Session Details

More sessions will be announced soon!

Communicating Effectively with Employees and Stakeholders – and Why it Matters

Participants will explore the critical role of communication in the culinary industry. The session will cover essential traits of a culinary leader, offering best practices for enhancing both verbal and written communication skills. Attendees will learn how to lead with values, select the right words, manage non-verbal cues, and build strong communication channels with their teams, ultimately fostering a more collaborative and effective work environment.

Navigating Difficult Conversations

In this session, participants will delve into strategies for overcoming common communication challenges in the culinary industry, such as navigating high-pressure environments and addressing language or cultural barriers. The session emphasizes the importance of engaging in difficult conversations and offers practical tips for preparing, managing confrontations, and following up effectively. Attendees will also explore messaging as a tool for engagement and participate in an interactive exercise to apply these techniques in real-life scenarios.

Pumping Up Your Recipe Costing

This session will take you on a journey of combining the speaker's passion for numbers and data with your passion for the industry – food, beverage, and superior service. Learn how to apply a unique methodology to discover what producing the menu items for the guest experience really costs you, and then learn how to re-engineer your menu for success and profitability.

Understanding Your Hospitality Operation's Financial Statements

As a leader in the operation, it is important to understand the basic financial statements and methods of analysis. Learn how to read and interpret the income statement and balance sheet for your operation. Understand how to enhance the details of these statements and implement other financial tools.

Inspiring the Future: Culinary Trends Shaping the Campus Dining Experience

Step into the future of campus dining with this dynamic, trend-driven keynote that reimagines the culinary landscape. Dive deep into leading-edge ingredients, flavors, and textures poised to energize the dining experience for on-campus diners. This session offers a visionary look at trends shaping tomorrow’s meals and eating experiences. Attendees will walk away with actionable ideas and fresh inspiration that will elevate their dining programs. Take aways include: 

  • Trend Exploration: Discover future-facing culinary trends for campus dining.
  • Inspiration for Chefs: Learn from global and local culinary experiences.
  • Ingredients & Flavors: Deep dive into ingredients that elevate dining.
  • Practical Applications: Walk away with actionable ideas for your campus.

 

Culinary Training in Dining Services: The Evolution of Line-level training at The Ohio State University  

Join us for an engaging session that explores the culinary training provided to line-level employees at The Ohio State University. We will cover essential skills that equip participants with the tools they need to succeed in a dynamic kitchen environment. We will also delve into the evolution of culinary training within dining services, highlighting key developments and best practices that have emerged over the years. This retrospective will provide insights into how training methods have adapted to meet the demands of a diverse culinary landscape. Finally, we will reflect on the first year of culinary training initiatives at Ohio State University (OSU). Attendees will gain a unique perspective on the challenges faced and accomplishments achieved in this inaugural year and explore how they too could develop a similar program on their campus. 

Speakers

 

 

Diane Hurd

Diane Hurd

Diane Hurd currently serves as senior vice president and partner at Inspire PR. As one of the founding members of the firm, she has been integral to Inspire’s development, shaping internal business operations, enhancing client services, and supporting the growth of the team. With more than 17 years of experience, Diane leads account teams serving major U.S. food companies and restaurants, state and national agriculture organizations, schools, corporations, and nonprofits. Her results-oriented approach and deep experience driving strategic media relations, advertising and marketing, and issues management initiatives serves Inspire’s clients well. Diane is a trusted crisis communications advisor and regularly speaks at conferences across the country.

Mark Kelnhofer

Mark Kelnhofer, CFBE, CTA, MBA

Mark Kelnhofer, president and CEO of Return On Ingredients® LLC, is an international speaker and author on recipe costing and menu engineering. He has more than 25 years of experience in bottom line-boosting accounting. Mark holds a Masters in Business Administration (2005) and a bachelor's in accounting and business administration (1993) from Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. He is currently a lecturer for The Ohio State University and Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University, instructing food, beverage, & labor cost controls. He also sits on several hospitality advisory boards, including Ohio University (Athens, Ohio) and Hocking College (Nelsonville, Ohio).

Betsy Pendergast

Betsy Pendergast

With nearly two decades of experience, Betsy Pendergast, VP of Trends and Innovation at Dig Insights, is a distinguished innovator and researcher renowned for her exceptional ability to identify and harness emerging trends to drive transformative innovation across various industries. Betsy's career is marked by her commitment to exploring the interplay between societal changes and market demands, leading to the development of pioneering solutions and strategies.

Betsy Pendergast, a true adventurer at heart, thrives on exploring new places and actively seeks out opportunities to try new things. Friends and family are central to her world, and she values quality time, especially when it's filled with laughter, adventure, and connection with others.
 

Rachel Stefanic

Rachel Stefanic

Rachel serves as the Learning and Development Senior Analyst for The Office of Student Life, Dining Services. In this role, she supports the staff development of over 300 full-time staff and 2500 student employees. Rachel pulls from her 23 years of food service experience and 18 years developing, facilitating, and training adults in a classroom, virtual, and on-the-job employment setting. Her vast portfolio of responsibilities includes implementing a variety of learning techniques to meet the unique demands of a large university food service staff. Rachel’s roles continue to address the challenges of the department’s vast portfolio of job titles, multi-generational staff, and differences in food service styles, all while aligning with the student development goals of the Office of Student Life.

Rachel's education consists of a Bachelor of Science in Human and Consumer Sciences degree and a Master of Science in Human and Consumer Science degree, both from Ohio University. Rachel’s Master’s thesis allowed her to work closely with The Research Chef’s Association and evaluate the membership’s competencies in the field of Culinology®. The results of the research established a foundation to build training and professional development programs among membership, along with two published articles in the Journal of Food Science and Education and Journal of Culinary Science and Technology.
 

Chef C. David Wolf

Chef David Wolf

Chef Wolf’s interest in cooking began at age 14 where he observed the preparation and enjoyed traditional regional Italian cuisine in his grandmother’s kitchen. His first restaurant position at age 15 launched his lifelong career in culinary arts. Wolf's education took place at La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine, Paris France, The International School of Confectionery Arts, The Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena, and The Greenbrier, White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.  He is a member of the World Association of Cooks, the Philadelphia esteemed Commandries des Costes du Rhone, and a 35-year member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and current chairman of the ACF's Columbus chapter. 

Since 2010, Wolf has held an adjunct instructor position for the Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts Program at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio.  In 2016, Wolf accepted a position with The Ohio State University Offices of Student Life as the culinary training instructor within dinning services administration team. His role ensured the integration of theory and practice, mentoring students acquiring culinary skills, techniques, and an understanding of professional kitchen terminology in addition to the basics in culinary arts. Wolf retired from Ohio State effective January 2024. He continues sharing his knowledge and craft with the Columbus local community instructing recreational cooking classes and upscale wine dinners at the Columbus State Campus, Mitchell Hall, The Mix.

Ben Flores

Chef Ben Flores

Chef Ben Flores is an Alabama native who has lived in Columbus since 2021. After graduating from the University of Alabama in 2015, he pursued a career in restaurant and hospitality management before settling in Columbus. He joined Chapman’s Eat Market in 2021 and was the sous chef to a James Beard nominated team. After his Time at Chapmans Eat Market, he accepted the role of Culinary Instructor at The Ohio State University, where he teaches Food Production Management for the Restaurant and Hospitality Department. He has an Italian-American, Mexican-American, and Gulf Coast Southern style culinary background. His personal goals in the industry focus on the training and development of young service industry professionals