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Sep 18 - 21, 2022
FoodOvation #29
Commercial Exchange
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Audience

The 29th FoodOvation exchange is for commercial operators and manufacturers only.

Relationships are the currency of successful businesses! Great business is built upon relationships cultivated out of meaningful, shared experiences. FoodOvation is a hand-crafted exchange designed to forge partnerships and drive innovation by providing participants opportunities for genuine interactions.

Through intimate group sizes, FoodOvation cultivates powerful interactions between decision-making peers that both provide insights that spark vibrant, collaborative, concentrated culinary discussions and ideas, as well as fosters the building of relationships in order to take action and win in the marketplace. This is not watching a speaker, but an exchange of ideas and birthplace of connection. Attendees leave FoodOvation invigorated with new ideas, new experiences, and new relationships.

Agenda
Saturday - September 17, 2022
Time Event Location
2:00 - 5:00PM Registration (Sponsors) ExploreWith Store
Sunday - September 18, 2022
Time Event Location
12:00 – 5:00PM Registration ExploreWith Store
5:50 - 6:20PM Transportation to River Run Bus Baldy Loop
6:00 – 9:00PM Welcome Reception & Dinner River Run
8:45 - 9:30PM Transportation back to Sun Valley Resort
Monday - September 19, 2022
Time Event Location
7:45 – 8:20AM Breakfast Village Homes
8:20 – 12:00PM Morning FoodOvation Sessions Village Homes
12:15 - 1:15PM Lunch Limelight Terrace
1:20 - 3:00PM Afternoon FoodOvation Sessions Village Homes
3:15 - 5:15PM Group Activities Various Locations
5:15 - 6:00PM Relax & Refresh
5:50 - 6:20PM Transportation to Knob Hill Baldy Bus Loop
6:00 – 9:00PM Reception & Dinner Knob Hill
8:45 - 9:30PM Transportation back to Sun Valley Resort
Tuesday - September 20, 2022
Time Event Location
7:45 - 8:20AM Breakfast Village Homes
8:20 – 12:00PM Morning FoodOvation Sessions Village Homes
12:15 - 1:15PM Lunch Limelight Terrace
1:20 - 5:00PM Afternoon FoodOvation Sessions Village Homes
5:00 - 6:00PM Relax & Refresh
5:50 - 6:20PM Transportation to Trail Creek Baldy Bus Loop
6:00 - 9:00PM Reception & Dinner Trail Creek Cabin
8:45 - 9:30PM Transportation back to Sun Valley Resort
Wednesday - September 21, 2022
Time Event Location
All Day Departures As Scheduled
Committed Sponsors
Committed Restaurateurs/Operators

A&W Restaurants

Silas Gray, Food Innovation & Supply Chain Manager

Founded as a Root Beer stand in 1919. Chain founder Roy Allen handed out his first handmade soda during a parade in Lodi, CA, to welcome home returning WWI vets. A century later, we have more than 625 restaurants from coast to coast we make our Root Beer fresh in stores daily, and we’re still deeply connected to the small-town communities that have supported us all these years. Today our menu has expanded to burgers, hand-breaded chicken tenders, hot dogs, as well as our signature Root Beer floats and shakes.

Boston's Pizza

Nimesh Patel, Executive Chef, Director of Supply Chain and Operations Services

Since opening our first location in Edmonton, Alberta in 1964, Boston Pizza has offered guests two experiences under one roof – a family-friendly casual dining restaurant and a separate sports bar with a lively atmosphere. No matter which side you select, Boston Pizza serves up an extensive menu with more than 100 items to choose from. While we’re famous for our gourmet pizzas made with our signature hand pressed dough, our extensive menu satisfies every appetite with our mouth-watering pasta dishes and a wide variety of, salads, entrées and desserts. The casual atmosphere, combined with big-screen high-definition TVs in the sports bar, makes Boston Pizza as fun for families as it is for teams and groups of all ages. Most of our restaurants also feature an outdoor patio for those days when guests want to sit back and soak up the sun. Boston Pizza has more locations, serving more guests annually than any other casual dining concept in the country. Each year, more than 40 million guests are served across more than 380 locations in Canada.

