SCHEDULE FOR FOOD LAB 2016 

2016 FOOD LAB CONFERENCE
STONY BROOK SOUTHAMPTON: JUNE 3-5, 2016

FRIDAY – JUNE 3

6- 8PM – MARINE CENTER
REGISTRATION AND COCKTAIL PARTY
FOOD PROVIDED BY BAY BROTHERS CATERING
CHANNING DAUGHTERS WINE
BLUE POINT BEER & MONTAUK BREWERY

SATURDAY – JUNE 4

8AM – CHANCELLOR HALL – REGISTRATION
BREAKFAST BY TATE’S BAKE SHOP
COFFEE BY IRVING FARM COFFEE ROASTERS

9AM – DUKE LECTURE HALL – KEYNOTE EVENT
Keynote Carla Hall (Restauranteur, Host of The Chew, Top Chef All Star)
in conversation with East Hampton Star Food Editor Laura Donnelly

10-10:15 – ANOLON GIVEAWAY

10:15-10:30 – BREAK – BEX WAFFLES

10:30-11:15 – FOOD MAKERS PANEL
Moderated by Ron Tanner, EVP Specialty Foods Association

Kathleen King – Tate’s Bake Shop
Betsy Fox – President Forklift Foods
Greg Woodworth – Stonybrook Whole Hearted
Craig Kanarick – Mouth Entrepreneur

11:15-11:30 – BREAK – TATE’S COOKIES

11:30-2:15 – FOOD AND NUTRITION EDUCATION PANEL
Moderated by Brian Halweil
Editor in Chief –Edible East End, Long Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn

Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz – Bridgehampton Schools
Jonathan Deutsch – Drexel University
Stefanie Sacks – Nutritionist, food writer

12:15-1:15 – LUNCH PROVIDED BY NICE BUNS & PURITY

1:15-2PM – WHAT’S NEW/NEXT IN FOOD BUSINESSES:
TRENDS AND DIRECTIONS
Moderated by Jeffrey Zurofsky
Former CEO, wichcraft, Co-host Bravo’s Best New Restaurant

Andy Arons – CEO Gourmet Garage
Colin McCabe – Partner, Chop’t Creative Salad Company
Eve Turow Paul – author of YA Taste of Generation Yum
Terry Hope Romero – Kickstarter
Jonah Reider – Creator of Pith, Cook, and Event Curator

2-2:15 – BREAK

2:15-3PM – INNOVATION IN THE KITCHEN
Moderated by Marissa Rothkopf Bates
Food and Tech Writer and Blogger, Newsweek, NY Times

Regina Ragone – Food Director, Family Circle magazine
Susan Spungen – Food Stylist, Kitchen Consultant, Cookbook Author
Merrill Stubbs Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief Food52

3-3:15 – BREAK – KIND

3:15-4PM – CHEF’S SETTING THE MENU
Moderated by Matt Rodbard – Food Journalist (Wall Street Journal,
Bon Appetit, Saveur, Lucky Peach) and Author “Koreatown: A Cookbook”

Eric Ripert – Chef/Co-Owner Le Bernardin; Author “23 Yolks”;
TV Host “Avec Eric”
Deuki Hong – Chef/Proprietor Baekjeong Korean BBQ
Author of Koreantown: A Cookbook
Heather Carlucci – Pastry Chef/Restauranteur/Consultant:
Robert Rauschenberg Residency, Mother New York
Advertising Agency, TV Personality
Cesare Casella –  Dean ICC

4-4:15 – BREAK – CASELLA’S

4:15-5PM – THE BUSINESS OF WINE, CRAFT BEER, ARTISANAL SPIRITS
Moderated by Daniel Lerner – Skurnick Wines

Leslie Merinoff – Matchbook Distilling Co
Ian McGuinness – Blue Point Brewing Co.
Michael Cinque – Owner of Amagansett Wine
Kareem Massoud – Winemaker, Paumanok Vineyards

5-6PM – DRINK TASTING

7PM – DINNER IN CAFETERIA

SUNDAY – JUNE 5

9-NOON – FOOD BLOGGING  AND SOCIAL MEDIA BRUNCH

BREAKFAST PROVIDED BY NICE BUNS

Moderated by Allen Salkin
Author and reporter for the NY Times

Eve Turow Paul – Author, A Taste of Generation Yum
Sara Ventiera – Writer, Blogger, FoodNetwork.com
Jonah Reider – Creator of Pith, Cook, and Event Curator
Regina Ragone – Food Director, Family Circle; Blogger FoodFitFabulous
Allison Price Becker – Social Media Consultant, former Chef/Restauranteur

2016 Keynote Speaker

Carla Hall

Carla Hall is a co-host of ABC’s popular lifestyle series “The Chew,” seated alongside restaurateurs and “Iron Chef America” stars Mario Batali and Michael Symon, entertaining expert Clinton Kelly and health and wellness enthusiast Daphne Oz. Hall is best known as a competitor on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” where she won over audiences with her fun catch phrase, “Hootie Hoo” and her philosophy to always cook with love. Carla’s approach to cooking blends her classic French training and Southern upbringing for a twist on traditional favorites. She is committed to health and balance in everyday living.

Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen – the chef’s first restaurant is slated to open in NYC in early 2016. A fast casual love letter to Nashville, the restaurant will feature iconic Nashville Hot Chicken and southern sides, which are anchored by Hall’s family recipes and perfected with her personal touches. Her cookbooks are “Carla’s Comfort Food: Favorite Dishes from Around the World” and “Cooking with Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You”.

A native of Nashville, TN, Hall received a degree in Accounting from Howard University, but traveling through Europe awakened her passion for food and inspired a new career path. She attended L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland where she completed her culinary training, going on to work as a Sous Chef at the Henley Park Hotel in Washington, DC. She also served as Executive Chef at both The State Plaza Hotel and The Washington Club, and has taught classes at CulinAerie, Sur la Table and her alma mater, L’Academie de Cuisine. Hall is a true believer that, “If you’re not in a good mood, the only thing you should make is a reservation.”

Carla is also active with a number of charities and not-for-profit organizations that reflect her passion for causes close to her heart. She serves as a Board Member for the Pajama Program and GenYouth. Carla also actively works with Chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen Chef Network, DC Central Kitchen, The USO, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Feeding America, WCR (Women Chefs and Restaurateurs) and she serves on the advisory boards for the Edible Academy for the New York Botanical Gardens and for the Food and Finance School in New York City. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Matthew Lyons, and stepson Noah.

2016 Panelists

Greg Woodworth

Greg Woodworth is the founder and President of Stony Brook WholeHeartedFoods, a Finger Lakes based manufacturer of culinary squash seed oils. Prior to moving to the region, Greg founded Stony Brook Cookie Company in Boston, an online cookie gift service provider. As part of Restaurant Associates, Greg worked as Director of Foodservice Operations, Director of Catering, Financial Controller and Corporate Purchaser. Greg has served two terms on the Board of Directors for Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ontario County and serves on the City of Geneva Revolving Loans Committee to assist and direct start-up businesses. Greg graduated from the Cornell Hotel School and lives with his wife Kelly Coughlin in Geneva, New York.

Ron Tanner

Ron Tanner is Vice President, Philanthropy, Government & Industry Relations for the Specialty Food Association, owner of the Fancy Food Shows®, and the publisher of Specialty Food Magazine. Ron has worked for the Specialty Food Association, and its 3,200+ members, since 1987. The Specialty Food Association presents 40 educational programs each year. Ron has appeared on The Today Show, CNN and Food Network, and has been quoted in Newsweek, The New York Times, and Parade Magazine. He has an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University in New York City, and a B.A. in English and Communications Studies from Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. Ron lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz

Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz currently serves as the Governor of New York State for Slow Food USA, an organization that promotes universal access to Good, Clean and Fair food.  She previously very involved in Slow Food East End, where she served as Chair, Vice Chair and Co-Chair of the Education Committee.

Judiann started the Bridgehampton Edible Schoolyard Project and subsequently co-founded the 501(c)3 Edible School Gardens (ESG) group in 2009. Twenty-seven schools on the East End now meet monthly to share information on starting and maintaining school gardens and greenhouses. The group ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the Delicious Nutritious FoodBook, a guide on how to navigate through the confusion surrounding  food and nutrition. The book was distributed free of charge to over 10,000 students and their families.

Judiann is a teacher of environmental design, botany, and farm to table classes at Bridgehampton School, where she manages the large garden and greenhouse. She is the recipient of the 2016 New York State Teacher of the Year for Agriculture in the Classroom and the National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture in the Classroom Award.

Regina Ragone, R.D.

Regina Ragone, R.D., Food Director for Family Circle, brings more than twenty years of nutrition expertise to the magazine. Previously,Regina was vice president, nutrition at Hunter PR. In that role she provided counsel to a number of Hunter PR’s food clients including McCormick, Post and Kraft.

Prior to joining the Hunter PR team, Regina was vice president of food and nutrition at Ogilvy Public Relations, where she worked on a variety of Unilever’s health and vitality brands such as Promise, Lipton and Hellmann’s Mayonnaise.

Before that she was food editor of Prevention magazine, America’s leading health magazine. She was responsible for the editorial direction, design and content of the magazine’s food pages as well as recipe development.

Regina has dedicated her career to educating people on the many benefits of eating healthy foods, and is the author of Win the Fat War cookbook and Decadent Diabetic Desserts and co-author of Meals that Heal.

Regina also served as the test kitchen director for Ladies Home Journal magazine and was an assistant manager at the Global Consumer Food Center of the Campbell Soup Company. Regina has held numerous positions in the publishing industry including food editor for both Weight Watchers magazine and the Weight Watchers Publishing Group and as a nutritionist for Family Circle magazine.

