Feed the Soul Foundation, the national nonprofit founded by Black Restaurant Week, is set to host its first-ever Global Culinary Conference in Houston.
The two-day in-person conference began Monday and runs through Tuesday, Jan. 22-23, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at The Texas Tower.
The conference boasts a stellar lineup of renowned chefs who will deliver an enhanced learning experience through keynote speeches and panel discussions, including Marcus Davis, owner of the breakfast klub, who will be a keynote speaker sharing the successes of his hospitality group.
The difficulties faced by the food industry, as reported in the James Beard Foundation’s 2023 Industry Report, emphasize the significance of this symposium. It shows that 53% of owners of culinary businesses saw a decline in profits and that since 2022, there have been major issues due to increased labor and food expenses.
In-depth keynotes will be presented to attendees on improving technical proficiency, comprehending commercial real estate, managing staff, creating lucrative business operations, and creating marketing tactics that increase profits. The experience will be rounded up with interactive breakout sessions, happy hour networking events, and free meals from renowned Houston eateries like Frenchy’s, Space City Birria Tacos and More, Henderson & Kane, Mo’ Better Brews, Cascabel, and the breakfast klub.
Founded in 2020 by Warren Luckett, Black Restaurant Week’s founder, Feed the Soul Foundation has been a beacon of financial relief and business development solutions for Black and Latin-owned culinary businesses.
Juana Collins, the Feed the Soul Foundation organizer, expressed enthusiasm about the conference.
“Houston is one of our bigger markets. The community has always rallied around the foundation, so it made sense to host this here,” she said. “We can’t thank our sponsors enough for supporting our participants at a very low cost. We do understand that the culinary industry has some financial issues that they deal with on a regular.”
Feed The Soul Foundation has assisted underprivileged food companies since its founding in 2020. Significant milestones were reached by the foundation by the first half of 2023:
-Provided 59 underprivileged food enterprises nationwide with $1,078,000 in funding and business development assistance.
-The Emergency Relief Fund provided $46,000 in emergency funding to US-based culinary businesses to help them deal with unanticipated losses and natural calamities.
-$76,000 in scholarships to support business, hospitality, and culinary arts students were given to Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and high school culinary programs.
-Created an internship program and gave out $59,000 in student stipends to train 15 minority college students in public relations, small company marketing, and marketing research for the workforce.
“We’ve spent a lifetime trying to get the approval of others. But the reality is, we’ve got to be deliberate and intentional about what we need to elevate us,” said Davis. “Once we understand our power in our dollar and begin to build the infrastructure for our sales versus waiting on someone else to validate us, we’ll be ahead of the game.”
Elsa Matthews, owner of the Dominican soul food restaurant Comfort Foodies shared her excitement for attending the conference as a resource to elevate her culinary business.
“I appreciate that they have a wealth of knowledge for small businesses like ours.”
She said that Latin-owned and Black-owned restaurants are not usually featured or acknowledged.
“I am a first-year restauranteur looking forward to learning about winning contracts to get into places like Toyota Center and NGR Stadium to sell our products.”
Matthews worked in finance for more than 15 years before making the decision to follow her passion and enter into the culinary business to offer Houstonians a mix of Latin and Southern cooking.
“I’m 100% self-taught and never went to school for this,” she said. “I’m ready to learn from seasoned restaurant owners who can guide us on our paths to success.”
“As a business leader in the culinary industry, I am excited to attend the Global Culinary Conference hosted by Feed the Soul Foundation. It is a unique opportunity to learn from experienced chefs and industry experts, share experiences with fellow entrepreneurs, and contribute to the collective growth of the culinary community.”
