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Advancing a Vision for the Integration of Public Health, Environmental Stewardship, Deliciousness, and Innovative Business Strategy

Media Contact:

Jan Smyth
Marketing Manager
845-451-1457
j_smyth@culinary.edu

Hyde Park, NY – For the third year, more than 350 executives, experts, and innovators in food, foodservice, health and wellness, and nutrition and environmental science will come together for the ® leadership summit, which is co-presented by The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Together, the CIA and Harvard are working to create a long-term, practical vision for the integration of optimal nutrition and public health, environmental stewardship and restoration, and social responsibility concerns within the foodservice sector and beyond. For the first time, the conference will take place at the CIA’s campus in Hyde Park, NY, at the new, state-of-the-art event center, Marriott Pavilion. This is also the first year the general sessions will be available .

This year’s summit focuses on helping chefs and other foodservice business leaders become better intrapreneurs and internal change makers, providing culinary strategies as well as the business case for driving change in their companies and operations. Along with some of the nation’s best and most creative chefs, top experts from academia and various sectors of the food business community—from entrepreneurs to leaders of legacy brands—will be part of the program. The conference features culinary demonstrations highlighting plant-forward dishes from some of New York City’s most imaginative chefs, including Jehangir Mehta (Mehtaphor), Amanda Cohen (Dirt Candy), and Franklin Becker (The Little Beet). Additional sessions will focus on consumer attitudes and behaviors, along with the business side of top risks to the food industry, including those around water, antibiotic use in animal agriculture, and dietary health and healthcare costs.

The full program schedule and biographies of all the presenters are available on menusofchange.org. Because the conference has sold out, a webcast makes it possible for more culinary professionals and interested members of the general public to hear the most cutting-edge insights and discussions on issues facing the $710 billion foodservice industry. The webcast will allow free, unlimited access to all eight general sessions from Wednesday, June 17 to Friday, June 19. All times on the schedule are Eastern Daylight Time. Some of the highlights include:

• June 17 at 4:55 p.m. EDT: The opening keynote presentation by Ron Shaich (founder, CEO, and chairman of Panera Bread) on how to embrace innovation, plus his view of the future of the restaurant industry at large.
• June 18 at 8:15 a.m. EDT: A session on the plant-forward menu imperative—the science, policy, and culinary approaches—with Christopher Gardner, PhD (Stanford School of Medicine), Eric Rimm, ScD (Harvard Medical School), and Richard Ball (New York State Department of Agriculture).
• June 19 at 1 p.m. EDT: The closing keynote presentation by Claus Meyer (Meyer Restaurant Group and Melting Pot Foundation) who will discuss the potential for local and indigenous food cultures worldwide to bring about widespread change.

For anyone watching the conference online, the 2015 Menus of Change Annual Report provides background and additional resources. In particular, many sessions will refer to the report’s Principles of Healthy, Sustainable Menus and the State-of-the-Plate Dashboard that gives a snapshot of the foodservice industry's progress year over year towards improving nutrition, sustainability, and profitability. The report can be accessed through the menusofchange.org website beginning on June 17. And later this month, PowerPoint presentations from the speakers will also be posted online.

“The past year’s scientific and government reports and media headlines, together with seismic shifts in consumer attitudes, signal that continual change in the foodservice industry is part of the new status quo,” says CIA President Tim Ryan. “Our partnership with Harvard—which has been in place for more than a decade—allows Menus of Change to present a unique integration of scientific, culinary, and business insight to help both our students and our industry’s leadership prepare for an increasingly disruptive landscape of business challenges, and great opportunities.”

Following the conference, the webcast will remain on menusofchange.org until next year’s conference, June 14–16, 2016, back at the Marriott Pavilion in Hyde Park. Join the conversation throughout the year on Twitter: and #CIAMOC.

Photo Captions and Hi-Res Images:

Photo 1 (top photo): Presenters at the Menus of Change conference this year include (clockwise from top left): Richard Ball, New York State Department of Agriculture; Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy restaurant; Ron Shaich, Panera Bread; and David Ludwig, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School. (Photo credit: CIA)

Photo 2: The 2015 Menus of Change conference, co-presented by The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, will take place June 17–19 in the Ecolab Auditorium of the new Marriott Pavilion on the CIA Hyde Park, NY campus. (Photo credit: CIA/ Phil Mansfield)

About The Culinary Institute of America
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to driving leadership development for the foodservice and hospitality industry, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts; bachelor’s degree majors in management, culinary science, and applied food studies; and executive education through its Food Business School. Its conferences and consulting services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry in the areas of health & wellness, sustainability, world cuisines & cultures, and professional excellence & innovation. The college also offers certificate programs and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its worldwide network of 48,000 alumni includes leaders in every area of foodservice and hospitality. The CIA has campuses in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.

About the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students from around the world, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory to people’s lives—not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices to create a healthier world.

For more information, visit .

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