Inside The Chef Assembly's industry-defining L.A. event

This October, The Chef Assembly returns to Los Angeles with a new name, a sharpened vision and a lineup of voices reshaping the future of dining.

Founded by former cook, attorney and culinary educator Mike Traud, the gathering has evolved from a Philadelphia conference into a one-room forum where chefs, operators and thought leaders exchange ideas. Ahead of the Oct. 20 event, Traud shares how the Assembly came to be, why the rebrand matters and what excites him most this year.

— Interview by Kelly Dobkin, edited by Lesley McKenzie

What inspired you to create The Chef Assembly?

While I was working as a cook, I was also an adjunct professor in a culinary arts and hospitality management program. I could see there was a gap between both worlds. Once I was full-time in education, the opportunity to develop a chef-focused conference was presented. The goal was to bridge the gap between industry and education, and present a forum where all members of the restaurant community could engage in important industry conversations. What was originally meant to focus on Philadelphia quickly spread to engaging voices from all markets. Eventually, in the past two years, the geographic expansion to L.A. and NYC demonstrated the need and desire for authentic conversations for industry professionals.  

The event has a new name this year (formerly The Chef's Conference). What was the thinking behind the change?

We've grown beyond a conference. We're creating a diverse, inclusive space where hospitality professionals build lasting connections that extend beyond each event. The conference model was created in 2013, and I continued the same formula when I went out independently.

The original thought was to hold only one yearly conference in Philadelphia with zero expansion plans. That quickly changed. In the first year I expanded to L.A. and NYC. The venues in L.A. and NYC allowed for one room to hold these conversations, while the Philly formula was multiple rooms. I had always thought that the value was multiple rooms for attendees to choose their own adventure in programming. However, the one-room model in L.A. and NYC produced great feedback from attendees who valued a shared experience across the board. In Philly, we held yearly keynote sessions where all attendees were in one room. These talks were always lively. At the end of the day, the transition to a one-room shared experience, in my opinion, no longer represented the conference model but more of an assembly, which is the natural evolution of my vision over the past 10 years.  

What panels are you most excited about in this year's lineup?

The beauty of the one-room model means a limited selection of panels and topics, so I am excited by all of them. But to have Tejal Rao from the New York Times speaking is very exciting. Also, one of my goals is to bring new voices into a community. I feel these new voices provide a unique perspective and a one-off experience. Having Rosio Sanchez from Copenhagen, Yia Vang from Minneapolis and Roni Mazumdar from NYC all speaking on one panel symbolizes the unique experience provided by The Chef Assembly. It will be very special to have these leaders sit down together.

Thanks for reading today's edition! You can reach the newsletter team at editor@theprep.co. We enjoy hearing from you.

Interested in advertising? Email us at newslettersales@mvfglobal.com

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to get this newsletter once a week.

The Prep is written by Kelly Dobkin and edited by Lesley McKenzie.