CAFÉ’s Summer Conferences focus on Innovation and Culinary Student Success
03 April 202317th Annual CAFÉ Leadership Conference and Deans and Directors Retreat will be held this June in Charleston, S.C.
By Lisa Parrish, GMC Editor
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Sign up now for the June 2023 CAFÉ Leadership Conference and Deans and Directors Retreat in Charleston, S.C. Both events are open to all culinary education leaders and instructors and will occur on consecutive days. Attendees have the option of attending one or both events.
The Deans and Directors Retreat theme Innovation Culture will showcase leadership ideas around student recruitment and retention strategies. The one-day meeting begins on Wed., June 21, at Trident Community College’s Palmer campus. However, there is an informal meet-and-greet event on the evening of June 20 at the Rappahannock Oyster Bar. Amrit Ahluwalia, editor of Modern Campus’s EvoLLLution, is slated to present in the morning. Dr. Jonathan Deutsch, professor and director of Drexel University’s Food Lab, will lead a panel focused on the topic of innovation and adaptation next. Lunch will feature Ted-style talks and the afternoon closes with a panel discussion hosted by Paul Sorgule, president of Harvest America and CAFÉ Gold Medal Classroom columnist, covering recruitment and retention strategies.
The cost for the one-day conference is $299, which includes a continental breakfast, lunch and an invitation to the opening night reception of the Leadership Conference. Attendees who are CAFÉ Members will receive a $25 discount to the event.
The afternoon of June 21 will see the 17th Annual Leadership Conference kick off with optional three-hour, hands-on Master Classes. Attendees can select either a Garde Manger or Guittard Chocolate workshop for an additional $25. That evening, conference goers and guests of both CAFÉ events will mingle during the opening night reception, nosh on chef showcase prepared dishes, and listen as CAFÉ award winners are announced.
The Leadership Conference continues on June 22, Industry Outreach Day, with a feature keynote presentation by Dan Kurzrock, Founder and CEO of Upcycled Foods Inc. Attendees will then have the opportunity to listen to a local chef’s panel hosted by Trident Community College’s Michael Carmel. After the InfoFair, participants will attend three different, cutting-edge foodservice trend presentations. 
Educational Best Practices Day will be held on June 23 and Dr. Fred Mayo, CAFÉ columnist and retired clinical professor of hotel and tourism management at New York University, will present the first keynote address, Teaching the Teacher. Peer presentations of tried-and-true culinary education best practices strategies will round out the final day of the gathering.
The cost to attend only the Leadership Conference is $399, which includes ACF continuing education hours, reception, two breakfasts, two lunches and transportation to and from the school to the hotel. CAFÉ Members receive a $25 discount.
For those interested in attending both events, the total cost is $499.