From demos and forums to deep-dive workshops and timed debates, the Show continues to provide first-class educational experiences that enlighten and inspire attendees. Here are highlights from Monday’s most prominent sessions:

• Chef Edward Lee created two tasty, meat-free dishes during his demo on Monday morning. Both featuring plant-based bulgogi, Chef Lee’s French onion soup and empanada recipes wowed the crowd at The Culinary Experience.
• Angela Barnes and Renauda Riddle, owners of local cocktail bar Nobody’s Darling, shared the secrets to their business’s run-away success during their mixology demo in The Beverage Room. In place of a “profit at all costs” approach, Barnes and Riddle emphasize a focus on staff well-being and a commitment to customer service that’s yielded fantastic results and multiple award nominations.
• Operators impressed the audience during “Restaurants in the Hot Seat” with their takes on foodservice’s most important topics, trends and issues. Though their opinions often differed, all three of the featured operators predict that older consumers will spend a higher share of their disposal income on restaurants than their predecessors, and that the restaurant industry will continue to be a leader in innovation.
• A panel of five women entrepreneurs took The Culinary Experience stage late Monday afternoon to share their experiences as leaders, business owners and members of the groundbreaking Let’s Talk Womxn movement. In their discussion, the panelists emphasized the unique constraints on women business owners and advocated for parity in the restaurant industry.