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, where she provided science advisory to the "Meatless Monday" campaign and assisted with other community-based food and faith initiatives in the greater Baltimore region. A Maryland native, Allison now calls Poughkeepsie, NY home along with her husband, Matt, and their daughter, Mikaela. She is a spirited educator, project manager, and home cook who believes in the transformative power of our lifestyle and food choices. (Hyde Park, NY) @allisonrighter
ERIC RIMM, SCD is professor of epidemiology and nutrition and director of the program in cardiovascular epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School. He is internationally recognized for his extensive work in the study of the health effects of moderate alcohol consumption, whole grains, micronutrients, and polyphenols. He also studies the impact of local and national nutrition policy as it relates to the improvement of diets of school children, the 1 in 7 Americans on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other federal nutrition assistance programs. He served on the National Academy of Sciences’ food policy advisory committee for the USDA’s Economic Research Service and previously served on the scientific advisory committee for the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. He is also a nutritional advisor to the Boston Red Sox and the Liverpool Football Club in the English Premier League. He has published more than 800 peer- reviewed publications during his 28 years on the faculty at Harvard. Eric has received several awards for his work including the American Society for Nutrition Innovation Award. (Cambridge, MA) @EricRimm
JEFFREY D. SACHS, PHD is a university professor and director of the center for sustainable development at Columbia University, where he directed the Earth Institute from 2002 until 2016. He is also president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and a commissioner
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of the UN Broadband Commission for Development. He has been advisor to three United Nations Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG advocate under Secretary General António Guterres. He spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, where he received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. He has authored numerous bestseller books. His most recent book is The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions (2020). Sachs was twice named as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders and was ranked by The Economist among the top three most influential living economists. (New York, NY)
GINA SADOWSKI, MHA is director of nutrition, culinary and retail at Seattle Children’s Hospital (Seattle, WA)
TONI SAKAGUCHI ’84, CEC, CHE is executive chef for the Strategic Initiatives Group at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). After graduating with an associate degree from the CIA in 1984, Toni earned a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant, and institutional management from Michigan State University. She then moved to California and served as executive chef in two of the nation’s top restaurants, Border Grill Café and City Restaurant, both in Los Angeles. Toni was the fine dining chef at the Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma, California, prior to joining the faculty at the CIA at Greystone in 1997. At Greystone, Toni was the culinary faculty team leader, and later the associate dean for culinary arts. Toni also serves as a member of the review and selection committee for the James Beard Foundation Scholarship Program. (Napa Valley, CA) @CIALeadership
AMY SENTER is vice president and chief sustainability officer for Kellogg Company. She joined Kellogg in November 2012 as sustainability manager and has been promoted to various sustainability roles in the last six years. Most recently, in 2018, her duties expanded to lead global sustainability for Kellogg Company which includes the execution of responsible sourcing and natural resource conservation commitments. In this role she leads global sustainability strategy and execution across manufacturing, procurement, government relations, research and development, and other key internal partners. She has developed key commercial platforms for building sustainability into plans and manages key external stakeholder relationships to deliver improved corporate reputation, reduced risks, and commercial business value. Amy serves as Kellogg’s representative in many multi-stakeholder initiatives and industry groups, including the Consumer Goods Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, where she sits on the Food and Nature Board. Prior to joining the company, Amy worked for the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC, where she led National Environmental Policy Act compliance for the Farm Service Agency. This role oversaw the environmental law compliance across the $8 billion agency and partnered with key programs and agencies on environmental protections and benefits. Amy received her bachelor of science in environmental science and a master of science in environmental policy, both from the University of Michigan. (Battle Creek, MI) @amybraunkco
PAM SMITH, RDN, nutritionist, industry culinary consultant and flavor coach, provides strategic menu innovation and insight to top hotels, restaurants, and other companies across the country, such as Disney, Nike, Boeing, and Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, and is the co-creator of Darden Restaurant’s Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 restaurants. She is a co-chair of the Culinary Institute
