2023 Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit

Seminar C: From “All-In” to Incremental Inclusion: Two Approaches to Dynamic Plant-Forward Menu Design Plant-forward menus that lead with flavor offer myriad possibilities for innovation and personal vision. Get inspiration from two chefs with varied backgrounds and cooking styles – from a storied and pioneering California vegetarian restaurant to an acclaimed Texas tapas bar where Catalan cravings and Texas meat mingle – who will demonstrate possibilities for both an “all in” approach to dynamic plant-forward menu planning, as well as tips and techniques for how to adapt traditional dishes to meet a variety of customers’ dairy-free needs. Heidi Hackemer (Executive Director, Oatly Futures Lab; New York, NY) Katie Reicher ’16 (Executive Chef, Greens Restaurant; San Francisco, CA) Daniel Olivella (Chef-Owner, Barlata Tapas Bar; Austin, TX) Sponsored by Oatly ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Culinary Institute of America: The CIA at Copia: CIA Restaurant Group: CI

Seminar D: “Hot Girl Food” and Beyond: Approaches to Making Plant-Forward Food Desirable to Consumers Learning new concepts and creating new menu items are important, but how do operators get the message out about veg-forward concepts in a way that consumers will respond positively to? As the summit concludes, we will take all that we’ve learned and been inspired by and match that with strategies for success and successful models of messaging and storytelling from a diverse group of panelists who come from the worlds of media, non-commercial and restaurant food service, and farming and marketing grains with attendees taking with them concrete steps for future success. Bettina Makalintal (Senior Reporter, Eater.com; New York City) Amy Kull (Marketing Communications Engagement Lead, Google Global Food; Mountain View, CA) Rupa Bhattacharya (Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives Group, CIA; New York City) Luke Peterson (Organic Regenerative Farmer, A-Frame Farm; Dawson, MN) Katie Reich

General Session VIII: New Frontiers for Plant-Forward Deliciousness When the CIA held its first Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit in 2019, the hope was that the concept would take root, inspiring attendees to grow in unexpected ways. We also wondered what other iconic, transformational menu items and menu categories were waiting to be developed and brought to market. Fast forward to 2023 and the concept is flourishing, now finding a warm welcome in the world of wine. Clif Family Winery & Farm incorporates a plant-forward approach into multiple facets of their operations—in their tasting room and enoteca, on their wine and food pairing menus, and even as part of the offerings for their food truck, illustrating that plant-forward menuing continues to be both relevant and revolutionary. Learn from their chef de cuisine about the operational interests in expanding their menus in this manner, what culinary considerations were made in connecting wine and plant-forward cuisine, how their f

Seminar B-1: Plant-Forward Lessons from Korea: Tradition Meets Innovation in Fun, Bold, and Creative Ways Chef, restaurateur, television and podcast host, and entrepreneur Esther Choi’s goal is to introduce everyone to Korean food and culture and to get them to fall in love with it. To that end, her menus at mŏkbar, mŏkbar Brooklyn and Midtown, and gastropub Ms. Yoo—named after her grandmother—feature restaurant-ready versions of traditional family recipes that have garnered her critical acclaim. In this session, Chef Choi builds on the innately healthy traditions of Korean food with fun, bold, and creative plant-based takes on traditional dishes, sharing the unique and special flavors and techniques that Korean cuisine is known for with inspiration to enliven your own menus. Rupa Bhattacharya (Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives Group, CIA; New York City) Esther Choi (Chef-Owner, mŏkbar, Ms. Yoo; New York City) @mokbar.nyc and @msyoo.nyc Sponsored by Pulmuone Foods USA —————————

