PMA’s virtual Foodservice: Delivered will go live next week, bringing a bounty of critical information to members and participants. Registration is still ongoing at https://foodservice.pma.com. Remember that all sessions are ET.
Kicking off the afternoon of Monday, July 20, with a 3:30-3:45 is Chef’s Menu: The Future of Foodservice Operations – The Executive Perspective. During this opening session “top foodservice supply chain leaders will share their perspectives on the state of the foodservice industry and how it will change in the future.” Questions will be taken live during the session, and serving as moderator Kent Shoemaker, CEO, Lipman Family Farms. Panelists are Anissa Mandell Chance, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, Focus Supply Chain; Lisa Kartzman, Vice President Supply Chain, Shake Shack; Carlos Londono, Vice President Supply Chain, Chipotle Mexican Grill; and Hari Nagabhirava, Senior Vice President Supply Chain, The Cheesecake Factory Inc.
From 3:50-4:10 is a virtual Tasting Menu in which attendees can “choose from a menu of short sessions and get a taste of topics addressing needs and interests specific to each sector of our industry.” Building a Fair and Nurturing Workspace will feature Un-Plated’s Sabrina Medora, who will discuss “how to address the perpetual issue of turnover in restaurants by building a supportive workspace.” There will also be multi-unit restaurateurs to “share some of the ways they’re working to retain and support staff members across all levels through diversity, sobriety resources, leadership, and beyond.” Panelist are Micheline Mendelsohn, Deputy CEO, Sunny Side Restaurant Group and
Paola Velez, Executive Pastry Chef, Maydan and Compass Rose.
From 4-5 p.m. participants can engage in Sustainable Packaging Alternatives Webinar. Separate registration is necessary, and PMA’s Ed Treacy will host a fast-paced session featuring nine companies that market sustainable packaging alternatives to single use plastic packaging.
And the final interactive session of the first day is Mixer: Cook With Us – Family Style from 7-8 p.m. Vincent Cani, Executive Sous Chef, The Hilton Orlando Resort & Spa, and his 11-year-old daughter Iliana Cani will work together to “lead participants through the steps to create this recipe.” Download the recipe and shop for your ingredients before the mixer!.
Tuesday gets rolling with a special breakfast session from 10-10:45 a.m. Mixer: Breakfast LIVE with Chef Todd!
Join us in the kitchen with Chef Todd live! Seize this opportunity to participate in an interactive cooking session with a professional while creating a unique breakfast item for your table.
Download the recipe and shop for your ingredients before the mixer!
From 3-3:45 p.m. Foodservice: Delivered will present Chef’s Menu: Meet the Post-COVID-19 Consumer to look at consumer attitudes, perceptions and behavior and the future of foodservice. Datassential will reveal the latest research about the future of produce in foodservice post-COVID-19 that will provide decision makers across the supply chain with the information needed to ensure the success of growers, distributors and operators in the “next normal.” Speaker is Jack Li, Haiku Master, Datassential.
The Tasting Menu on Tuesday runs from 3:50-4:10 and features Tasting Menu with Delivery Apps: Friend or Foe? “Delivery apps have maintained a shaky-at-best reputation within the restaurant industry and with consumers for years. When restaurants were forced to switch over to carry-out-only models during COVID-19, delivery apps further cemented their lack of value by charging high commission rates, allowing for false advertising, and not taking care of restaurant employees or their own. As we look to the future, restaurant experts weigh in on what delivery apps need to do to work with restaurants instead of against them.” Moderator is Sabrina Medora from Un-Plated, and panelist is Laura Hayes, Food Editor, Washington City Paper
Chef’s Table is from 5-6 p.m. and will “explore the inner workings of the foodservice industry in these behind-the-scenes experiences.” And a 6-7 p.m. mixer is open to everyone and will be the Discussions Du Jour
Center for Growing Talent’s Women’s Fresh Perspectives program is presenting the “a fun reprieve from the business and education of the day to form personal connections,” and participants will be able to engage in social time while choosing from several breakout conversations “with predetermined topics designed to spark ideas and discussion.”
Wednesday’s first session runs from 12-12:45 p.m. and will look closely at current events. Chef’s Menu: COVID-19 Changed the Foodservice Industry Forever; How Do We Make Sure It’s for the Better?