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of America’s Healthy Menus R&D Collaborative, and is founding principle of Shaping America’s Plate, Inc. Smith has authored 17 books on health and wellness and her “Tips for Living Well” may be heard on radio stations nationwide. Reaching professional and home kitchens across the globe with her IG TV live The Pam Smith Flavor Show @pamsmithflavor, live cooking classes and workshops, Pam and her P.S. Flavor!™ Artisanal Spice Blends are serving up all-natural and hand-crafted delicious wellness one plate at a time. (Orlando, FL) @PamSmithRD
MAX SUSSMAN is the chef-owner of Tahoney in Detroit, and co-founder of Samesa Restaurant in Brooklyn. (Detroit, MI)
JESSICA JOSEPHINE SYNKOSKI, MBA is the vice president of sustainability and corporate responsibility at Sodexo North America. She leads the North American strategy for achieving a Better Tomorrow 2025, a roadmap toward nine community and environmental impacts. She is a sustainability practitioner with more than a decade of experience across the food service, pharmaceutical, and aerospace & defense industries. She is an advocate for ethnic and gender equity. She lives in Maryland with her husband Stan, a stay-at-home dad, and their twin sons. She has a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, a master’s in business administration from the Yale School of Management, and a sustainability associate certification from the International Society of Sustainability Professionals. (Gaithersburg, MD)
KYLE TAFURI is the director of sustainability for Hackensack Meridian Health, ensuring that New Jersey's largest, most integrated health system is building a healthier environment for its patients inside and outside the walls of its 17 hospitals. From cleaner air, to energy efficiency, to sustainably sourced products and food, Kyle makes changes every day that help improve patient health, creating an environment conducive to healing while minimizing Hackensack Meridian Health's carbon footprint. Hackensack Meridian Health has been consistently recognized as one of the leading healthcare systems in the U.S. for environmental excellence. The network's flagship hospital, Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center, has been recognized as a Top 25 Green Hospital for seven consecutive years by Practice Greenhealth, one of three hospitals in the country to receive this honor. Kyle also serves on several boards, including chairing the PSEG Institute of Sustainability Studies at Montclair State University, the HealthTrust Environmental Purchasing Council and Green Electronics Council EPEAT program. He has been named one of the 30 under 30 people to watch in sustainable business by GreenBiz Group. (Hackensack, NJ)
MARTY TRAVIS is partner at Spence Farm. One step onto the Spence Farm in Illinois, co-owned and operated by Marty Travis and his son, Will, and the story begins to unfold. A former furniture maker who inherited the old family farm decided to return to farming, but saw the opportunity for true sustainability was a long away from corn, soybeans and convention. Instead, he turned to the city of Chicago and its restaurant community. As it so happened, they were looking for farmers who would give them unique food and vegetables, and work with them to build their seasonal menus. It was, simply put, a match made in foodie heaven. A thriving, sustainable business model grew from the ground up, from the hard work Marty Travis and his family put into the soil, the livestock, and the surrounding acreage, into the community of buyers he fostered
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with kindness, amazing products, and dedicated work. Today, the model has shifted again to encompass individual families in the wake of the COVID crisis. Caring and compassion along with a helping of gratitude is what leads a cooperative group of farmers lead by the Travis family. Currently serving dozens of restaurants and over 1000 families, this network of farmers is leading the way to a change in the landscape around food. (Fairbury, IL)
EVE TUROW-PAUL is an author, globally recognized thought leader, and founder and executive director of Food for Climate League. Her latest book is Hungry: Avocado Toast, Instagram Influencers and Our Search for Connection and Meaning (BenBella, 2020). By blending qualitative and quantitative methods, Turow-Paul explores the ‘why’ behind today’s biggest food and lifestyle trends. Through her writing, consultancy (ETP Insights) and nonprofit leadership, she helps companies and organizations create products and programs that meet people’s needs (with a focus on Millennials and Gen Z), and illustrates how food culture is a powerful lever for improving mental, physical, and environmental health around the world. Turow-Paul is a Forbes contributor and her writing on food trends and human behavior has appeared in a number of publications including The Chicago Tribune, Plate, The Village Voice, on The Atlantic, Washington Post, FoodTank, Refinery29, Huffington Post and more. She was prominently featured in the documentary film WASTED! The Story of Food Waste, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. In 2019, with seed funding from Food@Google, Turow-Paul founded Food for Climate League, an all-female non-profit research collaborative working to re-frame the food and climate narrative in order to democratize sustainable eating and empower all eaters to tackle the climate crisis bite- by-bite. (Chicago, IL) @EveTurowPaul