Regina is a member of the American Dietetic Association, Les Dames D’Escoffier, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, The Association of Food Journalists and the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance. She received her MS in Nutrition from Queens College and her BS in Nutrition and Foods from New York University. She resides in New York where she can enjoy a wide range of culinary experiences.

Eric Ripert

Eric Ripert is the chef and co-owner of the acclaimed New York restaurant Le Bernardin. Born in Antibes, France, Eric moved to to Andorra, a small country just over the Spanish border as a young child. His family instilled their own passion for food in the young Ripert, and at the age of 15 he left home to attend culinary school in Perpignan. At 17, he moved to Paris and cooked at the legendary La Tour D’Argent before taking a position at the Michelin three-starred Jamin. After fulfilling his military service, Ripert returned to Jamin under Joel Robuchon to serve as chef poissonier.

In 1989, Ripert seized the opportunity to work under Jean-Louis Palladin as sous-chef at Jean Louis at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. Ripert moved to New York in 1991, working briefly as David Bouley’s sous-chef before Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze recruited him as chef for Le Bernardin. Ripert has since firmly established himself as one of New York’s—and the world’s—great chefs.

In September 2014, Ripert and Le Coze opened Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, named for their acclaimed wine director Aldo Sohm. That same month, the two expanded Le Bernardin’s private dining offerings with Le Bernardin Privé, a dynamic space above Aldo Sohm Wine Bar that can accommodate a range of events.

Ripert is the Vice Chairman of the board of City Harvest, working to bring together New York’s top chefs and restaurateurs to raise funds and increase the quality and quantity of food donations to New York’s neediest. When not in the kitchen, Ripert enjoys good tequila and peace and quiet.

Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez

Celebrated for her 3-star desserts, Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez’s pastry chef resume reads like a history of NY’s most esteemed eateries. She began her culinary education at the Restaurant School in Philadelphia before traveling to France to complete her education in Burgundy and Paris.

A pastry position at Tom Colicchio’s Mondrian and a pastry chef gig at Union Square Cafe set the tone for an illustrious career. Over the next 15 years she created desserts at L’Impero, Veritas and Judson Grill—each receiving 3 stars from The New York Times — as well as working for a consultant for France’s Michel Cluizel Chocolat and Domori Chocolate in Bologna, Italy.

For her first personal venture, Heather opened Lassi, a tiny take-out restaurant featuring Northern Indian home cooking putting herself in the rol of executive chef. “Even though she is anunlikely Indian restaurant owner, she’s a passionate one”, wrote Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld of New York Magazine, adding “Her food tastes unlike any other Indian restaurant in town — fresher, cleaner but undiluted in its intricately spiced essence.”

In March 2005 New York Magazine named Lassi Best Take-Out in New York City. In 2010 she returned to the pastry kitchen to open Print, a sustainable restaurant and roof bar in Hell’s Kitchen. In 2011 she received the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in America award from Dessert Professional Magazine.

Heather is an activist for farmer’s rights and environmental causes. With food activist Hilary Baum of Baum Forum she co-founded Chefs for the Marcellus, an organization that brings together food industry professionals for the safety of NY State farms from gas drilling. She has been spokesperson on Fox News and New York 1 for CFM. She has been on the board of The Glynwood Institute, TEDx Manhattan: Changing the Way We Eat,Many Kitchens and Culinary Agents and now sits on the esteemed board of Recipe For Success.

Heather is the now the in-house consultant for Mother New York, a design and advertising agency and consults for the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation at their artist’s residency on Captiva Island, Florida. She also teaches culinary technique for the Ayurvedic nutrition course at Bhagavat Life Holistic Education Televison appearances include: Iron Chef America, Top Chef, Live with Sara Moulton, Desi TV, New York Eats, Today, Good Morning America

Jonathan Deutsch

Jonathan Deutsch, Ph.D., is Professor of Culinary Arts and Food Science at Drexel University. Before moving to Drexel, Deutsch built the culinary arts program at Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York (CUNY) and the Ph.D. concentration in food studies at the CUNY Graduate Center. At Drexel, he oversees the Drexel Food Lab, a student-driven product development and food innovation lab focused on solving real world problems for industry and good food projects. He is the author or editor of six books including Barbecue: A Global History (with Megan Elias), Culinary Improvisation, and Gastropolis: Food and Culture in New York City (with Annie Hauck-Lawson) and numerous articles in journals of food studies, public health and hospitality education. He earned his Ph.D. in Food Studies and Food Management from New York University (2004), his culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America  (AOS, Culinary Arts, 1997), and is an alumnus of Drexel University (BS, Hospitality Management, 1999). A classically trained chef, Deutsch worked in a variety of settings including product development, small luxury inns and restaurants. When not in the kitchen, he can be found behind his tuba.

