Iowa Culinary Conference: June 2026

• Click here to register!

  • The Iowa Culinary Conference is partnering with the School Nutrition Association of Iowa (SNAI). You will be directed to their site to register

  • You will need to create a username and password to register

  • Register for one or both days of the Iowa Culinary Conference June 22 & 23

  • You can also register for one or both days of SNAI Conference June 24 & 25

  • We encourage all school food service directors to register for all 4 days! You can register for both conferences when you click the link

• Pricing for the Iowa Culinary Conference June 22&23

  • Registration for the full two-day Conference is $200

  • Registration for one day is $150

Find sessions and descriptions linked here!

All Attendees - Hyatt all day Monday and Tuesday evening.

• All attendees will share Monday's schedule and Tuesday evening together.

General Attendees- Hyatt on Monday; Kirkwood and/or Hyatt Tuesday

• Are you a food service professional , chef, local food advocate or other non-student attendee? Follow the General Schedule

Student Attendees- Hyatt on Monday; Kirkwood, Tuesday morning; Hyatt, Tuesday afternoon and evening.

• Are you a culinary student? Follow the Student Schedule

General Schedule (all attendees)

Monday, June 22 at the Hyatt Regency in Coralville, Iowa 

7:00–8:15 AM — Breakfast, Registration & Networking (Vendor/Sponsor Tables)

8:15–8:30 AM — Welcome 

8:30–9:20 AM — Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles – James Kokenyesdi 

9:20–9:40 AM — Break & Networking

9:40–10:30 AM — Flavor from Food, Not Salt – Chef Robert Lewis

10:30–11:00 AM — Break & Networking

11:00 AM–12:00 PM — Traceability & Sustainability – Chef Hari Pulapaka

12:00–1:00 PM — Lunch & Networking

1:00–2:00 PM — Panel: Shaping the Next Generation of Food Leaders

2:00–2:30 PM — Break & Networking

2:30–3:45 PM — The (R)Evolution of Indigenous Foods – Chef Sean Sherman

3:45–4:30 PM — Reflection & Applied Learning – Andrea Alma, Rootstock Consulting

4:30–5:30 PM — Break

5:30–7:00 PM — Dinner Service

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Tuesday, June 23 at the Hyatt Regency & at Kirkwood Culinary Labs in Cedar Rapids

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Tuesday at Kirkwood track 7:00am-3:00pm

7:00–8:30 AM — Breakfast & Registration (new attendees, Kirkwood only registration; or buses from Hyatt)

8:30–9:30 AM — Opening Session: Forming Food Relationships – Kelly Matthews

9:40 AM– 10:40 AM — Working with Fresh Produce - Patrick Garmong

11:00 AM–12:30 PM — Pop-In Sessions (Choose 2–3 short sessions)

11:00 AM–1:00 PM — Box Lunch Available

1:00–2:50 PM — Afternoon Breakout Sessions (Two rounds; choose your sessions)

2:50–3:00 PM — Wrap-Up at Kirkwood

3:00–4:00 PM — Bus to Hyatt

(see Tuesday evening, all at Hyatt)

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Tuesday at Hyatt track 7:00am- 5:00pm

7:00–8:30 AM — Breakfast

9:00–11:00 AM — Round Table Discussion: Food System Partners – Moderated by Tommy Hexter

11:30 AM–12:00 PM — Lunch & Bussing (Attendees travel between Hyatt & Kirkwood)

12:30–3:30 PM — Afternoon Workshops (Soft Skills – Jill Idelman -OR- Picky Eaters – Kelly Matthews)

3:30–4:00 PM —Break

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Tuesday evening - ALL Iowa Culinary Conference and SNAI attendees welcome!

4:00–5:00 PM — Mix & Mingle Cocktail Hour – hosted by SNAI

Monday, June 22 at the Hyatt Regency in Coralville, Iowa 

7:00–8:15 AM — Breakfast, Registration & Networking (Vendor/Sponsor Tables)

8:15–8:30 AM — Welcome 

8:30–9:20 AM — Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles – James Kokenyesdi 

9:20–9:40 AM — Break & Networking

9:40–10:30 AM — Flavor from Food, Not Salt – Chef Robert Lewis

10:30–11:00 AM — Break & Networking

11:00 AM–12:00 PM — Traceability & Sustainability – Chef Hari Pulapaka

12:00–1:00 PM — Lunch & Networking

1:00–2:00 PM — Panel: Shaping the Next Generation of Food Leaders – Moderated by Brian O'Malley

2:00–2:30 PM — Break & Networking

2:30–3:45 PM — The (R)Evolution of Indigenous Foods – Chef Sean Sherman

3:45–4:30 PM — Reflection & Applied Learning – Andrea Alma, Rootstock Consulting

4:30–5:30 PM — Break

5:30–7:00 PM — Dinner Service

Tuesday, June 23: AM sessions at Kirkwood in Cedar Rapids, PM sessions at Hyatt in Coralville

7:00–8:30 AM —Breakfast & Registration (Kirkwood only)

8:30–9:30 AM — Opening Session: Forming Food Relationships – Kelly Matthews

9:40 AM–12:00 PM — Breakout Sessions: Cultural Celebration Menus - Chef Chad Taylor

12:00–1:15 PM — Lunch & Bus to Hyatt

1:15–2:45 PM — Career Panel: Professional Pathways – Moderated by Patrick Garmong

3:00–4:30 PM — Professional Standards: Building Your Resume – Jean Easley & Dawn Mikalatos

4:00–5:00 PM — Mix n Mingle Hosted by SNAI

The Iowa Culinary Conference is held at the Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel & Event Center.

A special event rate of $133 per night, plus fees, is available for conference attendees. Please book lodging through this link to ensure your room is secured at the special event rate. Parking is available on site for an additional fee.

The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) is approximately 21 miles from the conference location.

Our Partnerships for Local Agriculture and Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) Grant program is focused on providing technical assistance to school nutrition directors and farmers to continue fostering relationships within the food system across the state.

The goal for the program is to grow culinary training in scratch cooking and to increase the amount of healthy, nutritious and locally grown products in Iowa school cafeterias while supporting value chain relationships.

Read More about the Project