The Culinary Institute of America
Leadership Initiatives
Join the conversation, take a seat at the table, and taste the future with us.
From professional conferences to invitational retreats, sector collaboratives, tastings and cultural immersions, operational research, award-winning digital media production, editorial resource development, custom content solutions and more, the CIA’s thought leadership initiatives give chefs, high-volume menu decision makers, industry business leaders, and experts from around the globe the tools they need to anticipate and help shape what will be on our plates in the next year, next decade, and beyond. Through these various platforms and initiatives, the CIA works to advance key imperatives and opportunities around health and wellness, sustainability and food ethics, global cultural diversity and inclusion, and—more broadly—innovation. For more information on how your organization can engage with CIA Leadership Initiatives, contact us.
Latin American Cuisine Summit
September 25, 2024, and February TBD 2025 | Virtual Summit
Join the Culinary Institute of America for its first installation of the exciting virtual Latin American Cuisine Summit! Now offered as a virtual series for the first time in its history, this event brings together a diverse audience of foodservice, culinary and beverage professionals for an exciting immersive learning experience.
Featuring culinary demonstrations from some of the most exciting, dynamic chefs in the business, the summit will allow you to gain in-depth knowledge of signature dishes, explore traditional techniques, and discover the culinary influences that continue to shape the industry.
Attendees: A broad and diverse group of industry leaders from all over the world interested in increasing their knowledge of regional Latin American cuisine
Menus of Change® University Research Collaborative
September 30 – October 2, 2024 | Boston, MA
Focusing on accelerating efforts to move people toward healthier, more sustainable, and delicious food choices using evidence-based research, education, and innovation, this groundbreaking collaborative works to cultivate the long-term well-being of all people and the planet, one student and one meal at a time.
MCURC, a joint initiative of the CIA and Stanford University (Residential & Dining Enterprises and Stanford Medicine/Stanford Prevention Research Center), serves as an accelerator for the implementation of Menus of Change® principles—uncovering the drivers of consumer decisions related to healthy, sustainable food choices.
This unprecedented network of senior university administrators, dining directors, executive chefs, nutrition and sustainability leaders, and academic researchers uses campus dining halls as living laboratories for eating-related behavior change.
Members: More than 250 representatives from college and university foodservice, from 60+ institutions participate in the collaborative, with 80–90 members at the annual meeting representing the most dynamic changemakers in the campus dining sector.
Tomorrow Tastes Mediterranean
October 14 – 15, 2024 | Barcelona, Spain
This conference, which takes place at the Torribera Mediterranean Center, a joint project of the CIA and University of Barcelona, aims to help the restaurant, foodservice industry and affiliated sectors better understand and transfer the healthful and sustainable principles of the Mediterranean Diet into menus and products suited to the demands of 21st century consumers.
Attendees: 150+ Chefs, F&B leaders, health, nutritionist, culinary and sustainable academics and researchers, in addition to NGO and government leaders.
Healthy Menus R&D Collaborative
November 4 – 5, 2024 | Napa, CA
June 3 – 4, 2025 | Hyde Park, NY
This collaborative is a membership-based initiative focused on crafting highly targeted, sector-specific, practical solutions that significantly contribute to expanding healthy menu food and beverage choices within the high-volume foodservice sector.
Operator members—including representatives from top chain restaurants and contract foodservice operations—collaborate with industry partners via working groups.
Members: An invited group of 40 operator members in menu decision-making roles from top chain restaurants and contract management organizations, while 20–25 operator members join us for each semi-annual meeting.
Worlds of Flavor® International Conference and Festival
November 5 – 7, 2024 | Napa, CA
The Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor® International Conference & Festival is widely acknowledged as our country’s most influential professional forum on world cuisines, food cultures, and flavor trends.
Join us for the 27th anniversary of Worlds of Flavor - Roots of Culture, Seas of Discovery: Mediterranean Culinary Tradition, Exchange and Invention in the 21st Century. This conference will bring an amazing delegation of top chefs and talented cooks from all around the Mediterranean—from west to east and north to south, as well as from across the US.
Attendees: 450-500 leading chefs, foodservice executives, global cuisine experts, and influential foodservice industry professionals.
Healthy Kids Collaborative
December 10 – 12, 2024 | Napa, CA
This unique collaborative inspires school nutrition professionals, school chefs, and suppliers to create and advance culinary-driven, healthier foods in K–12 schools; discover flavor and menu strategies; highlight successes and best practices; and develop training protocols.
In short, it seeks to create a new culinary culture in school food. It’s a year-round invitational initiative capped by this annual leadership gathering, which brings its leaders together to share progress and menu insights, along with best practices for addressing challenges and opportunities.
Members: 30–35 leaders from K–12 schools and contract management organizations.
Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives®
February 5 – 7, 2025 | Napa, CA
This conference, jointly presented by the CIA and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health—Department of Nutrition provides healthcare professionals with the latest scientific findings about diet and nutrition, combined with flavor strategies from world cuisines that increase the appeal of meals prepared with healthful ingredients for their patients. Nutrition and health research seminars are led by scientists and nutrition experts from Harvard and other leading institutions, while culinary, baking, beverage, and nutrition leaders from the CIA conduct hands-on cooking workshops.
Attendees: 400 physicians, dietitians, and other healthcare professionals. CME credits awarded for participation.
Wine & Beverage Summit
May 5 – 6, 2025 | Napa, CA
The CIA Wine & Beverage Summit (formerly known as the Somm Summit), is an annual program designed to empower wine professionals with the tools, insights, and connections needed to thrive in the dynamic world of wine.
Through out-of-the-box programming, including immersive tastings and insightful discussions, this annual conference empowers wine professionals with the essential skills and knowledge needed to bolster their creativity, enhance their business acumen, and become industry leaders and tastemakers.
Attendees: Junior managers, buyers, or leads with 2-3 years of experience in beverage marketing and/or working at a distributor, winery, or restaurant as a sommelier.
Menus of Change®
June 4 – 5, 2025 | Hyde Park, NY
Menus of Change®: The Business of Healthy, Sustainable, Delicious Food Choices works to realize a long-term, practical vision integrating optimal nutrition and public health, environmental stewardship and restoration, and social responsibility concerns within the foodservice industry and culinary profession. Menus of Change is jointly presented by the CIA and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health—Department of Nutrition.
The initiative includes an annual leadership summit, held every June at the CIA’s main campus in New York’s Hudson Valley, and a growing collection of editorial resources that offer guidance around new menu concepts and business strategies, as well as models to support business innovation and entrepreneurship in the foodservice industry.
Attendees: 400 culinary and food & beverage leaders, executives from sustainability and health sectors, researchers, and NGOs.