2026 USDA Conference & Food Show
Attendee Registration
February 5, 2026
Wellsworth Hotel, Southbridge
8:00 - 3:30
Tickets
Includes attendance to the Ignite Equipment Expo (February 4th) and the USDA Conference & Food Show (February 5th)
Member Ticket - $225
Non-Member Ticket - $275
Intern Ticket (use code USDAINTERN) - $100
9:15 - Breakout Sessions
Master the Menu You Have – Commercial Equipment Skills That Drive Daily Success
Presented by Christie White
This session is designed for anyone who works in or oversees a school kitchen, including kitchen staff, managers, and program leaders. It provides clear, tangible guidance on how to properly use commercial kitchen equipment— convection, steam, combi, and holding equipment—to support daily menu execution.
Rather than introducing new menus or equipment, this session focuses on mastering the menu you already serve by mastering the equipment you already have. Participants learn how equipment settings, timing, and workflow directly impact food quality, consistency, efficiency, and staff confidence during service.
By strengthening commercial equipment skills, teams can reduce errors, improve holding and service flow, and consistently execute menus as intended. This session builds daily success now, creating a strong foundation to reach the menu and program you want tomorrow.
Cooking with Confidence: Using USDA Foods and CECAP to Advance Scratch Cooking in K-12
Presented by Chef Kyle Parson and Jumana Whelan, MS, RDN, LDN
In this interactive 60-minute culinary demonstration, The John C. Stalker Institute (JSI) Chef Instructor will showcase simple, plant-forward protein recipes designed for K–12 kitchens using USDA Foods. Participants will learn practical techniques for scratch and speed-scratch cooking while seeing how commodities can be transformed into student-approved meals. The session will also highlight how the CECAP (Creating and Executing a Culinary Advancement Plan) program supports schools in setting culinary goals and provides access to the Chef Coaching program to build lasting confidence in scratch cooking.
Kyle Parson is a full-time Chef Coach at The John C. Stalker Institute (JSI), where he supports school nutrition programs across Massachusetts in building confidence and skills in scratch cooking. Kyle is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Food Service Management. He brings a diverse culinary background, with experience in restaurants, hotels, and more than 15 years as a School Food Service Director. Drawing on his firsthand knowledge of school kitchens, Kyle now travels throughout the state providing hands-on training to foodservice teams. He is passionate about food, teaching, and empowering school nutrition professionals to be creative, confident, and successful in the kitchen.
Jumana S. Whelan, MS, RDN, LDN is the Manager of Culinary Programs at The John C. Stalker Institute (JSI) of Food and Nutrition at Framingham State University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master’s degree in Nutrition Science from Framingham State University. At JSI, Jumana developed the Back-to-Basics culinary workshop series and coordinated the USDA Team Nutrition Training Grant, CRISP, which expanded access to culturally relevant, scratch-cooked meals through innovative training models. She currently serves as Team Nutrition Coordinator for the CECAP grant, leading tiered culinary consultations and professional development recommendations, including the chef coaching program, to help schools build confidence and advance scratch cooking.
10:30 - Breakout Sessions
Serving the Secret Sauce Daily: How Applying the Franchise Model Drives Daily Consistency, Productivity and Efficiency. One Program, Many Wins
Presented by Christie White
School Nutrition is the largest restaurant chain in the country, serving millions of students every day—yet too often, kitchens operate as separate programs instead of one unified system. The result? Inefficiency, inconsistent menus, lack of accountability, staff frustration, inventory challenges and affected participation. This session gives Directors the proven steps to apply the “Franchise Approach” and streamline every kitchen in their program to be ONE program. With clear processes, accountability, and repeatable systems, Directors can improve efficiency, strengthen staff retention, and deliver consistent results across all sites. Because Directors can’t be in every kitchen daily, these proven steps create a framework that drives consistency and excellence throughout the program.
USDA Foods – Communication. More than Just Chatter
Presented by Ahmed Bilimoria, Rick Finnigan, Lucinda Ward, and Belinda Wilson
Start with a Fast Fact review of USDA Foods then learn how to incorporate Locally Made sauces into school meals using USDA diced tomatoes; Followed by Processing: It’s a Team Sport – know you and your Processing Partner’s roles in the game; learn how to Effectively Communicate your processing needs; make Processing Successful in your district; master the Best Practices Checklist; Forecasting your future needs; and Maximizing pound utilization; Ending with questions? We have answers. A Q&A with Ahmed Bilimoria, Belinda Wilson, and Rick Finnigan immediately following the presentation.
11:30
Keynote Speaker Tiffani Faison
Chef, Restaurateur and TV personality Tiffani Faison has made a name for herself nationwide for her dynamic personality, culinary prowess, and fierce work ethic. Under Big Heart Hospitality, her Boston based restaurant group, she creates restaurants that are warm, inspired and instantly loveable. These include Sweet Cheeks Q, Fool’s Errand located in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood and Charming Gardender, Dive Bar, Tenderoni’s and 2 locations of Bubble Bath, at Citizen M Hotel Back Bay and within Downtown Boston’s High Street Place food hall. Tiffani is a star on Food Network. In 2022, she won Season 3 of Tournament of Champions, placing first among 32 of the world’s greatest chefs. She serves as a judge on Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, and is one of the Culinary Floor Commentators on Tournament of Champions Season 6 and has co-hosted Beat Bobby Flay as well as the culinary competition show, Beachside Brawl and Best Bite in Town.
Tiffani began her career working under such renowned chefs as Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse, and Todd English. In 2006, early into her career, she was cast on the very first season of Bravo’s Top Chef and placed as runner-up. She opened Sweet Cheeks Q in 2011 in Boston’s Fenway, contributing to the urban revitalization that the neighborhood has since experienced. Shortly after opening, Sweet Cheeks Q garnered a three-star review from The Boston Globe, and it has since been awarded “Boston’s Best Barbecue” numerous times by Boston magazine. In March, 2022 Tiffani opened three distinct concepts within Downtown Boston’s High Street Place. Marking her many culinary achievements, Boston Magazine awarded her “Best Chef: General Excellence” in 2016 and 2022. In 2016, 2019, and 2022 the Boston Business Journal named Tiffani to its “Power 50” list. In December 2019, The Boston Globe named Big Heart Hospitality as “Restaurateurs of the Year” and Eater named Tiffani “Empire Builder of the Year.”
12:30 - 3:30
USDA Food Show
Acxion Foodservice
Albie’s Food Products, LLC I
American Patriot Sales
Bake Crafters & Nardone Bros. Brands
Bongard
Buena Vista Foods
Butterball
CommonWealth Kitchen
Conagra
Craic Sauce
Diversified Foods
Domino’s Smart Slice
Driscoll Foods
E3 Commercial Ktchen Solutions
ES Foods
Frazil/Super Bakery
Gold Kist (Pilgrim’s)
Health-e Pro
High Liner Foods
Hormel Jennie-O Turkey
Idahoan
Integrated Food Service
International Food Solutions
JTM
Jonny Pops
Land O Lakes/Brookwood
Maid Rite Steak Co
McCain Foods
MCI Foods
Michael Foods
National Food Group/Zee Zee’s
New England Dairy
Peterson Farms
Proview Foods
Red Gold
Rich Chicks, LLC
Rich’s Products
Sal’s Pizza
S&F Foods
Schwan’s Food Service
Simplot
Smucker’s
Sysco
Tabatchnik Fine Foods
Tasty Brands Breakfast & On-the-Go
Tasty Brands Lunch & A La Carte
The Good Crust
Thurston Foods, Inc
Tyson Foods
Wild Mike’s Pizza
Yang’s