Boudin Bakery

Brian Winsor, Sr. Director of Operations Services

Boudin Bakery, established in 1849 and the oldest continuous operating business in San Francisco, is the creator of the Original San Francisco Sourdough French Bread. Boudin bakers use a portion of the original “Mother Dough” and Boudin’s original recipe from 1849 to create Boudin’s distinctive bread. The fast casual concept, Boudin SF, combines all the warmth, vibrancy and comfort that you’d expect from a full service restaurant with the value and convenience of a “premium-casual” spot — all featuring The Original San Francisco Sourdough bread created by the legendary Boudin Bakery.

Farm Burger

George Frangos, Owner / CEO
Drew Van Leuvan, Culinary Director

Respect complexities in life and attain simplicity. Our FB existence is measured in the people business from our farming partners, our butchers, our chefs, our restaurant teams, and ultimately our community. We define success by the strength of sustained relationships. Grow with deep roots. Inspire and listen. Stay curious. Respect nature. Love hard. Remain hopeful. Promote opportunity. We are insignificant without such beliefs. This has been our mission from day.

FAT Brands

Jacqueline Feldman, Purchasing Manager

Fresh. Authentic. Tasty. FAT Brands (NASDAQ: FAT) is a leading global franchising company that strategically acquires, markets, and develops fast-casual, quick-service, casual dining, and polished casual dining concepts around the world. The Company currently owns 17 restaurant brands: Round Table Pizza, Fatburger, Marble Slab Creamery, Johnny Rockets, Fazoli’s, Twin Peaks, Great American Cookies, Hot Dog on a Stick, Buffalo’s Cafe & Express, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Pretzelmaker, Elevation Burger, Native Grill & Wings, Yalla Mediterranean and Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses, and franchises over 2,300 units worldwide.

FreshRealm

Christina Brown, Director of Procurement

FreshRealm With a belief that we all connect through meals, our team curates a range of inspired meals so consumers can enjoy delicious Fresh Meals with little to no effort. As an end-to-end solution provider, we support the launch and longevity of prepared meal programs at retail through thoughtful integration spanning: product design, sourcing, logistics, marketing and promotion. We source quality ingredients and develop inclusive meals for every occasion, cuisine, and cooking method. Using Just-in-Time logistics, we ensure our products maintain optimal freshness, stocking within 24 hrs of assembly. Learn about our Ready to cook + Ready to heat meals.

Gobble Inc.

Thomas Ricci, Executive Chef / Co-Founding Partner
Nancy Bailey, R&D Chef

Gobble’s freshly-prepped, premium dinner kits are designed to be table ready in 15 minutes or less. Our chef-designed meals are easy to prepare, with simple recipes and fresh ingredients that have been chopped, portioned, and simmered so that dinner is both fast and flavorful. Gobble combines the convenience of takeout with the health, satisfaction, and freshness of a home-cooked meal. Each week, members can select from a new selection of 14-16 entrees, as well as our rotating menu of sides, soups, salads, breakfasts, premium kits, and desserts. New, seasonal menus are released weekly, and include dishes for every palate. Whether you’re looking for global cuisine, protein personalization, low-calorie options, comfort classics, vegetarian recipes, or kid-friendly meals, we have you covered

Goop Kitchen

Doug Henriquez, Senior Director of Culinary

goop Kitchen is a healthy takeout and delivery concept with online ordering. Think of us like a restaurant, but only available for pickup or delivery.

Grimaldi's Pizzeria

Hector Godinez, Culinary Manager

Our fresh ingredients, handmade mozzarella, ‘secret recipe’ dough and pizza sauce make us the most award-winning pizzeria in the United States. Our pizzas and calzones are baked to perfection in our signature coal burning oven, delivering a tantalizing aroma, unique flavor and crisp crust that is just not possible from gas, convection or wood burning ovens.

Hal Smith Restaurants

Brad Johnson, Chef

https://halsmith.com/

IKEA

Eric Wolfe, FSQA Production Engineer

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/ikea-food-restaurant-fb001/

Landry's

Charles Moceri , Purchasing Manager

Landry’s, Inc., is an American, privately owned, multi-brand dining, hospitality, entertainment and gaming corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Landry’s, Inc. owns and operates more than 600 restaurants, hotels, casinos and entertainment destinations in 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The company also owns and operates numerous international locations.