MATTHEW WARD ’99 is executive chef of residential dining at University of North Texas. Matthew brings decades of professional culinary experience to his role at UNT, where he has worked since 2017. Chef Matt started his tenure at UNT as chef and general manager of Mean Greens Café, the nation’s first and only 100% plant-based university dining hall. Mean Greens Café is also home to a hydroponic freight farm, Mean Green Acres, that provides leafy greens and herbs to various outlets across campus. Thanks to his leadership, Mean Greens Café has maintained an A+ rating from PETA2’s Vegan Report Card for past several years, gained numerous accolades and also received praise from industry publications and food blogs. Before joining the UNT dining services team, Ward worked in various fine dining establishments throughout the country including the River Café (Brooklyn, NY), Bouchon Bistro, (Yountville, CA) and The French Room at the Adolphus Hotel (Dallas, TX). Matthew is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, and also co-chair of the Executive Chef’s Committee for the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC). (Dallas, TX)
WALTER WILLETT, MD, DRPH is professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Walter studied food science at Michigan State University and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School before obtaining a doctorate in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. Walter has focused much of his work over the last 40 years on the development of methods, using both questionnaire and biochemical approaches, to study the effects of diet on the occurrence of major diseases. He has applied these methods starting in 1980 in the Nurses’ Health Studies I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Together, these cohorts
2021 CIA-Harvard Menus of Change® Leadership Summit: Virtual Edition Presenter Biographies | Updated May 29, 2021| Page 20 of 21
that include nearly 300,000 men and women with repeated dietary assessments are providing the most detailed information on the long-term health consequences of food choices. Walter has published over 2,000 articles, primarily on lifestyle risk factors for heart disease and cancer, and has authored the textbook, Nutritional Epidemiology and four books for the general public: Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, a best-seller; Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less, co-authored with Mollie Katzen; The Fertility Diet, co-authored with Jorge Chavarro and Pat Skerrett; and Thinfluence, co-authored with Malissa Wood and Dan Childs. Walter is among the top three most cited persons in all areas of science. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the recipient of many national and international awards for his research. (Boston, MA) @HSPHNutrition
JIAN YI is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker and founding president of the Beijing-based Good Food Fund, CBCGDF, whose Mama’s Kitchen project is a top visionary of the 2050 Food Systems Vision Prize by Rockefeller Foundation in 2020. He serves on the core leadership team of Action Track 2 of the UN Food Systems Summit. Jian is a Yale World Fellow, an India-China Fellow, an Asian Cultural Council grantee, and visiting fellow to Cambridge University. Jian's films have won international awards and been shown around the globe including at New York's MoMA. Under his leadership, the Good Food Fund has become a leading initiative in China to promote a plant-forward dietary shift, and has co-founded the Food Forward Forum with Yale Hospitality, along with The Culinary Institute of America, University of Massachusetts, Harvard, University of Connecticut, and Google. Jian earned masters degrees from Beijing Broadcasting Institute and the University of Notre Dame, where he received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015. (Beijing, China)
HELENE YORK is a strategic advisor and specialist in sustainability and supply chain innovation, and an adjunct professor for the Food Business School at The Culinary Institute of America. She has spent her career questioning business as usual, partnering with chefs, and building trust among suppliers and distributors to move in new directions. For Bon Appetit Management Company, Helene created the Low Carbon Diet in 2008, the first US national program to implement climate- friendly menus. The key ingredient to this successful program: partnering with chefs, the 'choice editors' of our food system. At Google, she supported on-the-ground procurement teams in 27 countries and implementation of food waste reduction technology and practices across the world. At Guckenheimer, she led procurement, social and environmental responsibility, and garnered support for a broadly responsible procurement strategy that embedded shared value and profitability. Helene has also served on many boards including Humane Farm Animal Care, Chef Ann Foundation, Fishchoice, Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative, and Project Open Hand. (San Francisco, CA)
LARISSA ZIMBEROFF is a journalist covering the intersection of food, technology, and business. She is a frequent contributor to Bloomberg/Businessweek, and has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wired, Business Insider and more. She is the author of Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What we Eat, to be released in June 2021 with Abrams Press. (New York, NY) @LZimberoff
2021 CIA-Harvard Menus of Change® Leadership Summit: Virtual Edition Presenter Biographies | Updated May 29, 2021| Page 21 of 21