Allen Salkin

Allen Salkin is a world-renowned trend writer, author, filmmaker and journalist. His article in the New York Times on the new popularity of monocles (2014) is one of many pieces that captured cultural attention, among them the first story pointing out the existence of hipster farmers (2008), the first on food bloggers (2007), the first on the celebration, outside Seinfeld, of Festivus (2004), news that Annie Liebovitz had pawned her entire photographic archive (2009), waterbed salesmen, men over 40 in summer share houses, the “Foxcatcher Five,” and secret parties for media types where no social media is permitted. Due to Allen’s ability to find the social significance in the trivial during his work at the Times, Gawker equated him, sardonically and yet with praise, to the reporter who uncovered the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War, calling Allen “The Seymour Hersh of the Sunday Styles Section.”

Eve Turow Paul

Eve Turow Paul is the author of A Taste of Generation Yum: How the Millennial Generation’s Love for Organic Fare, Celebrity Chefs and Microbrews Will Make or Break the Future of Food. Publications around the world have written about the book, including Bon Appétit, The Atlantic, Civil Eats, Walla in Israel and Slate in France. TV and radio shows around the world—in Spain, Australia, Canada and more—have dedicated airtime to the topic. In Generation Yum, Paul (who published under her maiden name, Turow) investigates the driving forces behind the Millennial generation’s obsession with food. Today, Paul utilizes her four years of empirical research to advise Fortune 500 companies, start-ups and independent entrepreneurs on how to connect with and better serve Millennials. Eve Turow Paul serves as the Millennial Expert in Residence for Group SJR, a part of Hill+Knowlton Strategies. She formerly worked for New York Times contributor and cookbook author Mark Bittman. Her writing has appeared in a number of publications including The Chicago Tribune, Plate, The Village Voice, on The Atlantic, Refinery29, Huffington Post and more.

Craig Kanarick

Craig Kanarick is the CEO of Mouth, the leading destination for indie food, spirits and wine, which he co-founded in Brooklyn in 2012.

An accomplished entrepreneur, Craig’s career over the past 3 decades is characterized by the integration of digital technology, design and strategy to grow business through innovation. In 1995, he co-founded the trailblazing digital services firm, Razorfish, at the forefront of the Internet era. Serving there for over seven years as Chairman, Chief Scientist and Chief Strategic Officer, he helped grow the company from a 2-man startup to global powerhouse, with more than $250 million in annual revenues, 2200 employees and offices in 9 countries. During Craig’s tenure, the firm brought hundreds of clients into the internet age, including Pepsi, IBM, Time Warner, Ralph Lauren, Charles Schwab, Sony and Nissan. Craig also co-founded Razorfish Studios, a media and entertainment company, where he oversaw the creative and strategic direction and production of books, films, tv shows, albums and websites.

After leaving Razorfish in 2001, Craig spent a year immersed in food, including a stint as a prep cook at Babbo, Mario Batali’s flagship restaurant. He then co-founded and led a multi-disciplinary retail and experiential marketing team called Studio Red at Rockwell Group, the award-winning architecture and design firm.  He and his team worked with clients including Coca-Cola, Club Med and Mercedes Benz. He also co-founded the Lab at Rockwell Group, an incubator dedicated to integrating digital technology into physical spaces.

After consulting for large clients such as Blockbuster and Samsung on their digital strategies, Craig found a way to combine his deep expertise in entrepreneurship, digital technology, design and strategy with his lifelong love of food by launching New York Mouth in 2012.

Craig earned two undergraduate degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters from the MIT Media Lab. His design work at Razorfish is part of the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He continues to advise and serve on the boards of several startups. He lives in NYC near the Union Square Greenmarket with his wife and two children, all of whom are pretty good cooks.

Deuki Hong

At 15, Hong worked as a line cook under Aarón Sanchez at Centrico in New York City before heading to the Culinary Institute Of America. After graduating near the top of his class, he cooked under David Chang at Momofuku Noodle Bar before working on the line at Michelin three-starred Jean-Georges. A young, rising star chef, Hong is currently executive chef of the smash-hit Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong in Manhattan’s Koreatown. He’s recently been recognized as an Eater Young Gun, named to the Zagat 30 Under 30 list, and made 2016 Forbes 30 under 30 list. He is also the co-author of New York Times Best Seller Koreatown: A Cookbook.

Terry Hope Romero

Terry Hope Romero is Kickstarter’s Outreach Lead for the Food and Crafts categories and has helped hundreds of food business projects come to life. She’s also the author of several bestselling cookbooks including Veganomicon, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Eats World, Salad Samurai, Protein Ninja, and many more. Terry has presented cooking demonstrations and culinary talks at food festivals and conferences throughout North America, Europe, and Australia and holds a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University.

