Stony Brook Southampton Hosts 2016 Food Lab Conference

Returning after its inaugural event last year, the Stony Brook Food Lab is hosting their 2016 Food Lab Conference at Stony Brook Southampton on June 3–5 this summer.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Chef Carla Hall, co-host of ABC’s The Chew and a former competitor on Bravo’s hit show Top Chef.

The conference, which is covered by major television, print and online news sources from the United States and around the world, will feature several guest speakers, including renowned journalists, television personalities, food bloggers and authors. Terry Romero of Kickstarter, Leslie Merinoff of Matchbook Distilling and Teresa Von Fuchs of Irving Farm Coffee are among the confirmed speakers, with more to come.

The conference begins on the evening of Friday, June 3 with a cocktail reception and boat rides at the Stony Brook Marine Science Center.

A full day of panels will follow on Saturday covering topics such as Trends in Food Tech and Service, Innovation in the Kitchen, and Growing a Food Business from your Garden/Kitchen. All topics fall under the conference’s central theme: Future of Food—Trends, Tastes and Directions: Who’s Shaping Them and Where They’re Heading. The day will conclude with a gala dinner prepared by Sag Harbor chef Colin Ambrose of Estia’s Little Kitchen.

On Sunday, the conference will offer a single panel on Food Media, wrapping up at noon.

The Food Lab Conference will be limited to only 300 attendees. Early bird special tickets are $150 until May 10. From May 11 on, regular admission is $200, or $75 for students and farmers. Tickets are also available to attend only the gala dinner for $75. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit thefoodlab.org.

For conference updates and related news, follow the Stony Brook Food Lab on Facebook and Twitter, or sign up for email updates on their website.