Meet our speakers

Barry Greenberg, CEC 

Executive chef, Hormel Culinary Collective 

With culinary interests that started in the family kitchen of his aunt’s Vermont farm, Chef Barry Greenberg went on to become executive chef at the University of Iowa. His 30-year tenure has given him invaluable insights across all aspects of foodservice, but his impressive industry experience doesn’t stop there.

Greenberg has received countless industry awards and accolades throughout in his career, including grand prize winner of Minor’s® Flavor Expedition Recipe Contest and top honors at the Cattleman’s “Best of the Barbecue” competition. He’s also a certified barbecue judge with the Kansas City Barbecue Society and a National Certification Committee member with the American Culinary Federation.

Cooking is where Greenberg feels most at home and finding ways to connect through food is what he loves most about the foodservice industry. To him, it’s always about the people, whether it’s the guests he serves or the chefs who inspire him. 

Richard D Hoelzel CDM, CFPP, FMP

Richard has been in the culinary business for 35 years and holds certifications as a Food Management Professional and Certified Food Protection Professional, as well as a Certified Dietary Manager accreditation from the University of North Dakota. He earned his Associate of Science in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America.

Richard began his career with PepsiCo and then worked with Hyatt Hotels International and ITT Sheraton Hotels before taking roles with Culinary Concept & Consulting and ARAMARK food services, respectively. In 1999, Richard joined the Compass family of brands, serving as Corporate Executive Chef with Compass Group until 2016, when he became a Regional Director of Operations with Bateman a former member of Compass Group. Richard currently is the Corporate Executive Chef with Idahoan Foods in Idaho Falls ID where he works with both Research and Development as well as Sales to support the mission of bringing wholesome ingredients to everyone's table.

In 2010, Richard was named Mentor of the Year for the American Culinary Federation. He was a Culinary Olympic Team Member for ITT Corp., as well as Culinarian of the Year, Federal Reserve Southern Region. Richard earned the title of Chef Instructor of the Year from the University of Chicago and the Innovation Award from ARAMARK, Southwest region. He served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals and in a Board Liaison Leadership Development position with the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals. Richard is a founding member of the Inclusion Network at LeadingAge, working to ensure everyone, including our LGBT, has a place in our aging society.