Colin McCabe

Colin McCabe is the co-founder of Chopt Salad, the pioneering salad-centric chain that seeks to redefine the concept of fast food, making it healthful, flavorful, convenient, and affordable for all. A New York City native, McCabe was inspired to start Chopt with his best friend Tony Shure after lamenting the lack of healthy food in their small college town. The first Chopt opened in NYC’s Union Square in 2001 to lines out the door, and the restaurant has since grown to a family of over 40 restaurants in New York, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, with more to come soon. As co-founder, McCabe stays conscious of both Chopt’s roots and its future, scouting potential new locations for expansion, and working to refine the menu and expand Chopt’s community initiatives, including Chopt Gives, a branch of the business that focuses on charitable giving to support nutrition, food education and healthy lifestyles for kids.

Jonah Reider

Jonah Reider is a cook, event curator, and entrepreneur based in New York. While at Columbia University, Jonah created Pith, a renowned supper club in his dorm room. The supper club continues, but Pith has begun to design and execute creative events attempting to integrate dining into the realms of art, music, design, and entertainment. Jonah has been in residence as the curator and artist at Front Art Space, and is currently developing plans for a more permanent innovative dining venue. Most recently, Jonah was included in The New York Times 30 Under 30, a series of profiles of young people who are experimenting in new forms of work, play, community and creation. Follow Jonah on Instagram @pithnyc and learn more at www.pith.space.

Stefanie Sacks, MS, CNS, CDN

Stefanie Sacks, MS, CNS, CDN is a Culinary Nutritionist, author, consultant, speaker and food firebrand! She has her Masters of Science in nutrition from Columbia University, is a Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Dietitian Nutritionist and is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. Stefanie works hands-on with individuals and groups seeking a healthier way of eating. For companies and organizations looking to do the right thing for their consumers and environment, Stefanie is the go-to-gal—her unique background in food and agriculture as well as health and wellness gives her the knowledge and skills to guide groups towards true food transparency, sustainability and ultimately health. Her book, What The Fork Are You Eating? An Action Plan for Your Pantry and Plate (Tarcher/Penguin Random House) provides an aisle-by-aisle rundown on how to shop and cook healthier. She is a guest expert on the topic of healthy choices on the Dr. Oz Show, PBS, Fox Media, and multiple radio programs. She hosts her own radio show, Stirring the Pot, on Hamptons NPR, WPPB 88.3FM. Her extensive online and print contributions include The Huffington Post, Alternet, Family Circle, Prevention, fortune.com, foxnews.com and foxbusiness.com. To stay connected with Stefanie, sign up for her blog and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Alison Price Becker

Alison Price Becker is an established, highly diversified hospitality and food professional well versed in all consumer driven phases of the food and beverage and related industries, as well as television and media.  In addition to operating and consulting to all phases of the hospitality industry, Alison has created a name for herself in the world of food product development and marketing, working with Kraft, Pinnacle, PepsiCo, WhiteWave and Consumer Dynamics. Alison uses her experiential knowledge of what makes people happy, love of markets of all kinds and applies those skills to develop new products focused on the trends to health, fresh and organic. Alison’s exceptional strategic thinking, creativity from conception to design and implementation assure success in giving life to products, and successful completion of all phases of hospitality projects: management consulting, social media, events and operations, food product research and development on the consumer level.

With 25+ years experience in restaurant ownership (Alison On Dominick Street, and 5 other Alison’s, most recently Alison Eighteen), she was known for developing and mentoring young chefs, meticulous staff and supplying a truly quintessential soul satisfying experience, offering, simple, yet subtle elegant dining whether blue jeans or black tie

In May of 1989, after acquiring experience in management, starting at the bottom, answering phones for Jonathan Waxman, as night and banquet manager at The Gotham Bar and Grill, opening Rakel for, Thomas Keller, Alison opened ALISON ON DOMINICK STREET. The restaurant received three star rave reviews and continued to do so until it’s closing in 2002. In July of 1996, Alison opened ALISON BY THE BEACH, in Sagaponack, New York to, once again, rave reviews. Three years later, Doubleday published Alison’s cookbook, the extremely well received Kitchen Suppers.  2004 found Alison moving her Long Island restaurant to Bridgehampton. Once again, great reviews followed. Concurrently while operating her restaurants in New York City and the Hamptons, Alison created 2 highly successful summer season branded pop-ups for the Inn at Quogue (1999) while the Inn was undergoing renovations and at The Maidstone Arms hotel (2008) in Easthampton, while they awaited the sale of the property.

Alison sold her leases and returned full time to New York in the fall of 2008.  She immediately returned to consulting and product development, working with KO Hospitality and Consumer Dynamics. Partners Michael Namer and Gary Spindler approached Alison in the winter of 2010 to open a restaurant in one of Michael’s buildings.  The grand space inspired Alison to conceive a restaurant, which combined her love of Parisian Brasseries and Roast Chicken. Alison Eighteen opened on January 31st 2012. In January 2014 business won out over passion when an offer to purchase the space presented itself and Alison chose to sell Alison Eighteen. During this period Alison was invited to Paris to film14 recipes for the new QOOQ tablet representing the American home Chef. Recreating recipes from her cookbook “Kitchen Suppers”, her mission is to demystify and simplify restaurant cooking: it’s all about flavor and product.  She also appeared on The Taste of New York representing College Inn Chicken Broth, Walkers Shortbread Cookies & Morinaga Tofu where she thrived representing the home cook and supermarket brands.

