SPEAKERS & INFLUENCERS

INDUSTRY EXPERTS & INNOVATORS

Don't miss this year's line-up of hospitality innovators, global leaders and foodservice futurists who will be sharing their insights and industry trends to help you operate with excellence.

FEATURE SESSIONS

waffle-on-white-ceramic-plate-511763
Look who is coming to dinner: Learn how to reach today’s changing demographics
Discover the emerging dominant demographic groups, how these consumers are spending their money and how to market to reach them.
RCShow2019Day1-386
Diversify to thrive: Exploring new profit avenues
Explore the profit boosting possibilities of ghost kitchens, retail and events
coffee-shop-1209863_1920
Addressing the labour crisis: How to attract and retain talent
Solutions to tackle one of the greatest challenges the foodservice and hospitality industry faces
RCShow2019Day3-254
Views from the top: Restaurant CEO panel
Canada’s top restaurant brands’ CEOs share why their brands have staying power and what they do to stay at the top

RC Show Ambassadors & Curators

Evelyn-Chic

Evelyn Chick

Bar Manager, Pretty Ugly Bar & RC Show Bar & Beverage Curator

Evelyn Chick

Bar Manager, Pretty Ugly Bar & RC Show Bar & Beverage Curator

Bar & Beverage Stage & Bar & Beverage Workshop Stage
N/A

Evelyn’s career in hospitality started in Vancouver. Throughout the years she has accumulated pedigrees such as : BarSmarts certification, WSET, Certified Specialist of Spirits, while finding success in multiple national & international cocktail competitions, including a win at the Global Beefeater MIXLDN championships in 2015; representing Canada against 31 other countries. She was given the opportunity to travel the world promoting Canadian cocktail culture. She was previously the Bar Manager of PrettyUgly Bar in Toronto. Drawing from her experiences in leadership, she is an advocate for building a solid, inclusive and integrated bar community within the Canadian market. In the last few years, she took over as the Canadian coordinator of Speed Rack, an all female charity speed bartending competition. Alongside Christina Veira, they hope to build a platform in which female bartenders can showcase their skills in a male dominated industry, while simultaneously raising funds for breast cancer research and education. She is currently the Regional Beverage Director for the Donnelly Group in Toronto, home of 4 stunning concepts ranging from boutique cocktail bar to high volume pub and beer halls. She is excited to again be involved with the Bar & Beverage Pavillon at RC Show 2020, building dynamic, forward thinking, educational programming for the restaurant industry.

View Bio & Schedule
Jeff-Osborne

Jeff Osborne

Sommelier & Founder of JPO endeavour

Jeff Osborne

Sommelier & Founder of JPO endeavour

Bar & Beverage Stage, Sommelier Service Competition
Sunday, March 1, 11:00AM-1:00PM

Jeff is the founder of JPO endeavour, a premium beverage services & promotion agency and is also a Sommelier at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel & Spa

View Bio & Schedule
Christina-Veira

Christina Veira

Proprietor at Side Duties Events & Consulting & RC Show Bar & Beverage Curator

Christina Veira

Proprietor at Side Duties Events & Consulting & RC Show Bar & Beverage Curator

Bar & Beverage Stage & Bar & Beverage Workshop Stage
N/A

Christina Veira is thrilled to be returning to Restaurants Canada Show for their 75th anniversary. In 2019, she was honored to be chosen as one of Imbibe Magazine’s Imbibe 75 as well as WSET/IWSC (Wine and Spirit Education Trust/International Wine and Spirit Competition) Global Future 50. When not managing busy bars and events, she is a bar consultant for Toronto Cocktail Week, a national co-ordinator for Speed Rack Canada and a spirits educator for WSET. She has occupied every front-of-house position (and a couple in the kitchen) while pursuing certifications in wine and beer and even winning a cocktail competition here or there. Her passions are event execution, industry education and using the hospitality industry as a catalyst for community engagement and fundraising.

View Bio & Schedule
Jennifer-Heuther

Jennifer Heuther

Master Sommelier, Gargoyle Wine

Jennifer Heuther

Master Sommelier, Gargoyle Wine

Bar & Beverage Stage, Sommelier Service Competition
Sunday, March 2, 2:00PM-3:15PM

Jennifer Huether has enjoyed a long career in wine -starting some 23 years ago in the business in Toronto. She has worked as Head Sommelier at MLSE as well as for wine companies Cliff Lede and Jackson Family based out of California. She is one of 30 female Master Sommeliers in the world and is heavily involved in competitions, mentoring, educating up and coming wine professionals as well as those working at the top of their game.

View Bio & Schedule
La-toya-Fagon

La-toya Fagon

Chef & Owner, Twist Catering

La-toya Fagon

Chef & Owner, Twist Catering

Culinary Consultant
N/A

Chef La-toya fell in love with cooking at the young age of 17. She graduated from George Brown’s Chef School and continued to train at a number of top restaurants and hotels throughout Toronto, Europe and Mexico.

Born in Canada of Jamaican descent, she grew up cooking and eating “island foods,” but didn’t truly appreciate that cuisine until recently. After gaining years of experience, La-toya’s creativity started to flourish and she crafted her own take on ‘Island Paradise’, fusing her cooking style of traditional Caribbean ingredients together with Mediterranean flavours. This created some new flavours, with some familiarity of home-style, soulful goodness. Within months of experimentation, determination and hard work, La-toya tapped into her entrepreneurial spirit and Twist Catering came to fruition.

“I love everything about food – the smells, the flavours, the tastes, the texture and colours and mainly combining the raw essence of ingredients and putting it together, creating an explosion of tastes on one’s palate. As my motto states its Culinary Simplicity with a Twist.”

La-toya is destined for stardom. She has been labeled as Toronto’s Rising Star and was formally named Executive Chef to LIVEstyle Entertainment Supper Clubs doing film festivals all over the world. She appeared monthly on Rogers Daytime Toronto and was the food expert on the Marilyn Denis show. She uses her passion for food matched with her vibrant and contagious personality to engage audiences to relate to her. The Toronto Star, Cuisine Noir and The Canadian Press are only 3 of the numerous stories written about La-toya and her exotic, innovative cuisine.

View Bio & Schedule
TC_TonyHead_1400x1400

Tony Chapman

Marketing Strategist & Leadership Conferences Host

Tony Chapman

Marketing Strategist & Leadership Conferences Host

RC Leadership Conference, Monday
Monday, March 2, 8:30AM-12:30PM

Breakfast With Champions
Tuesday, March 3, 7:00AM-10:00AM

Tony Chapman is one of the youngest individuals to be inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends, a testament to a career where he founded and built two internationally renowned branding communications agencies and a research firm. Four television documentaries, including one from Australia, have profiled Tony's thinking on consumer and customer engagement.

Five years ago, Tony sold his remaining media assets to speak his mind at conferences and in the media. He has delivered inspirational keynotes to audiences in China, Spain, Poland, Scotland, England, Brazil, and across North America.

Tony is a frequent contributor to the conversation on television, radio, and national newspapers. He is also the host of the podcast Chatter that Matters and the host of The Dales Report, a video magazine targeting do-it-yourself investors.

View Bio & Schedule
Philman-George

Philman George

Corporate Chef, High Liner Foods Inc

Philman George

Corporate Chef, High Liner Foods Inc

Philman is no stranger to seafood! With both of his parents hailing from the small Caribbean island of Barbuda, he naturally learned to appreciate seafood at a young age. He has worked in a wide variety of establishments from the traditional English style pub to award winning restaurants, private clubs & hotels In Canada, Australia and the Caribbean. His goal is to place craveable seafood on your menu and help you generate more profit through the “Heart of the House” aka the kitchen!

View Bio & Schedule
Cristina-Carpio

Cristina Carpio

Brand Strategist and Editor in Chief MarQuee Magazine

Cristina Carpio

Brand Strategist and Editor in Chief MarQuee Magazine

Former television reporter and columnist for Food and Beverage Magazine, Cristina Carpio is a brand strategist and food and beverage expert, who is regularly invited to showcase her first-hand knowledge of the industry on television. She is also a broadcast/journalism and hospitality graduate and currently the Editor in Chief of the luxury lifestyle publication, MarQuee Magazine. The magazine is available nationwide in Canada and the United States, as well as delivered to homes in the GTA, private jets, lounges, and spas across North America. MarQuee Magazine is also distributed at major events, such as the Canadian Open, the National Women's Show, and many others.

Cristina has organized many high profile events and collaborates with some of the top luxury brands in both Canada and internationally. She contributes food, beverage, and lifestyle features to top publications and blogs to an international audience, as well as appears regularly on television as a food and lifestyle expert on many of Canada's leading television networks. She is also the host of a travel TV show which launched on CNBC World titled Going Global, where she travels to exciting destinations and discovers unique and authentic cultural experiences. The second season of Going Global launched on Amazon Prime Video in the US and the UK. The show has an established following of seasoned travelers worldwide and has featured some of the top luxury brands in the world.

Cristina also hosts numerous major food events in Toronto. She was one of the 3 main hosts for the Restaurants Canada show and other premier events in Toronto, such as The Toronto Catering Showcase, SIAL Canada, and many more. She is also a judge for Canada's Best100 Restaurants. Cristina hosts a number of other events in Toronto from fashion shows, food and hospitality tradeshows, and galas. She also hosted a charity event in Toronto with guest of honor, Miss Universe Catriona Gray, to help raise money to help underprivileged children in their shared homeland of the Philippines. Cristina is a philanthropist and has been recognized for her work with the community and entrepreneurship. Cristina was also the Canadian Ambassador for EatWith, formerly Vizeat, a global dining immersion platform and one of Apple's top food and travel apps. Currently, Cristina is the head of Marketing, Media, and Public Relations for the Quantum Group of Luxury Brands and a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz.

View Bio & Schedule
Charlotte-Langley

Charlotte Langley

Owner, Scout Canning & MSC Ambassador

Charlotte Langley

Owner, Scout Canning & MSC Ambassador

Culinary Consultant & Host, Jon Bil Oyster Shucking Competition
Local Stage, Tuesday, March 3, 3:15PM-4:00PM

Charlotte Langley hails from PEI where she cultivated a her ‘Maritime Chic’ style of cooking and a deep love for the oceans. She aims to nurture and inspire through food with consciously selected ingredients that celebrate season, terroir and the delicate ecosystems that sustain us. Constantly challenging herself and what it means to be a chef, Charlotte founded Scout Canning, Canada’s first fresh canned seafood company, and through her role as ambassador for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) she champions the importance of choosing seafood that is both sustainable and traceable.

View Bio & Schedule

Speakers

Jay-Wright

Jay Wright

President & CEO, Arterra Wines Canada

Jay Wright

President & CEO, Arterra Wines Canada

Bar & Beverage Stage, Bar CEO Panel
Monday, March 2, 12:45PM-1:30PM

Jay Wright is the president & CEO of Arterra Wines Canada. He oversees the domestic and international sales, marketing and operations of Canada’s leading wine company.

Jay joined the company in 2001 as president of Vincor International Inc. and became its CEO in 2006. From 2009 and onwards, he held various executive roles at Constellation Brands Inc. such as COO and EVP & president of Global Wine & Spirits where he was instrumental in leading the business on a premiumization growth strategy and the acquisitions of luxury brands Ruffino, Mark West, Casa Noble Tequila and Meiomi. In 2016, Jay became the president and CEO of Constellation Brands Canada, a privately held company owned by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which has now rebranded to Arterra Wines Canada.

Before joining Vincor, Jay was vice president and general manager at Borden Foods USA. Before that, he was director of innovation at Molson Breweries and spent 10 years at Nabisco, building brands such as Oreo and Del Monte. Jay, a native of Montreal, began his career in marketing at Procter & Gamble in Toronto.

Jay earned a bachelor of commerce degree with honours from Queen’s University. He serves on the Board of Directors for Arterra Wines Canada. He also sits on the boards of the Canadian Vintners Association, The California Wine Institute, The Toronto Jazz Festival and the Queen’s School of Business Advisory Board.

View Bio & Schedule
Vince-Sgabellone

Vince Sgabellone

Foodservice Industry Analyst, The NPD Group

Vince Sgabellone

Foodservice Industry Analyst, The NPD Group

Speaker Stage, Rollin’ into the future: Foodservice & cannabis
Monday, March 2 - 2:00PM - 2:55PM

RC Leadership Conference, Hotel X
Monday, March 2, 8:30AM-12:30PM

Vince has been a foodie since long before it was a fake word and developed his passion for food and cooking in his Italian mama’s kitchen. As a Foodservice Industry Analyst at The NPD Group, he provides his unique perspective on food and the foodservice industry, and helps his clients improve their performance. When he’s not busy analyzing the business, you can find him preparing meals for family or friends, or out in the neighbourhood trying out the latest new restaurant and analyzing the menus.

View Bio & Schedule
Julian-Burzynski

Julian Burzynski

President, Canada, Breakthru Beverage Group

Julian Burzynski

President, Canada, Breakthru Beverage Group

Bar & Beverage Stage, Bar CEO Panel
Monday, March 2, 12:45PM-1:30PM

Julian is a strategic and results-oriented executive with 30 years of innovative, energetic leadership within the distribution and supplier tiers of the North American beverage alcohol industry. He is an insightful executive expert in leveraging relationships and opportunities for company growth. He is a motivational leader known for clearly defining mission and goals, aligning talent and resources, and consistently delivering results that exceed expectations.

In his primary role leading BBG’s Canadian beverage alcohol brokerage, he serves as the executive lead for key suppliers including Diageo, Jackson Family Wines, Piper-Heidsieck, and Charles Heidsieck Champagne. As part of his responsibilities, he systematically studies and courts new wine, spirits, and beer suppliers to support BBG’s Canadian growth goals. Among his many accomplishments are a strategic investment and partnership with PMA across the country with William Grant & Sons and Brown-Forman as key anchor growth suppliers.

Across almost three decades in the beverage alcohol industry, Julian has served in roles with increasing responsibility at Breakthru Beverage, Wirtz Beverage Group, Judge & Dolph, Diageo, and J. Lewis Cooper and Company. He is skillful at leading cross-functional teams to successful results including M&A activity, and he passionately develops future leaders and enhances team culture.

View Bio & Schedule
Michael-Conway

Michael Conway

Executive Vice President & President, Starbucks Canada

Michael Conway

Executive Vice President & President, Starbucks Canada

Speaker Stage, Restaurant CEO Panel
Monday, March 1 - 1:00PM - 1:55PM

Michael Conway is executive vice president and president, Starbucks Canada. He oversees 1,400 company-operated stores and 23,000 partners. Michael is known as a leader who is committed to living Starbucks Mission and Values. He is personally championing the company’s social impact agenda as a leader in hiring Opportunity Youth and refugees, and is driving an ambitious agenda to operate Starbucks stores in Canada in greener ways. Previously, he served as executive vice president and president for Starbucks Licensed Stores business for the United States & Latin America.

View Bio & Schedule
Jay-Ashton-

Jay Ashton

Business Resources Lead, Sysco Corporate Canada

Jay Ashton

Business Resources Lead, Sysco Corporate Canada

Speaker Stage, Leaders in distribution: How distributors are helping you meet changing customer demand
Sunday, March 1, 2:00PM-2:45PM

Jay started his career in the foodservice industry 30 years ago in Swift Current, Saskatchewan at the age of 14. He’s attended College in Medicine Hat and Red Deer Alberta and then finished off his post-secondary degree at the University of Lethbridge. While completing his Arts Degree, Jay continued to work in the industry he was drawn into.

After completing University, he worked his way up to successfully managing numerous chain and independent restaurants. Jays career took an amazing shift towards Sysco, where over the past 15 years he’s consulted, thousands and thousands of restaurants across Canada, ensuring they continue to succeed in today’s changing business environment.

Today, Jay enjoys leading Canada’s largest food service consulting team for Sysco. Where his leadership, passion and innovation are inspiring and leading edge."It’s all about driving a vision to inspire our teams to provide the best solutions and services to our customers every day. This is the absolute best industry to be a part of!

View Bio & Schedule
Dr.Morgaine_Gaye

Dr. Morgaine Gaye

Food Futurologist & Director, Bellwether: Food Trends

Dr. Morgaine Gaye

Food Futurologist & Director, Bellwether: Food Trends

Breakfast With Champions, Hotel X
Tuesday, March 3, 7:00AM-10:00AM

Dr Morgaine Gaye is a Food Futurologist and director of bellwether: Food Trends, the first food trend research compendium. She has her own health-food product range of functional food blends called Dr Gaye, which are sold globally on-line.

Morgaine looks at food and eating from a social, cultural, economic, trend, branding and geo-political perspective. Her work involves running ideation sessions, consulting to food companies, developing new products and ideas; writing articles/ trend reports for PR and ad agencies; giving public , university and corporate lectures on specific food trends, developing new ideas for food-related TV and radio programmes and doing research on all elements of the eating experience from mouth-feel to olfactory perception. She consults to leading blue chip food companies and manufacturers, delivering bespoke trend briefings and NPD ideation.

Morgaine is a frequent media contributor in print, radio and TV. A number of her academic research papers have been published. She is a guest university lecturer in UK and Sweden and is on the reviewing panel for the International Food Design Conference, an academic journal. As part of the EU Commission, Morgaine was the chair at the Brussels Parliament for 2015. As part of TED X 2016, Morgaine’s talk was ‘It Doesn’t Make Scents’. She is currently writing a book ‘A Taste of Things to Come’ about food trends and why they matter and developing a future TV series with the Food Network, US.

View Bio & Schedule
Dan-Lafrance

Dan Lafrance

President, Flanagan Foodservice

Dan Lafrance

President, Flanagan Foodservice

Speaker Stage, Leaders in distribution: How distributors are helping you meet changing customer demand
Sunday, March 1, 2:00PM-2:45PM

Dan joined Flanagan Foodservice in early 2019 as the first non-family President of the largest privately-owned broadline foodservice distributor in Canada. Dan brings 30 years of experience in the Canadian food industry gained in various roles over a long career with the Kraft Heinz Company, most recently as Vice President of Sales and Foodservice. As one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, Flanagan’s has a reputation for exceptional customer service and an impressive track record of growth.

View Bio & Schedule
Court-Desautels

Court Desautels

President, The Neighbourhood Group

Court Desautels

President, The Neighbourhood Group

Speaker Stage, Addressing the labour crisis: How to attract and retain talent
Sunday, March 1 - 12:00PM - 12:45PM

Court Desautels is the President of the Neighbourhood Group of Companies, a Certified B Corporation that operates a group of restaurants in Guelph & Kitchener called The Wooly Pub, Borealis Grille & Bar, Miijidaa Cafe + Bistro and the newly opened Park Grocery Deli & Bar. He is an innovative leader who has a vision of combining great hospitality with environmental and social initiatives.

View Bio & Schedule
Bruce-McAdams

Bruce McAdams

Associate Professor, School of Hospitality, Food, and Tourism Management, University of Guelph

Bruce McAdams

Associate Professor, School of Hospitality, Food, and Tourism Management, University of Guelph

Speaker Stage, Addressing the labour crisis: How to attract and retain talent
Sunday, March 1 - 12:00PM - 12:45PM

Planet & profits: Sustainable solutions for your business
Sunday, March 1, 3:00PM-3:45PM

Professor Bruce McAdams graduated from the University of Guelph’s School of Hotel and Food Administration in 1989 and immediately joined Red Lobster Restaurants where he worked for seven years in operations and training. In 1996 McAdams joined the fledging Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants as General Manager of Jump Café and Bar. During his 13 year tenure at O&B he was involved in the expansion of the group as well as the development of their service and ‘employer of choice’ propositions. McAdams was made a partner in Oliver & Bonacini Synergy in 2001 and five years later was named Vice President of the company.

After completing his Master of Arts degree in Leadership from the University of Guelph in 2009 McAdams left O&B to join the faculty of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. In 2011 McAdams started the University of Guelph Sustainable Restaurant Project (UGSRP). UGSRP holds yearly symposiums on issues regarding sustainability in Canadian restaurants and acts as a research avenue for both faculty and students.

McAdams has co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles on the effects of tipping on restaurants, food waste, and embedding triple bottom line approaches to education in hospitality schools. He has presented his research at conferences in Europe, the United States, and Canada. McAdams has recently completed a study on alternative work schedule design for restaurant managers and is collaborating on a government funded research project entitled “Understanding the Hospitality Industry: Demographic Intersectionality’s and the Wage Gap.”

In 2015 McAdams received an OHI Gold Award as educator of the year and most recently in 2017 was the recipient of an award from the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Management Education project. He considers himself an advocate for a stronger restaurant industry and is regularly asked to give his thoughts and opinions on restaurant issues to major media outlets including the Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, The National, and NPR.

View Bio & Schedule
Jo-Ann-McArthur

Jo-Ann McArthur

President & Chief Strategist, Nourish Food Marketing

Jo-Ann McArthur

President & Chief Strategist, Nourish Food Marketing

Main Stage, Demographic Panel
Sunday, March 1 - 12:00PM - 12:45PM

Jo-Ann has spent a career building brands with consumers and retailers at Procter and Gamble, Unilever and Cadillac Fairview.
As a divisional President of Molson Coors, and a member of its North America Management Board, Jo-Ann led the charge to sell more beer more profitably.

As a Founding Partner and President of Nourish Food Marketing, Jo-Ann now builds powerful brands for food and beverage products in Canada, the US and Europe, creating marketing strategies that help move products off the shelves, into the consumer’s shopping basket, onto their plates and into their hearts.

She has worked with entrepreneurs launch award winning products and with Municipal, Provincial and Federal agencies to create programs that support Canada's food industry.
Jo-Ann is founding chair of the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada, a Past President of The Empire Club of Canada where she hosted leaders from around the globe, and serves as Board Chair of ABC Life Literacy Canada.

View Bio & Schedule
George-Croft

George Croft

President and Chief Executive Officer, Waterloo Brewing Ltd.

George Croft

President and Chief Executive Officer, Waterloo Brewing Ltd.

Bar & Beverage Stage, Bar CEO Panel
Monday, March 2, 12:45PM-1:30PM

George is a beer industry expert with over 30 years of experience in the Canadian beer industry. Becoming President and CEO of Waterloo Brewing Limited in May 2008, George has restructured the business and taken the company from a financial loss to sustainable profitability. Waterloo Brewing is the fifth largest brewer in Canada and the fourth largest brewery in Ontario.

George joined Waterloo Brewing from Lakeport Brewing Income Fund, where he was President and Chief Operating Officer. He began his career with Labatt Breweries of Canada, where he held various senior management assignments, including President of Oland Specialty Beer Company and President Labatt Breweries of Ontario.

George is a graduate of the University of Alberta, a Chartered Director and a Management Accountant.

George has served on the Executive Committee of Labatt USA Board, the faculty of McMaster Not for Profit Board Governance and the Board of Director of The Beer Store.

He is a Board Director of Waterloo Brewing, past Chairman of Beer Canada and Board Director of Beer Canada.

George was also an Ontario Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist as well as Canada’s Passion Capitalists finalist.

Waterloo Brewing was proudly named Business of the Year in 2019 by the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

View Bio & Schedule
Chris Elliott (2)

Chris Elliott

Senior Economist, Restaurants Canada

Chris Elliott

Senior Economist, Restaurants Canada

RC Leadership Conference, Hotel X
Monday, March 2, 8:30AM-12:30PM

As the Senior Economist for Restaurants Canada, Chris Elliott manages and produces a comprehensive research program that has made Restaurants Canada a leading source of information for and about Canada’s $93-billion foodservice industry. Chris produces a number of member reports that analyze key industry trends and economic forecasts. He also provides research to support Restaurants Canada’s lobbying efforts on issues that affect foodservice operators – from payroll taxes to food costs.

Chris has worked with Restaurants Canada for 20 years, has a Bachelor of Arts and Master Degree in Economics and specializes in economic modeling and forecasting.

Since its founding in 1944, Restaurants Canada has grown to represent 30,000 businesses in every segment of the foodservice industry, including restaurants, bars, clubs, cafeterias, and contract and social caterers. Through advocacy, research, member savings and industry events, we help our members in every Canadian community grow and prosper.

View Bio & Schedule
sleeman

John Sleeman

President & CEO, Sleeman Breweries

John Sleeman

President & CEO, Sleeman Breweries

Bar & Beverage Stage, Bar CEO Panel
Monday, March 2, 4:15PM-5:00PM

At 23 he launched his first business, a British-style pub and after three years sold that establishment and founded The Imported Beer Company, which successfully grew into a national company. He estarted family brewing business in Guelph in 1985. As President and CEO of Sleeman Breweries he successfully expanded the business across Canada. He currently remains as Founder and Chairman of the Board following its acquisition by Sapporo Breweries. Co-Founder and President of Spring Mill Distillery re-launched in Guelph from 1836 Sleeman family heritage.

Member of YPO, past Director and Chair of Beer Canada, past Director of Brewers Retail, as well as the British Canadian Chamber of Trade and Commerce. From 2001 to 2007 he was the Chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Charter for Business. Past Development Committee Chair for the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation. Recipient of several awards, including the Order of Canada. John lives in the Toronto area.

View Bio & Schedule
Ori-Grad

Ori Grad

Broker & Managing Director, CHI Real Estate Group

Ori Grad

Broker & Managing Director, CHI Real Estate Group

Learning Lounge, Costs & Clauses: Things to know before negotiating & signing a commercial lease
Sunday, March 1, 1:00PM-1:45PM

Ori Grad is the Managing Director and Broker of CHI Real Estate Group, a boutique real estate team that is specialized in the hottest aspect of the commercial real estate game - restaurants. Grad has been selling real estate for 15 years, and in that time, he's become the go-to guy for chefs eager to open restaurants and restaurateurs looking to expand.

View Bio & Schedule
Dean-Sockett

Dean Sockett

Vice President People and Culture, Keg Restaurants Ltd

Dean Sockett

Vice President People and Culture, Keg Restaurants Ltd

Speaker Stage, Addressing the labour crisis: How to attract and retain talent
Sunday, March 1 - 12:00PM - 12:45PM

Dean Sockett is the Vice President of People and Culture for Keg Restaurants Ltd. Keg Restaurants is a chain of 109 steakhouse and bars located throughout North America employing over 10,000 people. Heading up The Keg’s Human Resources department for the last 22 years providing the leadership development and implementation of HR strategies for one of Canada’s most iconic brands. For 18 consecutive years Keg Restaurants has been recognized as one of the “ Best Employers in Canada”

View Bio & Schedule
Anna-Chartres

Anna Chartres

Regional Director, Talent and Culture, Central Canada, Accor Hotels

Anna Chartres

Regional Director, Talent and Culture, Central Canada, Accor Hotels

Speaker Stage, Addressing the labour crisis: How to attract and retain talent
Sunday, March 1 - 12:00PM - 12:45PM

Anna Chartres, Regional Director Talent and Culture, is responsible for all human resource operations for Accor Hotels in Central Canada, overseeing more than 2,200 employees – including 1,250 at her home base, Toronto’s iconic Royal York Hotel. With over 30 years as a human resources practitioner, her career has spanned the globe. Anna began her career in her native homeland, New Zealand, and then moved to Canada, where she worked for a number of brands but settled at Fairmont 21 years ago

View Bio & Schedule
Terence-Donnelley

Terence Donnelley

Chairman & CEO, Hill Street Beverage Co.

Terence Donnelley

Chairman & CEO, Hill Street Beverage Co.

Speaker Stage, Rollin’ into the future: Foodservice & cannabis
Monday, March 2 - 2:00PM - 2:55PM

Terry is the Chairman & CEO of Hill Street Beverage Co., focused on the production of world class, award winning cannabis-infused and alcohol-free wine, beer, & cocktails. Their products have won awards around the world, including three Golds, two Silvers, and two Bronze medals at the US Open Beer Championships, a Double Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Challenge, and the Retail Council of Canada’s Grand Prix Award. Their products are available nationwide at leading retailers

View Bio & Schedule
Adrian-Niman

Adrian Niman

Founder & Executive Chef, The Food Dudes

Adrian Niman

Founder & Executive Chef, The Food Dudes

Breakfast With Champions, Hotel X
Tuesday, March 3, 7:00AM-10:00AM

Speaker Stage, Diversify to thrive: Exploring new profit avenues
March 3, 12:00PM-12:45PM

Adrian Founded The Food Dudes upon the completion of his training at the Michelin-starred Reads Hotel in Mallorca, Spain in 2007. Adrian is passionate about sharing his acquired knowledge and skills. He launched The Food Dudes based on the principles of using the highest quality ingredients, maintain superior service, and tending to all client needs.

View Bio & Schedule
John-Letteri

John Lettieri

Founder & President, Hero Certified Burgers

John Lettieri

Founder & President, Hero Certified Burgers

Speaker Stage, Diversify to thrive: Exploring new profit avenues
Tuesday, March 3, 12:00PM-12:45PM

John Lettieri is a driven entrepreneur. He founded the franchises Lettieri Espresso Bar and Café, Hero Certified Burgers and most recently, Hero Certified Virtual Kitchen (VK). He travels the world to pioneer food innovation and carve new paths. He was the first in Canada to source a pure Angus Beef Burger that is hormone-free, antibiotic-free, halal-certified. John continues to challenge the status quo with the more recent Hero VK; a new channel segment. The future of foodservice

View Bio & Schedule
Neil-Thompson

Neil Thompson

Vice President, HMSHost

Neil Thompson

Speaker Stage, Feeding the Masses

Speaker Stage, Feeding the Masses
Monday, March 2, 11:00AM-11:45AM

Neil has spent his career in customer-facing, hands-on operations roles. Neil began his career with great brands like Pizza Hut and Tim Hortons. Neil currently runs HMSHost Canadian airport operations.

View Bio & Schedule
Joe-Jackman

Joe Jackman

Founder & CEO, Jackman Reinvents

Joe Jackman

Founder & CEO, Jackman Reinvents

Breakfast With Champions
Tuesday, March 3, 7:00AM-10:00AM

Joe Jackman is the CEO of Jackman Reinvents, the world’s first and foremost reinvention company. An advisor to consumer brands, retailers, B2B companies, and private equity partners for more than thirty years, Jackman has proven invaluable to leaders intent on sharpening strategy and orchestrating insight-led reinventions of their businesses. Throughout his career as strategist, creative director, marketer, and Reinventionist, he has helped companies create the most powerful and relevant versions of their brands and businesses in record time; he is widely considered to be the leading expert on rapid reinvention. In January 2020, Joe will release his first book, The Reinventionist Mindset: Learning to Love Change and the Human How of Doing It Brilliantly. In it, Jackman traces his journey to becoming a reinventionist, and shows readers how to create purposeful change. Jackman lives in Toronto, Canada; works across North America; and lectures around the globe.

View Bio & Schedule
Frank-Hennessey

Frank Hennessey

CEO, Recipe Unlimited Corporation

Frank Hennessey

CEO, Recipe Unlimited Corporation

Speaker Stage, Restaurant CEO Panel
Monday, March 1 - 1:00PM - 1:45PM

RC Leadership Conference, Hotel X
Monday, March 2, 8:30AM-12:30PM

Frank Hennessey is Chief Executive Officer of Recipe Unlimited Corporation. Building on a 135+ year legacy, Frank is responsible for leading and growing the full suite of restaurant, delivery and catering businesses that make up Recipe, including iconic brands like Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, St-Hubert and The Keg. Frank has excelled in the industry for more than 30 years, working in restaurant, food manufacturing and grocery retail including previous executive leadership roles with Recipe as Vice President of Purchasing and President of Harvey’s restaurants.

Prior to re-joining Recipe in 2018, Frank was President and CEO of Imvescor Restaurant Group for four years and had great success turning that company around, growing sales and increasing shareholder value. From 2011 to 2014, Frank held the position of President and CEO of Bento Sushi.

Frank holds an undergraduate degree from Western University and a Master of Business Administration from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

View Bio & Schedule
Kyle-Norrington

Kyle Norrington

President, Labatt Breweries of Canada

Kyle Norrington

President, Labatt Breweries of Canada

Bar & Beverage Stage, Beer CEO Panel
Monday March 2 - 4:15 pm - 5:00 pm

Kyle Norrington is President of Labatt Breweries of Canada, the Canadian division of the world’s leading brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev. With an intimate knowledge of Canada and its marketplace, Kyle has broad experience with Labatt and AB InBev and has continuously delivered successful results, innovative strategies and disruptive ideas.

Kyle returned to Canada in November, 2018 to assume the presidency following two years based in New York as Vice President of Global Brands for AB-InBev, where he was responsible for overseeing global brands such as Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois.

Kyle began his career with Labatt in 2000 as a Sales Representative, responsible for the Toronto core region. After a period in Trade Marketing, he was subsequently appointed Associate Brand Manager for Kokanee. Between 2007 and 2013 he held a number of senior positions with Budweiser, Kokanee and the company’s high-end products.

In March 2014, he was promoted to Vice President, Marketing Canada where he led Labatt’s marketing team as well as a network of more than ten 10 creative agencies. During this period, he led his team during a number of major award-winning campaigns, including CASSIES for the Budweiser Flash Fans campaign in 2012 and Red Light campaign in 2014, and a Gold Lion award at Cannes for Kokanee’s “The Movie Out There” in 2013. The CASSIES are Canada's premier advertising awards, focused on the effect advertising has on driving advertisers' business and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity awards are the most established and coveted in the global creative and marketing communications industry.

Kyle graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing. His professional affiliations include serving as a member of the board of directors of the Association of Canadian Advertisers. In 2019, Kyle was also appointed Chair of the Board of Directors for Beer Canada, the beer industry’s national trade association which represents brewers from across the country.

View Bio & Schedule
Patrick-Noone

Patrick Noone

Executive Vice President, Technomic Inc.

Patrick Noone

Executive Vice President, Technomic Inc.

RC Leadership Conference, Hotel X
Monday, March 2, 8:30AM-12:30PM

As Executive Vice President of Business Development for Technomic, Patrick Noone is responsible for the development and marketing of online resources, reports and custom studies providing Technomic clients—which include manufacturers, distributors, operators and financial institutions—with key industry data that is actionable to their strategic and tactical business planning process.

Patrick has more than 15 years of experience working in the research/consulting industry. Prior to joining Technomic, he worked in a variety of sales and marketing roles for the CPG research firm Euromonitor International.

Patrick has been a featured presenter at the Winsight Restaurant Leadership Conference, Global Restaurant Leadership Conference and many other North American industry events. He provides media and press with key industry insights during interviews and speaks regularly at client engagements. A graduate of Michigan State University, Patrick holds a bachelor of science degree in food industry management.

View Bio & Schedule
Azadeh-Attar

Azadeh Attar

Head of Partnerships,  Restaurants, CPG and Auto, Pinterest

Azadeh Attar

Head of Partnerships, Restaurants, CPG and Auto, Pinterest

Speaker Stage, How to build your business with social media giants
Sunday, March 1, 4:00PM-4:45PM

Azadeh is the Head of Brand industry partnerships at Pinterest Canada. She joined Pinterest after being an avid Pinner for many years and after 8 years at Google where she held a variety of Sales and Marketing leadership roles. Before Google, Azadeh cut her teeth in marketing at General Mills and Kraft. When she's not thinking about digital marketing, she's mom to two little ones and is currently pinning about basement remodeling and family vacations.

View Bio & Schedule
Ennio-Perrone

Ennio Perrone

 VP of Business Strategy and Marketing, Eataly North America

Ennio Perrone

VP of Business Strategy and Marketing, Eataly North America

RC Leadership Conference, Hotel X
Monday, March 2, 8:30AM-12:30PM

Ennio Perrone has been working for more than 15 years in building and developing global iconic brands and organizations, working in Marketing, Product Development, Store Experience and Design, Organizational and Team Development, Business Strategies and Development in different industries, from luxury and fashion to lifestyle brands, food and beverage, in retail and wholesale, from emerging and start-up to consolidated realities in multi-cultural contexts, living in several different countries within Europe, Latin America and lately in the US.

Today as the VP of Business Strategy and Marketing for Eataly North America, he oversees all the brand, marketing and creative strategies, experiential and business activities in this new growth chapter of Eataly as a global player, keeping it true to its vision of an experiential local community rooted brand, bringing together under one roof high-quality authentic Italian food and local producers, celebrating biodiversity and sustainability for all, creating an informal, natural and simple place to Eat, Shop and Learn.

View Bio & Schedule
Bruce Linton DP

Bruce Linton

Entrepreneur

Bruce Linton

Entrepreneur

RC Leadership Conference, Hotel X
Monday, March 2, 8:30AM-12:30PM

Speaker Stage, Rollin’ into the future: Foodservice & cannabis
Monday, March 2- 2:00PM - 2:55PM

Bruce has a passion for entrepreneurship and making a positive difference in the world. He brings a wealth of experience in building strong technology driven companies, developing world class teams and positioning his companies to deliver exceptional customer value and service.

Bruce joins Vireo Health Int’l, Inc. as Executive Chairman and will serve and be actively involved on the company’s board of directors. Vireo a leading physician-led, science-focused, multi-state cannabis company. Bruce is Executive Chairman with GAGE Cannabis Co., GAGE is innovating and curating the highest quality cannabis experiences possible for patients in the state of Michigan and bringing internationally renowned brands to market. Special Advisor with Better Choice Company, an animal health and wellness cannabinoid company that acquired TruPet LLC, an online seller of ultra-premium, all-natural pet food, treats and supplements, with a special focus on freeze dried and dehydrated raw products. And Director with MindMed – MindMed is assembling a drug development pipeline of psychedelic inspired medicines planning or undertaking FDA trials.

Bruce is also an Activist Investor with SLANG Worldwide Inc, which is a leading global cannabis consumer packaged goods company with a robust portfolio of renowned brands distributed across 2,600 stores in 12 U.S. states. And with OG DNA Genetics Inc. (“DNA”) – DNA has built and curated a seasoned genetic library and developed proven standard operating procedures for genetic selection, breeding, and cultivation.

He is the Founder and Former Chairman and CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation (CGC/WEED), Co-Chairman and past CEO of Martello Technologies. He is Co‐founder of Ruckify & Better Software.

View Bio & Schedule
Lyn-Little

Lyn Little

National Franchise Leader, Partner, Audit & Assurance, BDO Canada LLP

Lyn Little

National Franchise Leader, Partner, Audit & Assurance, BDO Canada LLP

Presentation Theatre, Tips on restaurant profitability: How your data can help increase margins
Monday, March 2, 2:00PM-3:00PM

Lyn provides accounting and business advisory services to restaurants, and connects them with the right individuals or services that they need to grow and develop as an organization.

View Bio & Schedule
Matt-Sturges

Matt Sturges

National Outsourcing Services Leader, Partner, BDO Canada LLP.

Matt Sturges

National Outsourcing Services Leader, Partner, BDO Canada LLP.

Presentation Theatre, Tips on restaurant profitability: How your data can help increase margins
Monday, March 2, 2:00PM-3:00PM

Matt works collaboratively with business owners to understand their unique challenges and deliver fully-managed bookkeeping and payroll solutions that fit the needs of the business.

View Bio & Schedule
Eric-Matusiak

Eric Matusiak

National Retail Leader, Partner, BDO Canada LLP

Eric Matusiak

National Retail Leader, Partner, BDO Canada LLP

Presentation Theatre, Tips on restaurant profitability: How your data can help increase margins
Monday, March 2, 2:00PM-3:00PM

Eric provides technology strategies that enrich consumers' experiences and improve business results by helping organizations manage the process and organizational components of their business to ensure that technologies align to business strategy.

View Bio & Schedule
Joseph-Shawana

Joseph Shawana

Acting-Chair, Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations, Indigenous Culinary Advisor, Centennial College & Indigenous Menu Development Chef, Aramark Canada

Joseph Shawana

Acting-Chair, Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations, Indigenous Culinary Advisor, Centennial College & Indigenous Menu Development Chef, Aramark Canada

Speaker Stage, The world is our oyster: How to grow your business through culinary tourism
Sunday, March 1, 11:00AM-11:45AM

Chef Joseph Shawana was raised on the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reserve located on Manitoulin Island on Lake Huron. At a young age he experienced the power that food has to bring people together, and began his culinary journey with the strict philosophy of utilizing the entirety an ingredient to bring its full range of flavours to the palette.

During his childhood, Chef Shawana, alongside his close friends, spent countless days playing outdoors until the sun went down. Together they would make a game of foraging in the fields and forests of Manitoulin Island, searching for the treats of nature, including mushrooms, wild herbs, cedar tree sap, and also indulging in a purple root they called "candy" - known commonly as Canadian wild liquorice, as Chef Shawana would later learn. For Chef Shawana, these foraging games provided insight into the myriad of gifts Mother Earth provides on a daily basis, and informed his whole-ingredient philosophy.

Ku-kum Indigenous Kitchen has won best world cuisine in Ontario 2019, New York times glowing review, food and wine reviews plus many more awards and accolades. Chef Joseph Shawana was awarded one of the top ten chefs in Ontario 2019.

View Bio & Schedule
Kent-Thompson

Kent Thompson

Director of Finance and Food Tourism, Food Island Partnership

Kent Thompson

Director of Finance and Food Tourism, Food Island Partnership

Speaker Stage, The world is our oyster: How to grow your business through culinary tourism
Sunday, March 1, 11:00AM-11:45AM

Kent Thompson is the Director of Finance and Food Tourism at Food Island Partnership where he works to grow the PEI food industry, including integrating food and tourism. Kent has worked with entrepreneurs or been an entrepreneur for most of his life, including growing up on a dairy farm; operating the Blue Mussel Cafe on PEI’s north shore; working as Product Development Officer with the PEI Department of Agriculture; and, leading the launch of Lucky Fox Snack Co., a gourmet snack company based in PEI.

He currently oversees the Fall Flavours festival (www.fallflavours.ca), a month-long, province-wide celebration of PEI food. The festival has events that showcase the harvest from land and sea, the people that harvest and produce the food, and features celebrity chefs from the Food Network and some of the top restaurants across Canada.

Food Island Partnership works with multiple industry and government partners, and this is causing Prince Edward Island to be recognized as “Canada’s Food Island.” Food Island Partnership acts as a catalyst for developing food activities on and off PEI that have included the Fall Flavours Festival, Food Xcel (a food start-up competition), developing niche brands including Certified Island Beef, and works with people that are developing new food products including collaborating with the provinces food development organizations – Canada’s Smartest Kitchen and BioFoodTech.

View Bio & Schedule
Philly-Markowitz

Philly Markowitz

Economic Development Officer, Local Food, Grey County Tourism and Economic Development

Philly Markowitz

Economic Development Officer, Local Food, Grey County Tourism and Economic Development

Speaker Stage, The world is our oyster: How to grow your business through culinary tourism
Sunday, March 1, 11:00AM-11:45AM

A resident of Grey County since 1991, Philly joined the County Tourism department in 2011 following a 20-year career in broadcasting. She became the Economic Development Officer for Local Food when the position was created in 2013. Since then she has led and partnered on award-winning projects that support businesses and initiatives across the entire agri-food value chain, with a strong focus on agri-tourism and culinary tourism. Most recently, she helped create the Made in Grey agri-food brand and the “gather” tourism campaign. She brings to the job her life-long passions for local food, innovation, and rural revitalization.

View Bio & Schedule
Donna-Hood-Crecca

Donna Hood Crecca

Principal, Technomic Inc.

Donna Hood Crecca

Principal, Technomic Inc.

RC Leadership Conference, Hotel X
Monday, March 2, 8:30AM-12:30PM

Donna Hood Crecca is Principal at Technomic Inc., where she leads the firm’s Convenience Store Practice as well as its Adult Beverage Practice, and is founder of its Cannabis Practice. As Principal, Donna develops research-based insights and recommendations for leading and emerging supplier and operator companies to enhance their go-to-market and product development programs and strategies. She is a veteran of the foodservice and drinks industries, having covered and consulted for the restaurant, foodservice, convenience store, beverage and beverage alcohol markets for nearly two decades.

View Bio & Schedule
Patrick-O'Driscoll

Patrick O’Driscoll

President & CEO, Corby

Patrick O’Driscoll

President & CEO, Corby

Bar & Beverage Stage, Bar CEO Panel
Monday, March 2, 12:45PM-1:30PM

Mr. Patrick O’Driscoll is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Corby and has been a director of Corby since July 2009. Mr. O’Driscoll was the Chief Executive Officer of Malibu-Kahlúa International, a dba of Pernod Ricard U.S.A. LLC, from 2007 to 2009, after serving as Commercial Director of Chivas Brothers Ltd. from 2002 to 2007. He joined Pernod Ricard as Marketing Manager of Campbell Distillers in 1992. Prior to joining Pernod Ricard, Mr. O’Driscoll held various positions with International Distillers & Vintners since 1985.

View Bio & Schedule
Duncan-Fulton

Duncan Fulton

Chief Corporate Officer, Restaurant Brands International Inc.

Duncan Fulton

Chief Corporate Officer, Restaurant Brands International Inc.

Views from the top: Restaurant CEO panel
Monday, March 2, 1:00PM-1:45PM

Duncan Fulton was appointed Chief Corporate Officer of Restaurant Brands International Inc., in June 2018. Mr. Fulton was previously the President of FGL Sports, Senior Vice-President, Communications and Corporate Affairs for Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC), Chief Marketing Officer for FGL Sports and Mark’s and General Manager and Senior Partner of international communications company Fleishman-Hillard in Toronto.

Prior to his agency experience, Mr. Fulton served as a communication advisor and spokesman for several political leaders, including former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna.

View Bio & Schedule
Asad-Amin

Asad Amin

Vice President, Ipsos

Asad Amin

Vice President, Ipsos

Speaker Stage, Food is medicine: Capitalizing on the health food movements
Monday, March 2, 8:00AM-12:30PM

RC Leadership Conference, Hotel X
Tuesday, March 3, 11:00AM-11:45AM

Asad Amin is a Vice President with Ipsos and the resident Canadian consumption expert. He leads the syndicated Foodservice Monitor and the FIVE tracking studies.

Asad is a market research consultant with close to 20 years of supplier side research experience. His skillset ranges from set up, launch and management of large syndicated studies, brand health trackers and advertising copy tests.

Asad completed his education in the UK, earning his Master of Science degree in Operational Research from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also has his Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Essex.

View Bio & Schedule
Fred-Landtmeters

Fred Landtmeters

President & CEO, Molson Coors Canada

Fred Landtmeters

President & CEO, Molson Coors Canada

Bar & Beverage Stage, Beer CEO Panel
Monday March 2 - 4:15 pm - 5:00 pm

Fred has an international consumer packaged goods career spanning 20+ years and is a proven commercial leader with a passion for building great (beer) brands. He started his career at Procter & Gamble and held various marketing roles at Cadbury Schweppes and AB InBev before he was appointed Chief Marketing Officer at StarBev in 2010. That was also the year when he first moved out of Belgium, his home country, to the Czech Republic. In 2012, Molson Coors acquired StarBev and after 2 years in the role of Chief Commercial Officer, Europe, Fred took on his first country leadership role as Managing Director of Molson Coors UK & Ireland. More recently, in 2016, he became Chief Executive Officer of Molson Canada, which he proudly refers to as North America’s oldest brewery. Fred is married to Veronique, and they have two teenage sons. He is a keen follower of sport – now also including hockey! – and he and his family love spending their free time discovering new places in Canada.

View Bio & Schedule
Oren-Borovitch

Oren Borovitch

Co-Founder & COO, Kitchen Hub

Oren Borovitch

Co-Founder & COO, Kitchen Hub

Presentation Theatre, Choosing the Right Ghost Kitchen Model
Tuesday, March 3 @ 2:00PM-2:45PM

Oren Borovitch is Co-founder and COO of Kitchen Hub, Canada's first food-hall for virtual restaurants which provides turn-key kitchen space optimized for delivery and takeout. Prior to founding Kitchen Hub, Oren was one of the first employees at Door Dash Canada where he managed restaurant strategy and operations. Oren grew up in foodservice working for and managing his family's Pumpernickel's restaurant. Oren is passionate about helping restaurant operators succeed in the digital economy.

View Bio & Schedule
Glen-Bullock

Glen Bullock

Enterprise Account Executive, Uber

Glen Bullock

Enterprise Account Executive, Uber

Learning Lounge, Delivering Data for Success
Tuesday, March 3, 2:00PM-2:45PM

Glen attended Western University, where he studied Business & Philosophy. He has held a number of roles during his time at Uber, including helping to launch Uber Eats in East Africa, and building out the first B2B product for Uber Eats. He currently works with the top Enterprise partners in Canada, helping to grow the business across the country.

View Bio & Schedule
James-Power

James Power

Manager, Raspberry Point Oysters

James Power

Manager, Raspberry Point Oysters

Local Stage, John Bil Oyster Shucking Competition
Tuesday, March 3, 3:15PM-4:00PM

Manager of Raspberry Point Oysters for 30 years.

View Bio & Schedule
Margie-Cook

Margie Cook, RHN, VLCE

Plant-based Chef, Culinary Consultant & Owner, Plants On

Margie Cook, RHN, VLCE

Plant-based Chef, Culinary Consultant & Owner, Plants On

Presentation Theatre, How to Open Your Business to Plant-Powered Possibilities
Sunday, March 1, 2:00PM-3:00PM

Margie’s mission is to create delicious and innovative ways to swap animal-based ingredients for plant-based ones wherever and whenever possible. No compromise, drama, dogma and most definitely no judgement. She specializes in menu and ingredient development that leave even the most committed carnivore wondering why they ever thought they couldn’t open up to new and enticing plant-powered alternatives.

View Bio & Schedule
Alex-Barrotti

Alex Barrotti

CEO & Founder, TouchBistro

Alex Barrotti

CEO & Founder, TouchBistro

Speaker Stage, The Next Era of Restaurant Tech Is Making Eateries More Efficient And Profitable
Tuesday, March 3, 2:00PM-2:45PM

Alex Barrotti, TouchBistro CEO & Founder, is a successful serial entrepreneur who has emerged as a visionary in the advanced technologies that help retail and hospitality businesses expand. Alex launched TouchBistro iPad POS solution (www.touchbistro.com) in 2011. As of today, TouchBistro has powered over 23,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries to increase sales, improve the customer experience, and make better business decisions.
 
Before TouchBistro, Alex was at the forefront of e-commerce development when he founded INEX in 1997. While others doubted online shopping would one day become the norm, Alex persisted in developing a novel turnkey solution that enabled storeowners to create online storefronts with pre-designed templates. At 29 years old, Alex sold INEX for $45 million.

 

View Bio & Schedule
Patrick-McMurray

Patrick McMurray

Restaurateur, Culinary Instructor & Oyster Shucker,  P.A.McMurray Hospitality & ShuckerPaddy

Patrick McMurray

Restaurateur, Culinary Instructor & Oyster Shucker, P.A.McMurray Hospitality & ShuckerPaddy

Local Stage, John Bil Oyster Shucking Competition
Tuesday, March 3, 3:15PM-4:00PM

Toronto-born restaurateur Patrick is World Champion and Guinness Book Oyster Shucker, and has built his own Restaurants, Starfish and The Ceili Cottage. Patrick has written the Book on Oysters, The Oyster Companion, created The @ShuckerPaddy Brand of Oyster Knives with Swissmar, P.A.McMurray Hospitality and Teaches Culinary, Hospitality & Sustainability with Centennial College, when he is not travelling the World hosting Shucking Contests, Events and Oceany Lectures.

View Bio & Schedule
Sarah-Gillin

Sarah Gillin

Co-Founder & COO, Olli Brands Inc.

Sarah Gillin

Co-Founder & COO, Olli Brands Inc.

Speaker Stage, Rollin’ into the Future: Foodservice & Cannabis
Monday, March 2, 2:00PM-2:55PM

Sarah Gillin brings over fifteen years of business management experience, with a focus on luxury goods marketing, to the Olli team as the Chief Operating Officer. Prior to founding Olli, she gained considerable international experience working with notable luxury brands. Sarah holds an Executive MBA from the Rotman School of Management and is passionate about the community she lives in and devotes her personal time to her growing family as well as a variety of charitable initiatives.

View Bio & Schedule
Andy-Deonarine

Andy Deonarine

President & CEO, Canadian Cannabis Retailers’ Union (CCRU)

Andy Deonarine

President & CEO, Canadian Cannabis Retailers’ Union (CCRU)

Speaker Stage, Rollin’ into the future: Foodservice & cannabis
Monday, March 2, 2:00PM-2:55PM

Mr. Deonarine has spent the last 20 years working with leading brands in in tobacco, liquor and beer in North America. He spent more than 7 years at British American Tobacco working on brand communication through ever-changing legislation around packaging and advertising. His experience has allowed him to become a trusted voice for regulatory-driven industries wishing to implement best-in-class communication practices. He has now transitioned those skills to the cannabis industry.

View Bio & Schedule
Tricia-Ryan

Tricia Ryan

President, The Marketing Chefs

Tricia Ryan

President, The Marketing Chefs

Speaker Stage, Rollin’ into the Future: Foodservice & Cannabis
Monday, March 2, 2:00PM-2:55PM

As a brand champion and trend expert, Tricia Ryan has 20+ years of progressive experience in marketing and communications with a focus on the FCPG food and beverage industry and more recently cannabis. With a unique blend of creativity and innovation she has an ability to uncover opportunity and promote products within restrictive legislative guidelines while connecting with niche target audiences.

View Bio & Schedule
Mike-Langley

Mike Langley

Owner, Tide and Vine Oyster House

Mike Langley

Owner, Tide and Vine Oyster House

Local Stage, John Bil Oyster Shucking Competition
Tuesday, March 3, 3:15PM-4:00PM

Owner of Niagara based Tide & Vine Oyster House, Catering and Seafood Supply. 15 years of competitive shucking experience, 2013 Canadian Champion, on the Canadian team holding a Guinness world record. Host for World Oyster Shucking Championships in June, 2020.

View Bio & Schedule
Brianna-Humphrey

Brianna Humphrey

Owner, Radical Gardens

Brianna Humphrey

Owner, Radical Gardens

Local Stage, How to get on the map through food tourism: Learnings from Northern Ontario
Monday, March 2, 11:00AM-11:45AM

Brianna grew up in Northern ontario working her way through many greenhouses and landscape companies. After art school she returned to the North and started a farm which then grew into a restaurant, catering company, and food truck.

View Bio & Schedule
Sandi-Hester

Sandi Hester

Sr .Director Natural Organic and Market Insights, Tree of Life Canada

Sandi Hester

Sr .Director Natural Organic and Market Insights, Tree of Life Canada

Speaker Stage, Food is Medicine: Capitalizing on the health food movements
Tuesday, March 3, 11:00AM-11:45AM

I have been a label reader my entire life and have always been passionate about eating healthy nutritious foods. I started at Tree of Life in 2014 where I work with brands that share the same passion. Tree of Life is a route to market for brands. We provide our clients with importing, distribution, sales and marketing services in Canada. I am also a member of Plant Based Foods of Canada.

View Bio & Schedule
Cara-Rosenbloom

Cara Rosenbloom

Dietitian, Journalist & Owner, Words to Eat by

Cara Rosenbloom

Dietitian, Journalist & Owner, Words to Eat by

Speaker Stage, Food is Medicine: Capitalizing on the health food movements
Tuesday, March 3, 11:00AM-11:45AM

Cara Rosenbloom is a dietitian and journalist. She operates Words to Eat By, a nutrition communications company based in Toronto. Her articles on food and nutrition trends have appeared in over 400 publications worldwide, and she writes a monthly wellness column for the Washington Post. She is the author of the books Nourish: Whole Food Recipes featuring Seeds, Nuts and Beans (Whitecap, 2017); and Food to Grow on (Appetite by Random House, 2020).

View Bio & Schedule
David-Sorger

David Sorger

President, Smooth Commerce

David Sorger

President, Smooth Commerce

Presentation Theatre, Choosing the Right Ghost Kitchen Model
Sunday, March 3, 2:00PM-2:45PM

With a focus on business development, sales and marketing, David is a strategic problem solver who has held several C-level and executive positions in organizations across a number of industries including food service, consumer packaged goods and technology.

Currently, David is President of Smooth Commerce, a company that builds white-label mobile and web apps that power payment, loyalty, ordering, ticketing and direct marketing.

View Bio & Schedule
Ray-Reddy

Ray Reddy

Co-Founder & CEO, Ritual

Ray Reddy

Co-Founder & CEO, Ritual

Speaker Stage, The Next Era of Restaurant Tech Is Making Eateries More Efficient And Profitable
Tuesday, March 3, 2:00PM-2:45PM

Ray Reddy is the co-founder & CEO of mobile order-ahead app Ritual that taps networks of co-workers and colleagues for fast and easy pick up and pay at a wide variety of local restaurants and coffee shops.

Prior to Ritual, Ray co-founded mobile commerce company PushLife that was acquired by Google in 2011. It was while at Google that Ray saw the potential to better leverage a social application to unlock mobile commerce and thus, Ritual was born.

View Bio & Schedule
Robert-Phelps

Robert Phelps

President, SilverChef

Robert Phelps

President, SilverChef

Speaker Stage, The Next Era of Restaurant Tech Is Making Eateries More Efficient and Profitable
Tuesday, March 3, 2:00PM-2:45PM

Robert Phelps has been the leader of SilverChef's Canadian business since 2017. He has 25 years of experience in the financial sector, having previously worked with RemServ, St George Banking Group and the National Australia Bank. He is passionate and committed to building a strong and mutually rewarding relationship with partners and clients.

View Bio & Schedule
Lori-Nikkel

Lori Nikkel

CEO, Second Harvest

Lori Nikkel

CEO, Second Harvest

Speaker Stage, The Next Era of Restaurant Tech Is Making Eateries More Efficient And Profitable
Tuesday, March 3, 2:00PM-2:45PM

As CEO of Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization, Lori ensures that more than 15 million lbs of healthy surplus food is diverted annually to non-profits by direct delivery and the FoodRescue.ca platform. Under her leadership, Second Harvest released The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste, world-first research about food loss and waste. She is a Clean 50 Award winner and a champion of social and environmental justice issues related to food, sought internationally for her expertise.

View Bio & Schedule
chef-avatar

Ron Lee

Owner & Pitmaster, Lil’ Ronnie’s BBQ, The General Store Provisions and Libations

Ron Lee

Owner & Pitmaster, Lil’ Ronnie’s BBQ, The General Store Provisions and Libations

Speaker Stage, The Next Era of Restaurant Tech Is Making Eateries More Efficient And Profitable
Tuesday, March 3, 2:00PM-2:45PM

As owner and pitmaster behind Lil Ronnie’s BBQ, Ron Lee has put BBQ on the map in Tofino, BC. With culinary roots and restaurant acumen developed in Toronto, Ronnie travelled cross country with a dream to open up his first restaurant. Lil Ronnie’s BBQ has since grown to three locations, and Ronnie has now opened up The General Store Provisions & Libations. With values consisting of sustainability and community involvement Ronnie is a force for good in the Canadian hospitality industry.

View Bio & Schedule
Dyonne-Fashina

Dyonne Fashina

Principal Interior Designer, Denizens of Design Inc.

Dyonne Fashina

Principal Interior Designer, Denizens of Design Inc.

Speaker Stage, Lure them in: How restaurant design can drive profitability
Tuesday, March 3, 1:00PM-1:45PM

Dyonne is Principal at Denizens, an Interior Design Studio specializing in hospitality environments. She is a Registered Interior Designer with international recognition and over a decade of experience in a diverse range of project typologies. Recently she has focused on research in design strategy, currently developing case studies to codify and replicate the application of design with business intelligence for hospitality spaces. She designs with compassion for the human experience, thriving on finding meaningful connections to inspire everyone involved throughout the process.

View Bio & Schedule
Andrew-Whibley

Andrew Whibley

Owner, Cloakroom Bar & Stilllife

Andrew Whibley

Owner, Cloakroom Bar & Stilllife

Bar & Beverage Stage, Canada's Best Bars
Sunday, March 1, 1:00PM-1:45PM

With over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry doing everything from bussing to managing, Andrew Whibley is the owner and creator of the Cloakroom Bar and Stillife in Montreal.

View Bio & Schedule

CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES TO OUR FULL SPEAKER LINE-UP