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Two-day “Boost Camp” conference was created to educate culinary entrepreneurs on successful business operations and strategies January 22 – 23 in Texas.
Culinary business owners from around the country, including California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and New York, will represent their food cities and industries to include bakeries, food trucks, breakfast cafes, juiceries, vegan eateries at the upcoming Global Culinary Conference hosted by Feed the Soul Foundation and presented by Diageo.
Now in its third year of service, Feed the Soul Foundation, a national nonprofit that continues to provide financial relief and business development solutions for culinary business. The in-person conference focused on business development will be held in Houston, Texas, on Monday, January 22 and Tuesday, January 23, 2024, from 8:00AM – 5:30PM.
Why Feed the Soul Foundation is Responding to the Need
According to James Beard Foundation’s 2023 Industry Report, 53% of culinary business owners experienced lowered profits this year and challenges around rising food and labor costs have severely impacted profit margins, menu and content pricing since 2022
“Our goal is to create an educational experience that allows culinary business owners to step away from their business and dedicate two days to learn about resources within business development,” says Falayn Ferrell, chairwoman of Feed the Soul Foundation.
“Our Restaurant Business Development Program’s cohorts have witnessed several triumphs due to their engagement with small business experts and participating in peer-to-peer learning sessions with culinary professionals. We will broaden the scope of our conference to support numerous culinary businesses and the anticipated shifts faced within the industry.”
The conference will feature renowned chefs and thriving culinary experts including Houston restauranteur Marcus Davis, Chef Karla Hoyos, Chef Emmauel Chavez, and Chef Dayanny Delacruz who will deliver an enhanced learning experience with keynote speeches and panel discussions designed to educate entrepreneurs on the art of launching and operating a prosperous culinary enterprise.
Each session will impart exclusive insights into the culinary business world with a diverse range of topics tailored to the specific needs of attendees including but not limited to:
- Marcus Davis, owner of The Breakfast Klub will provide a keynote address referencing the success of his hospitality group (The Breakfast Klub, Kulture, Reggae Hut)
- Chef Karla Hoyos, Best Chef of Miami 2022 and owner of Tacotomia, Chef Dayanny Delacruz, Vice President of Culinary at Levy Restaurants, Chef Emmanuel Chavez, owner of Tatemó and Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs” for 2023 will speak about the growth of their culinary careers
- Levy Restaurants and Live Nation will speak about how culinary businesses can win contract bids as vendors or suppliers
- Diageo, Stella Artois, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka will host happy hours
Attendees can expect in-depth keynotes focused on growing their technical skills, learning key functions of small businesses applications, understanding commercial real estate, supervising personnel, developing profitable business operations, designing bottom-line boosting marketing strategies and the future of food service businesses.
The Global Culinary Conference’s 2024 full agenda is available online. Programming will feature panels and master classes with the following speakers:
- Will Norwood, Program Manager, Supplier Diversity & Inclusion of Live Nation
- Dr. Courtney Johnson Rose, President, National Association of Real Estate Brokers
- Michelle Ngome, President, African American Marketing Association
- Phillip Yates, Founder, Black Entrepreneurship Week & Latin Entrepreneurship Week
- Yvonne Guidry, Founder of SpoiledLatina
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Interactive breakout sessions, happy hour networking events and complimentary breakfast and lunch from notable Houston restaurants including Frenchy’s, Space City Birria Tacos and More, Henderson & Kane, Mo’ Better Brews, Cascabel, and The Breakfast Klub will complete the experience.
Feed the Soul Foundation plan to make this conference an annual event that unites culinary professions from around the world to share ideas, build networks and discuss the latest business growth trends to ensure the continued success of culinary businesses.
General admission is $60 for single day admission and $99 for both days. The conference will be located at Texas Tower, 845 Texas Avenue in Houston. Head over to the Feed the Soul Foundation website for more information and to register.
