The Culinary Institute of America opens its 28th annual Worlds of Flavor® International Conference and Festival on November 4 at CIA at Copia in Napa, Calif., with a three-day program centered on the kitchens of Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam — and how those culinary systems translate to contemporary foodservice operations.
The conference runs November 4–6 and draws chefs, food writers, researchers, and foodservice professionals from independent and chain restaurants, college and university dining, K–12 schools, contract foodservice, and hotel, resort, casino, and cruise-line operations. The format is built around hands-on demonstration and cultural context, giving operator attendees frameworks they can apply back-of-house when updating menus or training kitchen staff.
Sessions Worth Noting
Several sessions carry direct back-of-house relevance. A live-fire demonstration led by Emily Lim '14, chef and founder of Dabao Singapore, and Alex Ong, Director of Culinary Excellence at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will use CIA at Copia's outdoor live-fire kitchen to show how Singaporean street-food techniques and flavor profiles can be adapted for institutional and commercial-scale production — a useful proof-of-concept for operators looking to diversify prep-and-storage workflows without major equipment overhauls.
Korean comfort-food sessions featuring Esther Choi, chef and owner of Mŏkbar in New York City, and Monica Lee, founder of Beverly Soon Tofu in Los Angeles, address how culturally specific dishes — many built around slow-cooked proteins, fermented condiments, and high-heat wok applications — are moving onto American menus at scale. For operators managing high-volume cooking-equipment lineups, understanding the BTU demands and holding requirements of these cuisines is increasingly practical knowledge.
Additional featured presenters include Kyle Connaughton of the three-Michelin-starred SingleThread Farm Restaurant Inn; Ian Kittichai, chef and restaurateur based in Bangkok; and Hajime Yoneda, chef-owner of Hajime in Osaka — giving attendees direct access to kitchen leadership operating at the highest level of precision cookery.
Operator Takeaways
"In recent years, restaurant guests are diving deeper into the flavors and dishes of these five countries, and seeking to understand the stories behind them," said Jennifer Breckner, director of programs and special projects at the CIA. "We've gathered a roster of renowned and rising-star chefs from coast to coast and around the globe, who will share the culture and cuisines of these countries to educate and inspire other chefs and foodservice operators."
Adjacent to the main conference, a pop-up dinner at The Grove restaurant at CIA at Copia on November 5 will feature chef Nini Nguyen, a Top Chef alumna and cookbook author, in a multi-course VIP event tied to her debut cookbook, Đặc Biệt: An Extra Special Vietnamese Cookbook. Her menu will continue at The Grove through November 8, giving operators a real-time look at how Vietnamese-influenced dishes perform in a full-service restaurant setting.
For foodservice operators and kitchen consultants tracking how East and Southeast Asian techniques are reshaping equipment selection — from high-output wok ranges to fermentation-capable refrigeration — the conference represents a practical intelligence-gathering opportunity. Registration and full program details are available at worldsofflavor.com.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
