Mise 2024 Agenda    

(Note:  As we finalize, some session times might be adjusted, but the content and start/finish of the conference should not)

Sunday, August 25

2:00-5:00        Registration

5:00-6:30        Welcome reception


Monday, August 26

7:00-8:00am - Breakfast

8:25-8:55 am
Redefining Re-entry with EDWINS (Brandon Chrostowski)
We are very excited to have the always-inspiring Brandon Chrostowski return to this year’s Mise. Brandon is the founder of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute in Cleveland Ohio, a re-entry program for men and women leaving the prison system, giving them a path forward and a future in the restaurant world.  Now in its 16th year, EDWINS has evolved into a flagship restaurant, bakery and butcher shop, a 20,000-square foot campus that offers free housing, childcare, and other amenities.  Today EDWINS Leadership and restaurant Institute graduates are some of the most sought-after employees in the Cleveland restaurant market and beyond.

9:00-9:50 am
Staying Ahead of What Guests Want (Maeve Webster)
Mise favorite Maeve Webster returns with her focused consumer insights for the hospitality sector, guided by the annual Mise proprietary consumer survey. With both business and leisure travel back in full swing, hotel F&B has new expectations to meet and a new guest mindset to manage. Get a roadmap to success from one of the best in the biz.  

10:25-11:20 am
A Visit with the Trend Doctor (Mike Kostyo)
Food Trend Guru and VP of Menu Matters Mike Kostyo is highly sought after for his insights into the future of food and beverage. We’ve asked Mike to show us what trends are hitting the menu now, and what to look for in the next few years. What’s his prescription for what’s worth focusing on, and what not to worry about? He’ll examine food, beverage, and pastry trends, with lots of examples to whet your appetite.

11:25 am-12:05 pm
Fermentation Bubbles Up (Jeremy Umansky)
Fermented ingredients and fermentation techniques are having a moment, and there’s no one better to show us the culture than Jeremy Umansky of Cleveland Ohio’s Larder. This acclaimed speaker, author of Koji Alchemy, and mad scientist of all things fermented will show us what’s happening on the leading edge of the movement, and what’s finding traction with today’s guests. This main-stage session will lead into Jeremy’s breakout workshop.

12:40 pm -2:10 pm – Lunch & Learn with Sponsors

2:15 pm-3:55 pm BREAKOUT SESSIONS: Choose 2 of 3 to attend (each runs two times)

The BOH Content Studio
Today’s social media marketing is all about content – from carousels of still images to those quick, eye-catching, scroll-stopping videos. F&B teams are in a great position to help their marketing colleagues tap into the stream of winning content that happens all around them. We’ve asked Nashville-based hospitality marketing strategist and Kimpton/IHG vet Whitney Reynolds to take us to “film school" in this hands-on breakout. Be sure to bring your phone!

Korean Cuisine Deep-Dive with Jae Lee
It’s hard to argue there’s a hotter cuisine right now than Korean. And we’re lucky to have the talented Jae Lee of NYC’s Nowon as our guide. Nowon is known for its playful, seriously delicious New York-meets-Korea style, and Chef Lee will share his first-hand take on blending Korean flavor into food that works on American menus. In this breakout session, you’ll get to taste key Korean ingredients that are the building blocks of authentic flavor and learn how to apply them in hotel-ready concepts.

Fermentation in Practice
In this workshop, Fermentation Chef and "Koji Alchemy” Author Jeremy Umansky will help you learn how to take the principles from his main-stage presentation and apply them to menu concepts. You’ll taste some of Chef’s funkiest creations and get tips for developing your own fermentation practice. Use the power of ferments to fight food waste and build flavor! 

4:30-5:30 pm
The Pre-Shift: Promoting a Culture of Well-Being (Brandon Smith)
Brandon Smith, the Workplace Therapist, returns to the Mise stage to share his insights for hotel F&B pros.  Building resilient, high-performing teams that can keep their fires lit without burning out starts at the top, and requires a bottom-up approach, too. Brandon’s practical, positive guidance will get you fired up, and start a healthy conversation with the audience. 

6:30-8:30 pm – Signature Sponsor Dinner Reception

Tuesday, August 27th

7:45-8:30 am – Light morning snack/Coffee

8:15-8:55 am
The Global View: Lodging leaders on the state of Hotel F&B, what they see in the future, and career advice for chefs
Our annual breakfast chat in which we tap the brains of leaders in lodging from across the industry.

9:00-9:45 am
A Meeting Planner’s Guide to Wellness on the Menu – A Panel Discussion
From a select panel of meeting and event planners, we'll hear what today’s meeting and event clients want most from venues, and how chefs can help hotel F&B operations rise to the top. We’ll focus on M&E menus with a wellness emphasis, looking to uncover the approaches that are winning over their clients, and earning repeat bookings.  

10:00-11:00 – Brunch

11:05-12:45 pm – Brand Immersion Rooms – Rotate through 3 immersive experiences with select sponsors

12:50-1:25 pm
AI for Chefs: Your New Favorite Kitchen Tool (Ian Ramirez)
Industry Veteran Chef Ian Ramirez of Mad Honey Culinary Studio has been exploring the dynamic world of Artificial Intelligence and applying it to the time-sucking tasks that are the bane of every back-of-house operative. We’ll do a quick overview of how AI tools are currently being used and look forward to what the future of AI might look like in the culinary industry to help quickly ideate and innovate new flavors. Get a practical guide to the easiest, smartest and most helpful tools that can save you time and countless headaches. 

1:25-2:15 pm
PLATE Magazine Panel: Upcycling Wasted Spaces (Liz Grossman)
Straight from the pages of Plate Magazine’s “Wasted” issue, editor Liz Grossman leads us on a tour of successful re-imaginings of unloved, underutilized spaces in F&B. We’ll see examples and hear directly from the restaurants and hotels that turned waste into want – creating inviting spaces that guests can’t wait to be a part of.  

2:15-2:45 pm – Closing and Goodbyes, introducing the Mise Chef & Mixologist Competition

2:45-4:45 pm – Chef & Mixologist Competition and results; Closing reception