Logan's Roadhouse

It’s a welcome rest for the hardworking rooted in American tradition. A laidback, “come as you are” kind of place where you can crack open a cold one and enjoy steakhouse quality meat in the comfort of jeans
and a t-shirt. It’s where the atmosphere is lively, beer is served ice cold, rolls are made-from-scratch and are endless, steak is grilled over real mesquite wood… the way it was meant to be and genuine hospitality is part of the DNA. There are no strangers at a Roadhouse, only friends.

Marco's Pizza

Andy Dismore, Senior Director of Culinary Innovation

Marco’s Pizza is the nation’s fastest-growing pizza brand* with more than 1,100 stores in 33 states, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Ranked as America’s No. 5 pizza brand, Marco’s recently crossed the $1B annual systemwide sales mark. Founded in 1978, Marco’s delivers a high-quality pizza experience, known for its dough made from scratch and its three fresh signature cheeses. Marco’s Pizza is ranked No. 40 on QSR’s Top 50 and appeared five consecutive years on Nation’s Restaurant News’ “Top 500” ranking. *Based on year-over-year unit growth, according to 2021 NRN Top 500 U.S. Restaurant Ranking LSR Pizza Segment.

Norms

David Cox, VP of F&B / Executive Chef
Ingrid Martinez, VP of Marketing

Celebrating 73 years of “great food, great service, and great value,” NORMS has cemented itself as an iconic mainstay in the Southern California family dining scene. With homestyle hospitality, unbeatable value, time-honored Googie architecture, and an ardent commitment to supporting their surrounding communities through countless charitable initiatives, NORMS continues to grow in both presence and popularity as the place “Where Life Happens.” With 22 locations in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties – and more on the way – NORMS’ commitments to uplifting their communities and to serving up time-honored dishes to SoCal locals will continue for generations to come.

Old Chicago Pizza & Rock Bottom Brewing

Sarah Guest, Director of Supply Chain

Old Chicago: From tavern thin and classic thick crust pizzas to calzones and Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls, we’ve got a favorite for everyone in the family. Because nothing completes a world class pint better
than a plate of Chicago’s finest food

Rock Bottom: The first Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery opened in the heart of Downtown Denver in 1991. Fast-forward 30 years … Rock Bottom now has 17 locations across the United States with
thousands of original brews and hundreds of the industry’s most esteemed medals and awards.

Pret A Manger

Mark Thomas, VP of Food & Coffee
Freida Hirsch, Sr. Food Innovation Manager

Pret A Manger is a sandwich and coffee chain commonly referred to as Pret and based in the United Kingdom. The first shop opened in London in 1986. Pret’s sandwiches, salads and wraps are freshly made each day in shop kitchens using quality ingredients and all coffees are 100% organic. Pret currently has more than 550 shops and operates in the UK, US, Hong Kong, France, Dubai, Switzerland, Brussels, Singapore, Germany and Canada.

Shari's Management Company

Diana Isaacson, Senior Director of Marketing
Shea Miranda, Senior Director of Purchasing

Founded in 1978, Shari’s is the largest family-style brand in the Pacific Northwest. We’re famous for our fresh Northwest comfort food, welcoming service, and grand selection of award-winning pies!

Velvet Taco

Venecia Willis, Director of Culinary
Colby Wilson, Director of Purchasing

Founded in 2011, the Dallas, Texas-based restaurant brand set out to elevate the taco through globally inspired recipes and the freshest ingredients. The acclaimed restaurant provides a broad sampling of international tastes and inventive combinations, delivering flavors that are as memorable as they are delicious. In addition to dozens of local and national accolades, Velvet Taco was awarded Nation’s Restaurant News “Hot Concept” and in 2020 they were named Nation’s Restaurant News MenuMasters Award winner in the category of Best Limited Time Offer for their Weekly Taco Feature. Velvet Taco has over 30 locations in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.

How can we help you connect and create shared value?