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Having a passion for food and cooking is one thing; running a successful food business, whether a restaurant or catering company, is another. Key findings in a 2024 report by the National Restaurant Association included 97% of restaurant and food industry operators calling out higher food costs, 97% citing higher costs in labor and 38% sharing that they did not make a profit in 2023. These pain points are shared across the country.
However, as food continues to be an agent of change and togetherness, and the act of communing together over a deliciously prepared meal will always be something consumers enjoy, we’ll continue to see growth in the restaurant and food industry this year and most likely beyond.
While there is no tried and true formula for success when it comes to owning and operating a successful culinary business and navigating through the ebbs and flows, the Feed the Soul Foundation, based in Houston, Texas, is on a mission to provide training and business development solutions to more than 100 business owners during its second Global Culinary Conference January 27 – 29.
“The Global Culinary Conference is about building the foundation for thriving, sustainable restaurants,” says Juana Collins, executive director of Feed the Soul Foundation. “With over 40% of attendees traveling to Houston from across the country last year, our conference is becoming a national hub for culinary professionals who are eager to share insights and resources as they navigate the ever-changing industry together. We witnessed an incredible sense of community come to life as bonds were formed to inspire, learn and uplift one another.”
A Teach One, Reach One Approach
Taking place at Rice University’s Anderson-Clarke Center, the Global Culinary Conference will offer three days of dynamic business workshops and intensive trainings called BOOSTCAMP and LAUNCHPAD designed to equip participants with the tools and insights needed to develop sustainability in operations to assist existing culinary business owners, while equipping aspiring food business entrepreneurs with the essential skills and strategies to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
“We had been doing Black Restaurant Week and traveling and talking to business owners and I think there is a misconception that restauranteurs don’t know their pain points. But they were able to articulate their needs,” says Falayn Ferrell, Black Restaurant Week manager partner and the foundation’s chairwoman.
Ferrell says these conversations, in addition to efforts to support the survival of businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped her and her partners Warren Luckett and Derek Robinson take the next step to launch Feed the Soul Foundation in 2020. They held virtual events before launching the first in-person conference last year.
A welcome breakfast will kick off each day at 7:30 am, followed by business workshops from 9 am – 5 pm. Each day will end with an expo, which is new this year, that will provide attendees with additional industry resources and connections. Joining the roster of keynote speakers this year are industry leaders James Beard Award-winning chef and author JJ Johnson of FIELDTRIP, Daytime Emmy Award-winning and Venezuelan chef James Tahhan and celebrity hairstylist turned successful restauranteur, Gocha Hawkins of Gocha’s Breakfast Bars and Gocha’s Tapas Bars.
Ferrell says they expect attendees from Houston and neighboring Texan cities, along with those from as far as the Midwest, such as Illinois. The full Global Culinary Conference agenda is currently available online, and attendees can purchase one-day tickets and the full conference package.
Before the information and resource sharing and the science of crunching numbers begins on Monday, the conference will kick off on Sunday, January 26, with the inaugural Heart & Soul Dinner at the historic El Dorado Ballroom in Houston’s vibrant Third Ward. Renowned chefs Dayanny De La Cruz, vice president of Culinary for Levy and the first female chef to lead the culinary operations for the Super Bowl; Emmanuel Chavez of Michelin Star-awarded Tatemó; Patti Delgado, executive chef of The Original Ninfa’s on Uptown; Shannen Tune of Craft Burger; Mark Holley of Davis Street at Hermann Park; and Chris Williams, visionary founder of Lucille’s Hospitality Group, Late August and Lucille’s 1913 will come together for an evening to create an unforgettable five-course globally-inspired culinary dinner.
A portion of proceeds will directly support scholarships for underrepresented culinary and hospitality students at culinary art programs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs).
RELATED: Gocha Hawkin’s Recipe For Her Must-Visit Breakfast Spot in Atlanta
Championing Black Restaurant Businesses For 10 Years
The journey to support Black-owned restaurants began ten years ago for Ferrell, whose background includes marketing, previous restaurant experience while in high school, and having a father who worked as a corporate executive chef.
When approached about working on the Black Restaurant Week project introduced by Luckett, she knew she wanted to be involved and since launching, the impact includes supporting more than 5000 Black-owned culinary businesses and growing the 10-14 day event beyond Houston to 17 markets, including Toronto, Canada between February and December.
Reflecting on its launch market, Houston, Ferrell says, “Even for us, the beauty of Black Restaurant Week is that it is growing. When we started, we had 20 restaurants that participated that first year in 2016 and now we have over 100 that participate. I would say that Houston’s Black culinary scene has grown, and it’s just a testament to Houston.”
With more cities now on board, it is genuinely a collaborative effort that puts business owners front and center to ensure they get the support they need. “We’ve been telling the restaurant owners this is your platform. We’ve built this platform for the restaurant community, so I am always excited to see what things they want to do and what opportunities they want to unleash to the community during Black Restaurant Week.”
For this year’s dates for Black Restaurant Week in your market, visit the website.
Space is still available and registration is open for the second Global Culinary in Houston, Texas, January 27 – 29, with a special dinner on January 26. To purchase individual or tickets for all four days, go to the conference’s site online.
