Dave Woolley, formerly of Buffalo Wild Wings (left); Nate Weir of Modern Restaurant Concepts (right); Brad Bergaus of Taco Johns; and Tiffany Sawyer of First Hospitality competed in the 11th annual Texas Pete Kitchen Hero Cook-Off.
The winner of every Texas Pete Kitchen Hero Cook-Off gets the honor of donating $10,000 to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry initiative.
CREATE attendees get ready for a red Jeep tour of Palm Springs, which took participants through the canyons of the San Andreas Fault Zone.
At the CREATE poolside party sponsored by Peter Pan Seafood, Seascape, and Up ‘n go, attendees got to connect with their restaurant industry peers over cocktails and appetizers.
Monday morning kicked off with keynote session “The State of the Eater,” in which Datassential executive chairman Jack Li revealed brand-new consumer data and insights. The session was sponsored by La Brea Bakery.
Full Course founder and CEO Lauren Fernandez gave the first of three CREATED Talks, TED-style talks designed to share tangible business-building ideas. She spoke on the topic of finance.
Juan George, cofounder of 858 Partners, gave the second CREATED Talk, on the topic of technology.
The third CREATED Talk was a conversation between Taco Bell’s chief global brand & strategy officer (and soon-to-be CEO) Sean Tresvant, and NRN’s editorial director Sam Oches, on the topic of customer experience.
Four “table talk roundtables” were hosted two times each, giving operators the chance to attend multiple. Each consisted of a 20-minute panel followed by 20 minutes of small group discussion. The Operational Excellence Innovation roundtable, sponsored by Entegra, featured Dog Haus cofounder Andre Vener; Portillo’s COO Derrick Pratt; Fuzzy’s Taco Shop president Paul Damico; Entegra director of sales enablement James Perry; and Salata Salad Kitchen president Michel Maerz.
The Technology Innovation roundtable, sponsored by Paytronix, featured PINCHO cofounder and CEO Otto Othman; Smalls Sliders VP of technology Kris Douglas; The Salty Donut CMO Danny Pizarro; and Birdcall chief experience officer Peter John Newlin.
The Growth & Finance roundtable featured Hopdoddy Burger Bar CEO Jeff Chandler; Red Robin Gourmet Burgers EVP & CFO Todd Wilson; Gala Capital Partners founder & managing partner Ananda Gala; and Savory Fund managing director and cofounder Andrew Smith.
The Customer Experience Innovation roundtable, sponsored by Superorder, featured Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux former CEO Scott Taylor; CAVA SVP of digital experience Mark Berinato; Chicken N Pickle VP of operations Joe Palermo; and SPB Hospitality CEO Josh Kern.
Attendees had the chance to network with speakers in between sessions.
CREATE hosted several Pop Up Festivals throughout the event, giving attendees an opportunity to enjoy breakfast, lunch and snacks from a variety of sponsors outdoors.
The Founders Forum, moderated by Oches, featured conversation with restaurant trailblazers Nathaniel Ru of Sweetgreen, Lauren Bailey of Upward Projects, and Jason McGowan of Crumbl Cookies.
The first 250 attendees to arrive at the opening celebration CREATECHELLA, sponsored by Johnsonville Foodservice, got free T-shirts.
CREATECHELLA gave attendees another chance to mix and mingle with their industry peers, this time with live music.
The music for CREATECHELLA was done by headline band Daring Greatly.
Weir was declared the winner of the Texas Pete Kitchen Hero Cook-Off and got to present a $10,000 check to Share Our Strength. He also got to serve his winning dish, which featured quinoa, bell peppers, onion, and pork, at Tuesday night’s party.
The CREATORs winners — Wetzel’s Pretzels COO Vincent Montanelli; Wow Bao president and CEO Geoff Alexander; Tupelo Honey senior director of talent & training Alesha Sisk; Sweetfin president and cofounder Seth Cohen; and Donatos VP of company operations Brian Thompson — shared their thoughts on restaurant innovation with NRN executive editor Alicia Kelso in a panel sponsored by Keurig DrPepper.
Kelso and Smalls Sliders CEO Maria Rivera did an Ask the Experts session on finding the right growth strategy for your brand, sponsored by Axial Shift.
Dig CEO Tracy Kim and NRN senior editor Ron Ruggless did an Ask the Experts session on leading with an operations mentality.
Another Pop Up Festival featured food from sponsors including Campbell’s Foodservice.
NRN senior editor Joanna Fantozzi and Slutty Vegan president Jason Crain did an Ask the Experts session on securing partners and financing that can turbocharge your brand’s growth.
The Hot Concepts winners — Rare Society executive chef and owner Brand Wise; Milk & Honey director of operations Zandrique Harrold; Pizanna president and cofounder Charles Nelson; Cornbread founder and owner Adenah Bayoh; and Colada Shop founder and CEO Daniella Senior — discussed their restaurants in a conversation with Results Thru Strategy chaos strategist Fred LeFranc, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company.
The education sessions wrapped up with a keynote conversation between Oches and actor, author, and restaurateur Danny Trejo: From Fame to Foodservice.
CREATE wrapped up with a kickoff party for last year: Nashville Style, sponsored by Stonefire, ACE, and Up ‘n go. Join us at next year’s event, Oct. 9-11, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
Attendees had the opportunity to meet Trejo and have copies of his book signed.
