We are pleased to offer a selection of live session videos from our 2026 Menus of Change conference, held June 2-4. Videos will be available with closed captions for the hearing impaired, and can be accessed by clicking the “CC” button in the lower right tool bar of the video screen. The webcast is available to the public for free thanks to the generous support of the National Watermelon Promotion Board and Rational.
Tuesday, June 2 - Opportunities in Blue Foods
Welcome Remarks from the CIA: Preparing for 2035
Robert Jones ‘20 (Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Industry Leadership, and Impact, The Culinary Institute of America)
Welcome Remarks from Harvard: The Urgency of Food System Transformation and Culinary Leadership
Walter Willett, MD, DrPH (Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
Session I: Menus of 2035 Context Setting
Mike Lee (Principle Futurist, The Future Market & Mise)
Session II: Hope in the Water
Jennifer Bushman (Executive Director and Co-Founder, Fed by Blue)
Session III: One Water, One Food System
Jennifer Bushman (Executive Director and Co-Founder, Fed by Blue)
Sam Garwin (Director of Market Development, Greenwave)
Brandon Gottsacker (CEO, Superior Fresh)
Session IV: Indigenous Wisdom, Ocean Futures
Ken Paul (Principal and Owner, Pokiok Associates, Lead Fisheries Negotiator and Research Coordinator for the Wolastoqey Nation of New Brunswick)
Lilani Dunn (Executive Director, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association)
Session V: Blue Foods for 10 Billion – Research and Culinary Demo
Julia Mason, PhD (Social-Ecological Systems Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund)
Teresa Fung, ScD, RD (Adjunct Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
Sammy Monsour ’05 (Good Luck Hospitality, Adjunct Faculty, CIA Master’s in Sustainable Food Systems, Chef/Consultant)
Linda Cornish (Founder and President, Seafood Nutrition Partnership)
Session VI: One Water, One Food System Case Study Vignettes
Catherine Brown (Regional Local Food Project Coordinator, Maine Department of Education, Child Nutrition, Student of the CIA’s Sustainable Food Systems Master’s Program)
Leah Botko, SNS (Food & Nutrition Services Director, Old Orchard Beach School District, Healthy Kids Collaborative Member)
Thom Pastor (Director of Food and Nutrition Services, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium)
Renee McKeon (Sustainability & CSR Vice President of Corporate Services, Sodexo)
Session VIII: Chefs Shaping Ecosystems
Audience Q&A
Matthew Beaudin ‘05 (Chef & Global Sustainability Advocate, Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force)
Mavis-Jay Sanders (Culinary Director, Community Kitchen)
Session IX: Seafood Matters
Barton Seaver ‘01 (Chef, Sustainable Seafood Expert, Author of For Cod and Country and Seafood That Matters)
Session X: The Market for Lemons
Josh Niland (Chef, Saint Peter and Fish Butchery)
Wednesday, June 3 - Evolving Food Business Challenges
Session I: The Future of Food Business
Mike Lee (Principal Futurist, The Future Market & Mise)
Session II: 2035 Research Vignettes
Jackie Bertoldo, DrPH, MPH, RDN (Founder, Eat Better by Design; Menus of Change Research Advisor, CIA)
Tim Dale (Category Innovation Director - Balanced Proteins, Food System Innovations)
Amanda Mikels, MSFS ‘25 (Founder, Summer’s Bounty 365)
Zachary Gordon (CIA Masters of Sustainable Food Systems Student and Operations Manager)
Rebecca Chesney (Vice President of Sustainability, Guckenheimer)
Session III: The Path to Business Resilience in 2035
Jen Purcel (Dean of the Food Business School, CIA)
Rene van Camp (Chief Hospitality Officer, ISS / Guckenheimer)
Nira Johri (former Chief Sustainability Officer, KFC)
Laura Pensiero, RDN (Chef/Founder, Gigi’s Trattoria)
Session IV: 33,000 Restaurants and One Breakfast Sandwich
Paul Yang (Head of Global Sustainability, Restaurant Brands International)
Session V: The New Era of Dining: The Portion Revolution and Emerging Fast Casual Trends
Sara Burnett (Executive Director, ReFED)
Abby Fammartino, MBA, MSFS (MCURC Co-Director, Director of Health and Sustainability Programs and Research, CIA)
Jeffrey Clark (Director, Business Engagement Food Safety, Nutrition, Sustainability, National Restaurant Association)
Paul Yang (Head of Global Sustainability, Restaurant Brands International)
Session VI: Next Gen Culinary Opportunities in QSR
Joaquin Cariaso ‘22 (Manhatta, Netflix’s Next Gen Chef Candidate)
Session VII: The Longevity Economy
Sandy Todd Webster ‘24 (Journalist, Educator, and Consultant)
Colin Milner (CEO of the International Council on Active Aging)
Thad Parton (Assistant Vice President of Food & Beverage Operations, Mather)
Maggie Moon, MS, RD (Brain Health Nutrition Expert, MIND Diet Meals)
Walter Willett, MD, DrPH (Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Chair, MOC Scientific & Technical Advisory Council)
Session IX: Repurpose Competition
Valentina Córdoba (Research and Community Manager, CIA)
Caitlin Bolin (Lecturing Instructor, Hospitality and Service Management, CIA)
Session X: Food Politics 2026 - Dietary Guidelines and More to Inform the Decade Ahead Understand the latest science and debates, from dietary guidelines to seed oils, and learn how to translate into clear, practical guidance for diners.
