FIT Symposium
Mind, Body, Menu
Save the Date: November 5-6, 2026
The future of food is about more than what's on the plate.
Join chefs, restaurateurs, nutrition experts, educators, food innovators and hospitality leaders for two days of inspiring conversations, hands-on learning and memorable culinary experiences at the 2026 FIT Symposium.
This year's theme, Mind, Body, Menu, explores the powerful connections between wellness, performance, sustainability and the future of food. Through keynote presentations, panel discussions, interactive workshops and culinary demonstrations, attendees will examine how the industry is evolving — and the role each of us plays in shaping what's next.
- Inspiring keynote speakers from across the culinary, hospitality and wellness industries
- Dynamic conversations on food, health, hospitality and innovation
- Interactive breakout sessions and hands-on workshops
- Live culinary demonstrations and tastings
- Networking opportunities with industry professionals, educators and students
- Innovation showcases featuring emerging products, technologies and ideas
Programming will examine timely issues shaping the future of food and wellness, including:
- Culinary wellness and mental health
- Nutrition and performance
- Fermentation and food science
- Sustainable food systems
- Digital wellness and modern culinary careers
- Hospitality innovation
- Food education and teaching kitchens
- Seafood, agriculture and responsible sourcing
- Culinary craftsmanship and hands-on techniques
Whether you're a chef, educator, hospitality professional, healthcare practitioner, entrepreneur or student, the FIT Symposium offers fresh perspectives, practical insights and meaningful connections.
We'll be sharing speaker announcements in the coming weeks. Until then, take advantage of our reserved hotel block and begin planning your FIT Symposium experience below.
Sponsors
Media Sponsor
Platinum Level
SYMPOSIUM ARCHIVE
Last year’s theme, “Cultivating Food Literacy,” focused on understanding the impact of nutrition and ingredients; where food comes from; and how to grow, manage and prepare it. The program also explored solutions for improving food insecurity, strengthening K–12 food education and advancing nutrition among high-risk populations alongside renowned chefs, policymakers and food activists.
The Symposium featured interactive panel discussions, tastings and hands-on workshops leveraging JWU’s modern culinary facilities. Attendees gained unique insights that expanded their ability to drive meaningful change within their communities.
FIT Symposium Forges Collaboration, Conversation & Community
With two days of expanded programming, the 2024 FIT Symposium focused on bringing a world of culinary techniques to Providence. With a full day of interactive workshops, attendees could try new working methods and learn from experts in soba making, plant-based pastry, coffee cupping, chocolate-making, and more.
In addition, Jacques Pépin ’10 Hon. and Farmer Lee Jones shared wisdom from their long careers — Pépin of his 70 years of making people happy with his cooking, whether on PBS or Instagram, and Farmer Lee Jones of his 40 years of sustainable farming.
FIT Symposium Brings a World of Expertise to Life
“Cooking is love. You cannot cook indifferently.” Jacques Pépin ’10 Hon.
Culinary professionals have a reputation for being independent and driven, and their work frequently demands a head-down work ethic favoring autonomy over community. The third edition of JWU Providence’s Food Innovation & Technology (FIT) Symposium brought together a diverse group of chefs, activists, makers and creators to network and collaborate.
Johnson & Wales University’s College of Food Innovation & Technology (CFIT) held the second FIT Symposium, a virtual gathering of the food industry’s top thought leaders, in March 2022.
Watch a playlist of individual panels below. (You can scroll through the panels by clicking the button marked “1/11” in the upper right corner of the screen.)
Panels included:
- Culinary Nutrition Defined
- Food Safety Evolution
- Future Focused: Leveraging Trends to Shape the Industry
- Leading Women: The Entrepreneurship Journey
- Reaching our New England Food Vision
- Peak Performance: Fueling the Modern Athlete
- Innovation from Curiosity
- Focused on Food Justice
- Keynote: Evolution of a Chef
- Growing a Grainshed
- Closing the Gap: Cannabis & Your Overall Health
The 2021 FIT Symposium examined the curve balls, unexpected challenges and potential for massive change that 2020 threw the industry’s way. Veteran restaurateurs Emeril Lagasse ’78, ’90 Hon. and Aarón Sánchez served as keynote speakers, sharing their own lessons learned, while Champe Speidel ’00, ’16 Hon. of Persimmon (Providence, RI), Paul Kahan of One Off Hospitality Group (Chicago, Ill.), and Lindsay Tusk of Quince (San Francisco, Calif.) traded war stories and wisdom from an unprecedented year of upheaval and adaptation.
Watch their thought-provoking discussions below, and catch up on the takeaways in this post-Symposium wrap-up.
