Unique event spotlights best practices in better food and culinary innovation showcasing leading global experts, entrepreneurs, and influential national chefs.
Miami, Feb. 16, 2018- Miami Dade College (MDC) President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón will receive the Better Food Educator award during the second annual Better Food Movement Conference, where top industry professionals and business leaders from the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Israel will convene to explore new trends in making healthier food more readily available. The conference will occur Wednesday, Feb. 21, at MDC’s downtown Wolfson Campus, in partnership with its acclaimed Miami Culinary Institute (MCI) and digital-first media company, NATCOM GLOBAL.
The conference will be a premier event launching the beginning of Food Week 2018 in Miami, attracting top chefs, global food industry executives, new media influencers, and political leaders. This year’s keynote speaker is Einav Gefen – Corporate Executive Chef at Unilever Food Solutions North America, who oversees 250 chefs worldwide with influence over the food choices of millions of consumers everyday, and who will discuss Innovation: The Future of Food.
Joining us to share their experience with feeding top athletes for Real Food for Fast People are Chef Allen Campbell, former chef to NFL’s Tom Brady, and Shannon Allen, founder with her husband and former NBA All-star Ray Allen of Grown, first USDA organic fast-food restaurant.
South Florida’s leading media talents will also lend their expertise to panels and discussions. WSVN’s Belkys Nerey of Bites with Belkys television show will serve as a judge to crown one of 10 nominees with the Better Food Inventor Award, with Diandra Lamas of Yelp Miami as host. Debora Lima, ventures reporter at the South Florida Business Journal, will serve as moderator for The Real Stories of Food Entrepreneurs. Ariel Zirulnick, director of The New Tropic, will moderate the discussion about The Future of Food in Florida.
The Better Food Movement was launched by NATCOM GLOBAL in 2016 with the aim of creating a platform for collaboration, ideas exchange, and building partnerships for “The Better Food Economy” throughout North and South America.
The movement has connected young entrepreneurs with big food company leaders and investors, and has built a network of global media publishers to share better food trends, and the stories of food entrepreneurs and health-forward companies. The Official Partners, EFE – the world’s largest Spanish-language newswire, and Endeavor Miami help us to support food innovators globally.
The Better Food Innovator Awards and the Made in Miami Showcase aim to shine a spotlight on the talented food entrepreneurs in South Florida, and highlight how Miami’s cultural diversity creates exceptional innovation in food and cultural inclusivity.
Conference participants will join the discussion on culinary topics affecting the global community that will inspire the next generation of future food entrepreneurs. Topics include: The Future of Food, Real Food for Fast People, Food Innovation in Florida, Food Start-Ups Best Practices, and much more.
This year’s conference will again include a track for culinary students in high school and college. Invited Miami-Dade county high school culinary students will have the chance to compete in the Better Food Innovation Competition hosted at the Miami Culinary Institute.
For more information, please contact Cristina Mateo, Senior Director of Campus Administration, 305-237-3771, mmateo@mdc.edu.