With more than 1,800 exhibitors, and a stellar speaker line-up – including Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit – great networking opportunities, and demos by celebrity chefs, the annual National Restaurant Association show is set for Chicago’s McCormick Place from May 21-24.
Registration and more information on the premier foodservice event can be found at https://www.nationalrestaurantshow.com/ .
An at-a-glance schedule is posted at https://www.nationalrestaurantshow.com/about/schedule-at-a-glance , and the show kicks off on Saturday, May 21, with workshops and the opening of the show floor.
The keynote event will be hosted in the Grand Ballroom at 2 p.m. and features Alexis Ohanian, co-Founder of Reddit and founder of Seven Seven Six. His efforts for social justice are well-known, and Ohanian is “an advocate for the open internet, STEM education, and paid family leave. He has lobbied on Capitol Hill and penned a New York Times op-ed, Paternity Leave Was Crucial After The Birth of My Child, and Every Father Deserves It. Ohanian launched the Business Dad podcast, where he interviews fellow fathers about what it means to be a dad in today’s world and how they balance their careers and families.”
Workshop sessions will be held at McCormick Place during the Show dates from 8-9:40 am Central on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Among the topics are:
- Ghost Kitchens & Virtual Brands: Risks, Opportunities, and Execution
- Navigating the Foodservice Technology
- LandscapeServSuccess Restaurant Leader Workshop
- And celebrity chefs attending the show include Charleen
Badman, chef and co-owner, FnB Restaurant / Let’s Talk Womxn City Cohost – Phoenix; Angela Barnes, co-owner at Nobody’s Darling; Lanie
Bayless, spirits director, Frontera Hospitality; Rick Bayless, award-winning chef, and author; KimberlyBrock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC
Certified Executive Pastry Chef, President – American Culinary Federation; Tiffany Derry, chef, owner, TV personality, and restaurateur; Rohini Dey, restaurateur (Vermilion Chicago) and founder Let’s Talk Womxn; Jeremy Ford, chef, owner, TV personality; Dontaine Jackson,
beverage manager at Takito Brands; Wook Kang, culinary instructor at Kendall College; Edward Lee, chef, TV personality, philanthropist and award-winning author; Maria Loi, internationally renowned entrepreneur, chef, author and TV personality.
Also Ryan Manning, chef, and owner, MX Taco Restaurants; Ken McGarrie, CEO/Consigliere at Fabio Viviani Hospitality; Lamar Moore, executive chef, Eleven Eleven; Liz
Pearce, lead mixologist at Aba Restaurant, Lettuce Entertain You; Michael Ponzio, executive chef at Union League Club – Chicago; Renauda Riddle, co-owner at Nobody’s Darling; Cassie Sakai, wine director, Gibson’s Restaurant Group; Chris Sayegh, founder at The Herbal Chef; Deborah VanTrece, award-winning chef, author, founder – VanTrece Hospitality Group; Fabio Viviani, chef, restaurateur, author and TV personality; and Andrew Zimmern, award-winning chef, TV personality, author and teacher.