Since the sale of Alison Eighteen, Alison has been sought after for a wide variety of advisory services including social media & marketing, to Chatham Imports working with Michter’s Bourbon, Crop Vodka and Farmers Gin, as well as exploring new wines for their portfolio, catering and event management, numerous restaurants, and recently working with White Wave foods on 36 products in development.

Alison’s passion for combining food and cooking and people with business is the driving force behind each day. While creating dining magnets for numerous celebrities, Alison has continued to enjoy employing a wealth of experience producing, catering and staging events, corporate, celebratory and philanthropic.  She aligns with strategic partners to present evenings such as the Authors Round Table Dinner Series, Artists dinners and private screenings creating a salon like atmosphere where guests dine while taking part in discussions with well-known and best selling authors and artists.  Alison has also worked with TEDX in NYC.

Alison has been featured in magazines around the world: Japan, French Vogue, OK (England) and many more as well as all national US newspapers. Television appearances include: Fox 5 News, Plum TV, Channel 13, Italian TV News, News 12 Long Island, Connecticut News and Italian TV News, and in her former career as an actress, a Pink Lady in Grease Two, amongst other television and stage appearances.

Alison lives in New York City with her teenage son, Harrison, who is soon to enter The School of Foreign Services at Georgetown University.

Sara Ventiera

Sara Ventiera is a roaming eater and traveler who looks for amusing stories across the United States. She works from New York, Los Angeles and various places in between. Her work has appeared in the Village Voice, New York Daily News, Zagat, FoodNetwork.com, PasteMagazine.com and more.

Before transitioning into a freelance writing career, Sara worked as yacht chef, traveling the up-and-down the coast, cooking for high-end clientele and taking mental notes. She is currently working on a memoir about her experiences on the seas.

Susan Spungen

Susan Spungen is a Cookbook Author, Entertaining Expert, Culinary Consultant and Food Stylist for both print and film, having brought the food to life in major feature films such as Julia & Julia, It’s Complicated, Eat, Pray, Love, and Labor Day. She was the founding Food Editor of Martha Stewart Living. She is a frequent contributor to national magazines such as Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, More Magazine, and Rodale’s Organic Life, where she is a Contributing Editor. Susan is the co-author of Martha Stewart’s Hors D’Oeuvres Handbook, and is the author of RECIPES: A Collection for the Modern Cook. Her latest book is What’s a Hostess to Do?, a guidebook for entertaining in the modern world. Lately, she’s been creating the food for the new AMC Drama series, Feed The Beast.

Marissa Rothkopf Bates

Marissa Rothkopf Bates writes about food and reviews restaurants for the New York Times. She writes for Newsweek’s“Gadget Lust” column, where she reviews all manner of weird and inventive kitchen technologies. She is currently working on a book about the history of technology and innovation in the American kitchen.

Marissa has also written for Real Simple, Publishers Weekly, PBS and the BBC among others. She has worked at SPYmagazine; Nickelodeon, where she was a founding editor of Nickelodeon magazine; helped launch Oxygen television, and developed and curated apps for Hearst. In her spare time, she enjoys writing about herself in the third person.

Marissa has a master’s degree in history. She earned her professional qualification as a chef from the Institute of Culinary Education, yet still gets nervous when asked to make custard.  

Nadia Cho

Originally from Seoul, Nadia moved to New York where she could develop the career with the background in entertainment and media. Nadia Cho founded Jeong Culture and Communication in 2012 to act as a liaison between US and Korean Culture.

She organized the Taste of Korea NYC campaign and was involved in TV shows such as Avec Eric, Parts Unknown and Chef’s Table.

Also she published Korean Restaurant Guide books and brought chefs and journalists to Korea to explore Korean cuisine like Eric Ripert, Michael Anthony and Edward Lee.

Leslie Merinoff

Leslie Merinoff wants you to truly experience flavor.  Growing up with a family in the food and beverage business gave her an early emersion into the sensory pleasures and the thrilling history of eating and drinking.  Leslie’s first “job” at the Amagansett CSA – Quail Hill Farm – taught her about the building blocks of flavor.  When Leslie turned 21, she started a ‘where/what/how to drink’ website/consulting business/events agency with now fiancé, Brian Kwasnieski, based in Burlington, VT.  With a focus on supporting local culture, Broke in Burlington rocked for 3+ years before Leslie took a job with family owned global spirits company, William Grant & Sons, managing brand strategy and it’s execution for Sailor Jerry Rum, as it closed in on annual sales of 1M cases.  After 2+ years with William Grant, she was itching to get back to her entrepreneurial, process oriented roots, and so she joined The Noble Experiment distillery in Brooklyn, NY.  Owned and operated by women dedicated to advancing this golden age of spirits, The Noble Experiment makes award winning, small batch Owney’s Rum.  After 2+ years helping founder Bridget Firtle take Owney’s Rum to the next level, Leslie is now heading into a challenge of her own making, as she launches her new distillery incubator, Matchbook Distilling Co.  Based on the North Fork  of Suffolk County in Greenport, NY,  Matchbook Distilling Co. will bring drinkers, brand owners, distillers and farmers closer together for better drinking.  

