Event – James Beard Foundation Food Conference

The sixth annual James Beard Foundation Food Conference, subtitled “Rethinking the Future of Food” will take place on October 19 and 20 at the Conference Center (730 Third Avenue) in New York City. Building on last year’s theme of prescriptions for a healthier America, the conference will look at what lies ahead in three compelling areas: the future of health, the future of the kitchen, and the future of the farm.


Some of those that will be in attendance are James Beard Award–winning chef José Andrés; Nathan Myhrvold, author of Modernist Cuisine; Dr. Ellen Stofan, Chief Scientist of NASA; Sam Kass, former Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition at the White House; and Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Department of Architecture and Design at MoMA. In addition to the aforementioned there will also be a diverse group of thought leaders and provocateurs including chefs, scientists, journalists, activists, investors, and more.

Over the course of two days, speakers and panelists will explore how a deeper understanding of changes in science, technology, and investment strategies empowers us all to make choices today that will lead to a healthier and more equitable tomorrow.

The agenda will consist of three categories: The Future of Health: Food, Flavor, & Innovation; The Future of the Plate: Innovation in the Kitchen; and the Future of the Farm: Science and Technology Outlook.

Topics that will be covered during the Food Conference include:

· Presentation: The Future We Can See: What the Universe is Telling Us
· Presentation: The Chef’s Journey to Better School Lunches
· Panel: Flavor on the Front Line of Promoting Good Health
· Panel: Health or Hype: Can Technology and Science Boost Well-Being?
· Dialogue: How Technology is Transforming How We Eat
· Panel: Cooking Up Change in the New Commercial Kitchen
· Panel: The Youth Factor: Report Card from the New School Kitchen
· Panel: R&D Food Forecast
· Presentation: The CEO of the Future
· Dialogue: From the Lab to the Field: Ideas that Can Work
· Panel: The Future is Good Dirt
· Panel: Sowing a Foundation for Thriving Crops & Community
· Panel: Financing the Future: Science, Technology, and the Next Great Opportunity

Guest speakers and panelists include:

· JBF Award-winning chef José Andrés, Think Food Group
· Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, MOMA
· Allison Aubrey, journalist, NPR
· Gary Bennett, Bishop-MacDermott Family Professor of Psychology, Global Health and Medicine, Duke University
· Nancy Easton, Founder and Executive Director, Wellness in the Schools
· Eileen Gordon Chiarello, Founder and CEO, Barnraiser
· Danielle Gould, Founder and CEO, Food+Tech Connect
· Chef Evan Hanczor, Egg Restaurant
· Chef Peter Ho, IKEA Group
· Marilee Jennings, Executive Director, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose
· Ashley Koff, RD, Founder, Ashley Koff Approved
· Mike Lee, Founder, The Future Market & Studio Industries
· JBF Award-winning pastry chef Emily Luchetti, The Cavalier, Marlowe, and Park Tavern
· Michael Mazourek, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University
· Denise Morrison, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Company
· Nathan Myhrvold, author, Modernist Cuisine
· Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank
· JBF Award-winning chef Andrea Reusing, Lantern Restaurant
· Howard Shapiro, Chief Agricultural Officer, Mars, Inc.
· Chef Bill Telepan, Telepan Restaurant, Wellness in the Schools
· Nicola Twilley, author and journalist
· Karen Washington, farmer and 2014 JBF Leadership Award recipient

The JBF Food Conference will also include the James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards dinner and ceremony on Monday, October 19, at Hearst Tower, co-hosted by Good Housekeeping and emceed by Andrea Reusing, chef and owner of Lantern Restaurant. Now in its fifth year, the ceremony will honor five visionaries across a broad range of backgrounds who influence how, why, and what we eat. All five of the 2015 Leadership Awards recipients— Don Bustos, Eliot Coleman, Saru Jayaraman, Sam Kass, Bryant Terry—will also be participating in the conference.

Conference attendees are also invited to the official welcome reception, featuring the winners of the Better Burger Project, on Sunday, October 18 from 6:00–8:00 P.M. at the James Beard House (167 West 12th Street, NYC).

For more information contact foodconference@jamesbeard.org.