Flavor, Quality & American Menus is an annual invitational leadership retreat co-presented by The Culinary Institute of America and the University of California, Davis. Now in its sixth year, the invitation-only event provides a venue for networking, information- and idea-sharing, and advancing both American agriculture and the food and beverage industries that depend on it.
Volume foodservice attendees included chefs from chain restaurants, contract foodservice companies, supermarkets, hotels, the military, and colleges & universities.
The 2009 program included presentations by leaders in American agriculture including California Secretary of Agriculture A.G. Kawamura and Ralph Grossi, former president of American Farmland Trust. A pre-conference survey set the stage for a robust forum on sustainability issues affecting volume foodservice operators where sourcing sustainable products was the "hot topic."
With the economy still struggling in the U.S., many culinary presentations focused on controlling food costs while maximizing flavor and profitability. Guest chefs included Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta, GA, Duskie Estes of zazu in Santa Rosa, CA, Craig Stoll of Delfina in San Francisco, Alex Ong of Betelnut, also in San Francisco, Neela Paniz of Neela's in Napa, and Suvir Saran of Devi in NYC.
The field trip day took the group to the Wolfskill Orchards and the Farm on Putah Creek, both in Winters, CA. The group then moved on to an afternoon of programming at the new Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis. Workshops focused on sensory evaluation with gazpacho as the case study and developing a language of flavor that used beer and flavored nut pairing tasting to stimulate discussion.
The program concluded with the ever-popular Market Basket Experience, where teams of chefs and sponsor representatives worked together to create new menu items for American menus.
 Strategies for Reducing Food Waste and Increasing Quality & Profitability – Andrew Shankman |
 The Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis – Clare Hasler (Wednesday) |
The Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at UC Davis – Clare Hasler (Friday) |
 Food Science and Technology at UC Davis – James Seiber |
 Flavor, Quality, & American Menus 2009 – Joe Merenda |
 Omega-9 Oils are Good for Health and Agriculture – Mark Jackson & Ken Toong |
 Flavor, Quality & American Menus: Menu R & D Strategies for Today's Economy – Greg Drescher |
 Kikkoman: Asian Flavors Made Easy – Kate Mesmer |
 USA-Grown Peanuts Nutritious, Delicious & Filled with Possibility – Jeffrey Pope & Marie Fenn |
 Beyond Vegetarian/Vegan menu, New Menu Trend: Health & Wellness incorporating Tofu – Yoko Asahi |
 Barilla – Matt Harding |
 California Olive Ranch – Claude Weiller |
 Ocean Spray – Howie Williams |
 Sprouted Brown Rice For Health…and Taste! – Rick Rhody |