Kathleen King

Called “a destination … worth putting miles on the odometer” by The New York Times, Tate’s Bake Shop in Southampton, NY prides itself on providing simple, all-American desserts. For Kathleen King, founder and owner of the nationally-acclaimed bakery, homespun Americana just comes naturally.

When the magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray set out to find America’s best-tasting chocolate chip cookie, they singled out Tate’s Bake Shop’s deliciously natural, caramel-tinged signature cookie as the best of the best. How Kathleen King came to set her treats apart from the rest is a testament to Kathleen’s stick-to-itiveness and down-home authenticity.

Named after her father, Tate King, Tate’s Bake Shop is a widely recognized brand, sold in key gourmet retail stores across the country; but simple, down-home Americana is at the heart of Tate’s. “It’s easy for me to do,” Kathleen says, “because that’s who I am.”

Born and raised on Southampton’s North Sea Farm, Kathleen has always been self-sufficient. At age eleven, hoping to make enough money to buy her own school clothes, she sold small batches of her chocolate chip cookies to the neighbors from a fold-out card table on her parents’ farmstead.  Meticulously baked by hand using the freshest ingredients including real butter, her chocolate chip cookie was a neighborhood sensation. Soon Kathleen was selling more cookies than her father was selling eggs.

By the time she was in high school, King was baking 12-hours a day, perfecting her recipes and making a name for herself within the fashionable communities on the South Fork of Long Island. Kathleen’s baking put her through college, and as the demand for her cookies kept growing, she moved her business out of her family’s kitchen and opened her own bakery at age 20. King then launched a wholesale business, selling her cookies to specialty and gourmet shops in Manhattan, including the legendary Balducci’s Market.

Nearly three decades later, Kathleen King continues to raise the bar in the baking industry. Her award-winning cookies are now sold at over 5,000 gourmet retailers throughout the United States and on her robust e-bakery, tatesbakeshop.com.

King’s Southampton bakery — Tate’s Bake Shop – is the recipient of multiple best bakery awards and is regarded as a “must-visit” Hamptons’ destination. Thousands of customers each week enjoy the shop’s more than 100 offerings, including breads, muffins, cakes, pies, seasonal specialties, and of course, cookies!

With a commitment to using nothing but fresh, preservative-free ingredients, and a simple, straightforward approach to baking, Kathleen King has earned a variety of awards and honors. In 2012, she released Baking for Friends, the highly anticipated follow-up cookbook to The Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook (2005, St. Martin’s Press, foreword by Ina Garten). Baking for Friends is inspired by Kathleen’s desire to share the joy of gourmet baking, and the new book showcases incredible new recipes, features exclusive baking tips, and gives fans across the country a taste of the effortless style that makes Kathleen King the Hamptons’ most beloved baker.

In 2015, Kathleen sold 80% of the company and continues to maintain an active role in product development.

Jeffrey Zurofsky                                                                                                           

Founder & CEO, No Small Plans, LLC
Co-founder, and former President & CEO
’wichcraft, Riverpark, Riverpark Farm

In 2003, Jeffrey partnered with chefs Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortúzar to co-found ’wichcraft as a sandwich shop where the ingredients and cooking techniques are rooted in fine dining but served in a casual and welcoming environment. Since then Jeffrey has all aspects of the business ’wichcraft, spearheading its expansion to fifteen stores including locations in San Francisco and Las Vegas and employing over four-hundred team members.

Most recently, Jeffrey can be found writing about his experiences on his blog, jeffreyzurofsky.com, and as co-host on Bravo’s new restaurant competition show “Best New Restaurant”.  Jeffrey was also a key advisor and contributor to Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Chef.

In 2009, the original partnership opened Riverpark, a fine dining restaurant that was recently awarded 2-stars by the New York Times, as well as the innovative Riverpark Farm, New York’s most urban farm, located adjacent to the restaurant..

Prior to the founding of ’wichcraft, Jeffrey worked in some of Manhattan’s most prestigious kitchens including a stage at Lespinasse, Savoy (while enrolled at the French Culinary Institute), Union Square Café, and as opening sous chef at Restaurant AZ. With desire to leave the stove and feed his entrepreneurial passion, Jeffrey took an offer at a tech startup, Bank Pass as Director of Business Development where he developed his interest in business growth. After honing his business acumen, Jeffrey found his way back to his passion at Payard where was Director of Operations and CFO at Francois Payard Patisserie and Bistro.