•Maria Godoy (Senior Editor and Health Correspondent, NPR)
•Christopher Gardner, PhD (Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine, Stanford University; Director of (SPRC) Nutrition Studies Group, Stanford University)
•Teresa Fung, ScD, RD (Adjunct Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
Session XI: Unprocessing Menus: Delivering Nutrition across the Lifespan Real-world case studies showing how whole-food, plant-forward menus drive business success across K12, QSR, senior living, and more.
•Thad Parton (Assistant Vice President of Food & Beverage Operations, Mather) •John Stoddard (Associate Director of Climate and Food Solutions Health Care Without Harm & Practice Greenhealth)
•Andrew Urbanetti (Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives, Boston Public Schools)
•Sandy Curwood, PhD, RDN (Program Manager, CIA Healthy Kids Collaborative; Former State Director of School and Community Nutrition Programs, Virginia Department of Education)
With Submitted Case Studies (presented by Mary Purdy) from:
•Taylor Thomas (Assistant Director of School Nutrition Services, San Antonio North East ISD)
•Michelle Goncalves (Chief Culinary Officer, Luna Grill)
Session XII: MCURC Research Release: The Protein Mix A quick look at a Menus of Change-inspired new visual deliverable from Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC) researchers on the triple value of diversifying your menu mix.
•Abby Fammartino, MBA, MSFS (MCURC Co-Director, Director of Health and Sustainability Programs and Research, CIA)
•Dorian Lazzara (Undergraduate Student, Environmental Science, Biology, and Global Studies, Marist University)
•Anaiya Naroola (Undergraduate Student, Food Science, University of California, Davis) •Janani Venkataramanan (Undergraduate Student, MPA Public Policy, New York University)
•Mikaela Yee (Undergraduate Student, Food Science, University of California, Davis)
Session XIII: The Future of Travel Dive into the launch of the 2035 Travel Food & Beverage Manifesto, with AI-driven insights and Menus of Change strategies transforming healthy travel dining experiences.
•Thorsten Merkle (Professor, Head of the Expert Group for Hospitality & Service Management, Zurich University of Applied Sciences)
•Mark Angela (CEO of Asia-Pacific, SSP)
Session XIV: Designing Menus for 2035 A live, cross-sector menu design challenge! Teams tackle planetary health, global wellness, demographic shifts, sourcing realities, and workforce strategy to imagine the menus and dining experiences of 2035.
Moderator: Lizzy Freier (Senior Director of Menu Research & Insights, Technomic) •Lisa Feldman ‘91 (Senior Director of Culinary, Menu Systems, and CSR, Sodexo)
•Danielle Bock (Director of Nutrition Services, Greeley-Evans Weld County School District 6)
•Pablo Mendez (Regional Chef, Areas) •Marisa Christenson ‘06 (Associate Vice President, Food & Beverage Operations and Development, Holland America Line)
•Jennifer Cox (Senior Vice President of Culinary, Levy) Gerhard Bussen ‘01 (Director of Culinary Services, Sodexo Live!)
Greg Drescher’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Thursday, June 4 - From Craft to Code: Culinary Leadership in the Age of AI
Session I: Introduction to The Algorithm Kitchen
Mike Lee (Principal Futurist, The Future Market & Mise)
Session II: Preserving Craft while Embracing the Future with President Michiel Bakker
Michiel Bakker (President, The Culinary Institute of America)
Session III: Moving from Curiosity to Capability (Discussion & Live Demo)
Michiel Bakker (President, The Culinary Institute of America)
Steve Gundrum (Chief AI Officer, Mattson)
‘Leo’ (AI Persona)
Session IV: Introducing the Mattson AI Lab at the CIA
Michael Sperling (Vice President of Academic Affairs, The Culinary Institute of America)
Steve Gundrum (Chief AI Officer, Mattson)
Session V: Modeling Taste: AI-Driven Sensory and Consumer Insights for F&B Optimization
Jean-Xavier Guinard, PhD (Professor of Sensory Science, University of California, Davis)
Session VI: Coding for Deliciousness: Scaling Healthy Ancestral Wisdom with AI
Matthew Lange, PhD (CEO and Chief Science Officer, International Center for Food Ontology Operability Data and Semantics (IC-FOODS)
Session VII: Chefs - The Essential Ingredient in AI-Driven Creative Intelligence
Tiffany Poe ‘22 (Adjunct Faculty, CIA, Consultant)
Session VIII: Cooking Under Constraint: AI in the Kitchen (Culinary Demo)
Tiffany Poe ‘22 (Adjunct Faculty, CIA, Consultant)
Ray Dawson (Assistant Professor, Culinary Arts, CIA)
Terri Brownlee, MPH, RD, LDN (Vice President Food Education + Wellness, Bon Appetit)
Session IX: Ignite Round Presentations
The Efficiency Revolution: How AI is Revolutionizing Food Waste
Sara Burnett (Executive Director, ReFED)
AI as a Strategic Partner in Scaling Food Systems
Spencer Plaut ‘04 (Global Head of Food, OpenAI)
Hospitality IQ: The Intelligent Workplace
Baker Smith (CIO, Aramark Enterprise Services)
The QSR Command Center
Victor Dias (Senior Director of Product, Burger King)
Session X: 2035, Envisioned: From Current Pilots to Futurecasting Innovations in F&B
Mike Lee (Principle Futurist, The Future Market & Mise)
Sara Burnett (Executive Director, ReFED)
Victor Dias (Senior Director of Product, Burger King)
Spencer Plaut ‘04 (Head of Global Food, Open AI)
Baker Smith (Chief Information Officer, Aramark)
Justin Shimek (CEO and Chairman, Mattson & Co)
Mark Reiss (Global Food Program, Risk Management, Google)
We are able to offer this free webcast thanks to the generous support of our webcast sponsors:
