2026 Top 10 Trends: Panel of Experts

KATHY CASEY is a celebrated chef, mixologist and pioneer of the “bar-chef” movement. Early in her career, she was named a Top 10 Chef by Food & Wine and a James Beard nominee. She has since been recognized as one of the most influential bar personalities of the past 25 years and was honored as the VIBE Beverage Industry Innovator of the Year. Kathy is the owner and CEO of Kathy Casey Food Studios – Liquid Kitchen, a full-service global agency specializing in F&B innovation, brand launches and concept development. Operating from Seattle, Vancouver and Palm Springs, her team serves a client list ranging from Norwegian Cruise Line and Accor Hotels to Monin Gourmet Flavorings. They have garnered multiple awards, including recent VIBE Vista and Cheers BevX honors. Her hospitality portfolio includes Dish D’Lish, Rel’Lish Burger Lounge and Lucky Louie Fish Shack, as well as viral pop-up concepts like Chicky and Shot Bar. A sought-after trendspotter, she is a frequent speaker at food, beverage and airport-travel focused conferences. Kathy has been featured in publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. kathy@kathycasey.com

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CLAIRE CONAGHAN is an Associate Director and Trendologist at Datassential, in charge of its syndicated content for Datassential’s Report Pro. When she applied for her role at Datassential more than a decade ago, her cover letter stated, “I am not only passionate about market research and data analysis but have a love for all things culinary. I enjoy dining out, cooking in and introducing people to new foods,” a philosophy that holds true today. Datassential’s tools are her happy place. Claire earned a B.S. in decision science and a B.A. in Hispanic studies from Carnegie Mellon University and is a hobby vegetable gardener and a mom to two budding foodies. claire.conaghan@datassential.com

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ROB CORLISS is a three-time James Beard House guest chef with more than 30 years of experience that includes running world-class hotels, launching new concepts, working in top marketing agencies and owning the culinary consultancy ATE (All Things Epicurean) since 2009. Based in Nixa, Mo., ATE applies an energizing passion focused on flavor innovation and is dedicated to connecting people to their food, environment and wellness. Rob is also a regular contributor to Flavor & The Menu. robcorliss@7ate9.biz

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TJ DELLE DONNE, CEC, MAT, is Assistant Dean at Johnson & Wales University College of Food Innovation & Technology in Providence, R.I. He holds a bachelor’s in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales and a master’s degree in education. A Certified Executive Chef through the American Culinary Federation and a Global Certified Executive Chef through the World Association of Chefs’ Society (WACS), he has been invited to cook all over the world, most notably in Lyon, France, São Miguel Island and the famed James Beard House in New York. He also served as Executive Chef of the Flavor Experience for 11 years. Dedicated to his students, TJ works closely with industry partners to ensure quality experiential education and career opportunities. thomas.delledonne@jwu.edu

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JASON HERNANDEZ is a seasoned culinary executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience guiding national restaurant brands, foodservice organizations and commodity boards through transformative menu innovation and operational excellence. In 2019, he founded Blade & Tine, a culinary consultancy built to equip restaurant groups, food brands and operators with modern, scalable and consumer-driven culinary solutions. Most recently, Jason served as the Corporate Executive Chef for Ascent Hospitality in Atlanta, overseeing all culinary and beverage innovation. In this role, he led brand reinvention efforts across legacy systems, driving new menu innovation, category development and culinary-led design enhancements. Jason’s career includes high-impact executive leadership positions such as Director of Culinary at BJ’s Restaurants Inc. He also shaped culinary direction for concepts including St. Elmo Steak House, and he later advanced to VP of Culinary & Kitchen Operations for Eureka! Today, through Blade & Tine Culinary, Jason partners with foodservice organizations including top 200 restaurant groups and leading commodity boards such as the National Mango Board, California Avocado Commission, as well as brands like Great Lakes Cheese and Arctic Apples. His consultancy also supports major commercial kitchens and university dining programs at institutions such as UMass, Virginia Tech and Johnson & Wales University. bladeandtine@gmail.com

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NANCY KRUSE is a well-known menu analyst and a recognized authority on food, menu and restaurant trends, and in high demand as both a speaker and contributor to leading industry publications. Nancy is president of The Kruse Company, dedicated to assessing trends and directions in food, menu and restaurant concepts. Prior to founding her own company, Nancy served as EVP for Technomic, Inc., where she conducted a range of consulting assignments for Fortune 500 food and restaurant companies. She has served on several boards and has been an active member of the Women’s Foodservice Forum and Les Dames d’Escoffier International. In addition, she has been named one of LinkedIn’s Top 100 Influencers in the U.S. With her “State of the Plate” monthly trends feature, Nancy is a regular contributor to Flavor & The Menu. nancykruse@aol.com

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JEFF MILLER is Founder and Co-CEO of Cutting Edge Innovation, specializing in foodservice sales strategy, business development and brand menu strategy. He has spent over 20 years in the F&B industry, driving sales by creating world-class teams and products, including as the VP & Executive Chef of Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins. Jeff led a team of 22 chefs, food scientists, bakers and coffee experts, as he directed global innovation and product development for all product categories. jeff@cuttingedgeinnovation.com

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ADAM MOORE is an award-winning chef, strategist, and food futurist dedicated to driving sustainable transformation within the food industry. He is the founder of Flashpoint Innovation, a Chicago-based F&B consultancy operating out of a three-floor, 30,000-sq-ft sustainability-focused ecosystem where innovative ideas are brought to life through real-world application. adam@flashpointinnovation.com

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LIZ MOSKOW is the founder of Bread & Circus Future Food Advisory. A food futurist, she is a food & beverage industry vet with pedigree from The Culinary Institute of America and over two decades of brand, culinary, hospitality and CPG experience. She is a globally recognized trendologist and a strategic advisor to leaders and investors in restaurant, CPG, hospitality and AI tech companies. She specializes in the intersection of food and technology and has worked with most of the top CPG companies and restaurant chains in the U.S. Liz translates for, educates and updates decision makers on the rapidly changing F&B landscape and identifies leading-edge culinary trends that will impact concept, menu and product development pipelines, as well as off- and on-premise consumer behavior. She also serves as Adjunct Professor, School of Graduate Studies at The Culinary Institute of America.  liz@breadandcircus.co

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MIRIAM ANIEL OVED leads Integrated Marketing at Tastewise, the AI platform for revenue activation in the food and beverage industry. With over seven years at the company, she drives brand strategy and content that help leading food brands dominate shelves, expand menus and stay ahead of what’s next. By transforming AI-powered consumer intelligence into clear, actionable storytelling, she helps some of the world’s biggest F&B brands bring innovation to market with speed and impact. miriama@tastewise.io

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MICHAEL PARLAPIANO is the Managing Director for The Culinary Edge, where he researches food trends and leads the space in menu innovation and restaurant concept evolution. In the last decade, Michael has had the pleasure of helping organizations of all sizes realize their potential and built lasting models for impactful food and beverage experiences. His clients have included First Watch, Starbucks, Cooper’s Hawk and Starbird. michael@theculinaryedge.com

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REBECCA PEIZER, CEC, CHE, is a seasoned chef, professor and consultant with 27-plus years of experience in the culinary industry. She is the owner of All Things Culinary LLC, focusing on recipe, product and menu development and serves as a brand ambassador, culinary conference speaker, and educator for several esteemed U.S. commodity boards, farmers and foodservice clients. She is known for her innovative ideation sessions and culinary expertise, including sustainable farm-to-table cooking, European and Mediterranean cuisines, wine education, wild foods, foraging and culinary herbalism. For over 15 years, Rebecca has held many positions at The Culinary Institute of America, including professor, digital media chef, consulting chef and culinary conference stage manager for the CIA’s Center for Food and Beverage Leadership. She helped create the nation’s first farm-to-table culinary program, has authored a Food is Medicine Culinary Intensive in collaboration with the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative and leads the Culinary Therapeutics Master’s program residency at CIA Copia. Some of her pro-bono work has included developing culinary feeding programs for mental health residential facilities. She can often be found foraging for wild foods and medicines at home in Northern California. rebeccapeizer@gmail.com

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IAN RAMIREZ has become known for his conceptual artistry in food and innovative solutions that shape the future of F&B. With over two decades of culinary expertise spanning fine dining, retail and corporate dining, Ian is the founder of Mad Honey Culinary Studio, Mad Honey Mixology and Co-Owner of Mad Honey Culinary Goods. The company acts as a collaborative hub where he and his team create innovative flavors, menus and concepts for both commercial and non-commercial sectors. Ian’s breadth of experience has led him to collaborations with the nation’s top restaurant chains, food contract management companies, marketing agencies, F&B brands and commodity boards. Mad Honey Culinary Studio embodies his dedication to advancing the culinary arts and crafting exceptional experiences and strategies. His Mad Honey Culinary Goods business brings in unique products from around the globe and continues to be in search of the next big culinary ingredients. iramirez@madhoneyculinary.com

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MICHAEL ROBINS became the youngest chef, at age 26, in America to be certified at the master chef level, an honor he still holds today. In 2008, Michael was in the first graduating class of Globally Certified Master Chefs in the United Arab Emirates. Michael graduated with honors from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. His food creations and industry dedication have earned him over 150 awards, including three gold medals at The World Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany. Throughout his career he has held executive positions with some of America’s finest hotels, clubs and restaurants, and he consulted on menus for many of the world’s largest restaurant chains and airlines, as well as the U.S. military. Most recently, he was the Senior Director of Culinary R&D at Southeastern Mills. Michael’s company, Integrated Culinary Systems, works with food companies on streamlining their innovation and go-to-market process. He has recently joined the faculty at Kennesaw State University where he lectures at the Michael A. Leven School of Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality. He is also an award-winning food designer and photographer. mrobins@integratedculinarysystems.com