Restaurants seemed to be thriving, but COVID-19 exposed the vulnerabilities of the industry. “What does the ‘new normal’ have in store, and how do we make it better?” Speaker is Sabrina Medora, Un-Plated, and panelists are Brian Canlis, Owner, Canlis; Tiffany Derry, Chef-Owner, Roots Chicken Shak and CEO, TDConcepts; Chef Tim Kilcoyne, Director of Chef Operations, World Central Kitchen; Khushbu Shah, Restaurant Editor, Food & Wine Magazine; and Alpana Singh, Master Sommelier, Restauranteur, and Host of Check, Please!, Terra and Vine.
The Wednesday Tasting Menu is set to run from 12:50-1:10 with Building Bridges Within Our Food System, where attendees will hear from chefs on “how to build better systems for food access, farmers, and foodservice relationships. Here, we discuss how chefs can build smart working relationships with local farmers and why doing so is crucial.”
TheCenter for Growing Talent Young Professionals Mixer will be from 6-7 p.m., with an invitation to “mix and mingle with other young professionals in the industry across the global supply chain.” The mixer includes breakout sessions with opportunities to “connect and learn from other young professionals on topics prepared to help grow your personal and professional brand.”
The evening will feature from 8-8:45 p.m. Chef’s Menu: Emerging Global Trends and Their Impact on Foodservice. This presents a “global perspective on emerging trends and their impacts to the future of fresh produce…” Darren Keating, CEO of PMA A-NZ, and a panel of influential industry members from Australia, New Zealand and Asia will look at how trends impact foodservice globally. Panelists are Steve Kent, General Manager Fresh & Processing Divisions, Bidfood Ltd;
Gary Loh, Founder and Chairman, Dimuto PTE Ltd.; and Michael Simonetta, CEO, Perfection Fresh Australia.
And from 9-10 p.m. PMA has scheduled a Global Connection Social where attendees will join members from around the world “for conversations that span business boundaries and timelines alike. Hosts will lead participants through conversations on business challenges and opportunities that impact our industry everywhere.
Thursday’s first Chef’s Menu runs from 12-12:45 p.m. and looks at The Future of Foodservice Operations – The Corporate Chef Perspective
Hear from corporate chefs leading the largest restaurant groups around the world as they creatively take on the new challenges and opportunities to deliver great-tasting meals. It is our responsibility to develop this new normal for all of our customers and help lead our industry back to the level of success we expect in the future. Conversation is led by Kevin Ryan, CEO of the International Corporate Chefs Association and Global Culinary Innovators Association.
The afternoon features a 12:50-1:10 Tasting Menu with Next-Level Sustainability, tackling the topic of being “stewards of the future.” Moderator is Sabrina Medora, Un-Plated, and panelist is Rob Rubba, Chef/Partner, Oyster Oyster in Washington, D.C.
From 1:30-2:15 virtual attendees can take part in the Chef’s Menu: The Dr. Is In! with William Li, “internationally renowned physician, scientist and author of New York Times Bestseller EAT TO BEAT DISEASE.” Dr. Li will share why it’s important to fuel both menus and one’s own body with the “power of produce.” It will be Q&A, and Dr. Li will talk about “immune-boosting menu additions and tweaks you can make to existing dishes to help guests maintain or rebuild immunity after a virus has hit.” PMA is also offering a contest to win copies of Dr. Li’s book during the session.
And the Chef’s Table from 3-4 p.m. participants will“explore the inner workings of the foodservice industry in behind-the-scenes experiences. At the chef’s table you’ll have the opportunity to explore and engage with products, services and ideas from throughout the industry.
An evening mixer from 7-8 p.m. looks at… mixology. Discover Mixology will teach the history of the Mixology Tree with demos from a professional on how to make your own type of drink from one of the cocktail categories. Download the recipe and shop for your ingredients before the mixer!
Friday is the last day of the virtual PMA Foodservice: Delivered, and it starts with a 12-12:50 p.m. Chef’s Menu: What Does the Future Hold for Foodservice? The session is designed to “spark your imagination about the future of the foodservice industry…” and help you “discover what the future may look like from experts within and outside the industry.”
Speakers are Darlene Damm, Chair & Faculty, Global Grand Challenges, Singularity University; and William W. Li, MD, President & Medical Director, Angiogenesis Foundation. From 12:55-1:15 p.m. will be the final virtual session of the week, a Tasting Menu with The Future of Foodservice in which industry pros weigh in on what they see the future holding.
