CAFÉ’s 20^th annual Leadership Conference continues to offer the best professional development opportunities dedicated to culinary instructors and deans and directors. No other organization offers the networking, best practices, and curriculum development strategies purposely designed for culinary education. 

The annual gathering, held this year in Pittsburgh from June 24-26, features three segments: the Scholarship Awards, Deans and Directors Retreat and Leadership Conference. 

Scholarships and awards 
Discover seven awards with cash prizes totaling $7,000, with two awards also including travel expenses to a harvest tour and technology workshop. Applications close on April 1, 2025. 

• Kendall College/National Louis University Entrepreneurship Award - $1,000 prize
  The award identifies culinary programs that either teach or encourage entrepreneurship in their programming or implement revenue-generation and cost savings into their operations.  
• United Soybean Board Green Award - $1,000 prize
  The Green Award is offered to individuals/culinary programs that emphasize sustainability or other “green” aspects in their programs. This award is sponsored by the United Soybean Board which is proud to reach out to educators and to recognize their efforts instructing students in the importance of agriculture in their product selection and menu designs. 
• Idaho Potato Commission Educator of the Year Award – Two $1,000 prizes
  These awards are open to secondary and post-secondary educators as well as culinary educators working within the non-profit training sector. 
• Idaho Potato Commission Student of the Year Award - $1,000 prize plus an all-expenses-paid trip to the September 2025 Idaho Potato Harvest Tour
  This award is open to any student attending a postsecondary school
• Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Community Outreach Award - $1,000 prize
  This award is open to culinary/hospitality programs or individuals making a positive impact in their communities via outreach programs such as food banks, recycling efforts, skill development for the homeless, etc. 
• RATIONAL Technology Award - $1,000 prize plus an all-expenses-paid trip to a three-day technology workshop. 
  The 2025 Technology Award will be offered to individuals/culinary programs that successfully introduced technology in their programs. 

Award recipients are revealed during the opening night reception complete with delicious food stations showcasing local chefs and CAFÉ’s foodservice partners. 

Overview of annual conferences
CAFÉ’s goal has always been to link the foodservice industry with the foodservice classroom. This year’s professional development conferences are dedicated to guiding culinary education forward with well-thought ideas for implementing innovative changes.

• Deans and Directors retreat: The meeting kicks off on Mon., June 23 with a meet and greet happy hour for participants. Keynote speaker Chef Christopher Galarza, founder of Forward Dining Solutions LLC and co-founder of EcoChef, anchors the Tuesday morning session followed by panel discussions, round table discussions and GMC’s own Paul Sorgule providing the day’s final address. 
• Leadership Conference: Instructors will begin with Master Classes on Tues., June 24. The complete list will be published soon, however a Pizza class has already been slated. Attendees visiting the InfoFair will be treated to the foodservice industry’s outreach and culinary classroom materials.
• Industry Outreach Day: Wed., June. 25, begins with a keynote presentation by Chef Christopher Koetke, CEC CCE HAAC, corporate executive chef at Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc. Conference goers will then find out what is new and what is next during industry panelist discussion. 
• Educational Best Practices Day: Thur., June 26, begins with Dr. Fred Mayo, president of Mayo Consulting Services, giving the keynote address before attendees break out for best practices workshops offered by culinary educators actively engaged in change and doing it well. 

It is CAFÉ’s intention that the theme of “The Need to Change” will appeal to all levels of instruction as well as all levels of responsibility to train the next generation of foodservice professionals.

Register here for all the events.