Jeffrey’s passion as an entrepreneur and love for food started at the age of eight, attempting to replicate in his family’s New Jersey kitchen what he saw master chefs create on classic PBS cooking shows. His mother, a small business owner, encouraged his budding interest in everything culinary and Jeffrey put his self-taught skills to work in professional kitchens while studying at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He paid his way through school in the area’s best restaurants, and eventually became sous chef at the Mobil 4-star La Residence. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City and where he has been able to feed his desire to develop new and innovative ideas in a fast paced environment.

In addition to Jeffrey’s many job accomplishments, he was recently awarded Outstanding Alumni from The International Culinary Center in 2011. He continues to be committed to numerous civic and philanthropic institutions and has passionately supported entrepreneurial ventures throughout his career.

Daniel Lerner

Daniel Lerner has worked as a wine director, consultant, and in wine sales in New York City and the East End for more than 30 years, currently for importer distributor Skurnik Wines & Spirits. He lives in New York City.

Brian Halweil is the editor-in-chief of Edible Brooklyn, Edible East End, Edible Long Island andEdible Manhattan magazines. His writing has focused on organic farming, biotechnology, hunger, rural communities and, most recently, foodtech. Before launching Edible magazines, Brian was the director of the food and agriculture program at the Worldwatch Institute. He is the author of Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket, as well as Nourishing the Planet, a meta-analysis of hunger-reducing innovations for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He lives in Sag Harbor, New York, where he and his family keep a home garden and orchard, and raise ducks and oysters. Brian received degrees in Earth Systems and Biology from Stanford University; as an undergrad, he founded the Stanford Student Farm. Brian serves on the board of Slow Money NYC,  Edible   Schoolyards of the East End, and Food Tank, and is an advisor to FeedFeed.

 

 

Laura Donnelly
Laura Donnelly was a researcher for National Public Radio and NBC News for 15 years.  She has been a professional pastry chef for more than 20 years.  She is an occasional guest and contributor to the Barefoot Contessa TV program and Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.  For several years she contributed food essays called “Something’s Cooking with Laura Donnelly” for local NPR stations.  She made the pies for the “Waitress” movie, once helped Alec Baldwin lose weight, and has written for Texas Monthly magazine, Town and Country, and Dallas Morning News.  She writes a regular column called “Seasons By The Sea” and restaurant reviews for the East Hampton Star.

Matt Rodbard

For over a decade Rodbard has written magazine and online features about restaurants, chefs, drinks, music, cooking and travel, with an occasional listicle thrown in to pay the bills. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appétit, Travel & Leisure, Saveur, Lucky Peach and Epicurious. He’s the author of Koreatown: A Cookbook, a New York Times Best Seller. 

Ian McGuiness

I am 30 years old and I am from Yorktown Heights, NY. I received a BA in Arts Management from Suny Purchase back in 2012.

I’ve been working in the beer industry for two years, and started with an Assistant Management position at SingleCut Beersmiths in Astoria, NY. SingleCut is the first microbrewery to open in Queens since prohibition ended. Some of my responsibilities included, giving tours of the brewery, bar-tending, event planning and executing, pouring at festivals, delivering kegs, and of course drinking.

From there, I was offered and accepted a sales position working for Anheuser-Busch’s new sales force called The High End. T.H.E. focuses on selling ABinBev’s craft portfolio, as the big machine acquires more craft breweries from around the world. I work with two wholesalers, and sell Blue Point, Goose Island, Breckenridge, Elysian, 10 Barrel and Virtue Cider in Queens, NY. My job has me selling into mostly on-premise accounts (bars and restaurants) and a few off-premise accounts (supermarkets, deli’s).

Betsy Fox
President
Forklift Foods

Forklift was built on a foundation of over 20 years in media and global brand management. Betsy has worked at some of the world’s most recognized advertising agencies, including DDB, Young & Rubicam, Grey, and Havas, with hands-on experience building global brands like Gatorade, Bud Light, Mars, Pantene, Colgate, Danone, and Telefonica. Her international background has given her a first-hand understanding of how to successfully market in diverse economies from emerging markets to Europe and the United States.

 

Turning a passion into a profession, Betsy now leads a business development and culinary brand-management team that helps food and lifestyle entrepreneurs take their ideas from concept to consumer. Forklift works with clients to develop personalized go-to-market plans for their specialty-food products including brand positioning, product development, portfolio management, and distribution strategy. Betsy’s team also advises on industry trends, networking, and what it takes to build a successful brand in the digital era.

Forklift’s clients include brands such as Red Boat Fish Sauce, La Tourangelle Oils, Victory Amory, Sfoglini Pasta, Zia Hatch Chilies, Kopi Cold Brew, and the newly created Umlicious.com.

Affordable accommodations are available on the Stony Brook Southampton campus for attendees of the conference. Click here in order to book a room, and select the Food Lab 2016 conference. You will need to enter event code 16-75 on the booking page in order to receive the special conference rate.