Seminar A-1: Building Flavor the Plant-Forward Way: Lessons from Across Asia In this session, two dynamic chefs will illustrate the creative possibilities inherent in a plant-forward approach to the menu that showcases the complexity and depth of the global spice box. Chef Heena Patel draws culinary inspiration from memories of childhood meals and Indian celebrations like Diwali, while Chef Hinnerk von Bargen from the tastes and techniques that he experienced working in a large international hotel in Beijing and traveling widely in East and Southeast Asia. They will discuss how food connects to personal experience and finds a place on the menu and their different approaches for building flavor in recipes that span a broad range of consumer needs and desires. Allison Righter, MSPH, RDN (Director of Health and Sustainability Programs, CIA) Heena Patel (Chef and Owner, Besharam; San Francisco, CA) Hinnerk von Bargen (Professor of Culinary Arts, CIA; San Antonio, TX) Sponsored by Unilever

Special Presentation: A Preview: Inside the Plant-Forward Kitchen Greg Drescher (Senior Advisor, Strategic Initiatives, CIA; Sacramento, CA) Christos Dinopoulos (Vice President, Managing Director, Unilever Food Solutions North America; New York City) General Session VII: Big Changes at Big Institutions: Implementing Plant-Forward in Large-Scale Facilities Sustainability programs across food service and healthcare are making real headway in implementing plant-forward menus for a variety of consumers in institutional settings. We’ll hear from Bon Appétit Management Company (BAMCO), who brought a team of twenty chefs to the 2019 Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit and used that experience to create a plant-forward revolution in their cafes. While they had great success, one group of people who showed hesitation were those that frequented their grill stations, where animal products were heavily relied on. We’ll hear about how BAMCO chefs rose to the challenge and created a successful plan

General Session V: Fermentation: Tradition and Trend and Creating Flavors of the Future Fermentation is both an ancient food preservation tradition where microbes transform raw ingredients in delicious ways—and also a technique appearing on menus across the food service industry with projected global sales reaching $846 billion by 2027. It is a creative tool to add depth and complexity to a given food by building unique flavor profiles in a range from sour to sweet without using a lot of salt, while both alleviating food waste and stretching budgets. Pioneering research on the gut microbiome now confirms what DIY fermenters and traditional fermentation cultures have known for a long time, that fermentation brings with it health benefits that we are just beginning to understand. This discussion will serve as a primer on fermentation, from its history and traditions to where science will take us in creating flavors of the future, while paying homage to the longstanding cultures that nurt

General Session III: Bringing Out Dynamic Flavors in Vegetable-Forward Dishes Any discussion of a plant-forward menu has to start with flavor. To that end, we’ll kick off the second day of the conference with a dynamic demo from a beloved UK chef on layering flavors and textures in unique ways. Ixta Belfrage is the celebrated co-author of Ottolenghi Flavour, a food columnist for The Guardian, and most recently the author of the acclaimed new cookbook Mezcla, which takes flavors from around the world and combines them in exciting and delicious ways. Ixta works from instinct and imagination, combined with a lot of testing, to create vibrant and deeply satisfying vegetable-forward dishes, and she’ll show us how different techniques bring out incredible flavors in even the most overlooked vegetables. Jennifer Breckner (Director of Programs and Special Projects, Strategic Initiatives Group, CIA; Napa, CA) Ixta Belfrage (Cookbook Author and Recipe Developer; London, UK) General Session IV: R

The Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit, presented by the Culinary Institute of America, is a deep dive into culinary and menu R&D strategy, building on the work of CIA’s Menus of Change initiative and inspired by the global cultures focus of our long-running Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival series. This summit coincides with our Plant-Forward Kitchen education and digital media initiative which will continue to drive CIA content development in the months and years to come. Don’t miss this “think tank” gathering and flavor odyssey bringing together leading chefs, authors, business leaders, innovative suppliers, and trend spotters. Learn more at: Sessions from the 2023 Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit include: Welcome and Overview Tom Bensel ’76 (Managing Director, CIA California Campus, Napa, CA) Jennifer Breckner (Director of Programs and Special Projects, Strategic Initiatives Group, CIA; Napa, CA) Rupa Bhattacharya (Executive Director, Strategic Initiative