Restaurants and Farms: A Key Solution to the Climate Crisis

Food Tank and the James Beard Foundation present a Climate Week NYC Kick-Off Summit, Restaurants and Farms: A Key Solution to the Climate Crisis.

Agenda:

Welcome Remarks
Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank
Anne McBride, VP of Programs, The James Beard Foundation

Fireside Chat
Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation
Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Fireside Chat
Bill McKibben, Author, Educator, Activist, and Founder, Third Act
Anna Lappé, Executive Director, The Global Alliance for the Future of Food
Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Panel: Across the Supply Chain From Farmers to Markets
Ron Mardesen, Farmer, Niman Ranch
Jeff Frank, CEO, Organic Valley
Lotanna Obodozie, Climate Policy Director, The National Young Farmers Coalition
Curt Ellis, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, FoodCorps
Moderated by Kiki Aranita, Owner, Poi Dog Sauces; Senior Editor, New York Magazine

Panel: Celebrating Farmers and Food Producers
Karen Washington, Farmer and Activist, Rise & Root Farm
Leah Garcés, CEO and President, Mercy for Animals
Yemi Amu, Founder & Director, Oko Farms
Seanicaa Edwards Herron, Founder & Executive Director, Freedmen Heirs Foundation, Inc
Moderated by Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes

Panel: Intersectional Approaches to New York City Food and Agriculture Policy
Ora Kemp, Senior Policy Advisor, NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy
Qiana Mickie, Executive Director, Office of Urban Agriculture, New York City
Sheryll Durrant, Board President, Just Food
Tony Hillery, CEO, Harlem Grown
Moderated by Chloe Sorvino, Forbes

Panel: The Role of Grocers and Brands at the Nexus of Farmers and Healthy Eating
Paul Lightfoot, Executive Director, Patagonia Provisions
Steven Jennings, Stakeholder Relations and Brand Lead, Health & Sustainability, Ahold Delhaize USA
Dorothy Shaver, Global Food Sustainability Director, Unilever
Brandon Lombardi, Chief Legal Officer & Chief Sustainability Officer, Sprouts Farmers Market
Moderated by Chloe Sorvino, Forbes

Panel: Can Livestock Help Solve the Climate Crisis? In partnership with the Protein PACT
Ertharin Cousin, President and CEO, Food Systems of the Future
Jess Fanzo, Professor of Climate and Director of the Food for Humanity Initiative, Columbia Climate School
Eric Mittenthal, Chief Strategy Officer, Meat Institute
Evan Fraser, Director, Arrell Food Institute
Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Lightning Talks
Stacy Dean, Executive Director, GW Global Food Institute
Kelly Whitaker, winner of James Beard Foundation’s outstanding restaurateur 2024

Panel: Nourishing the Future: Charting the Path to Baku, Belem (COP30) and Beyond In partnership with the Future Economy Forum
Hunter Lovins, Managing Partner, NOW Partners Foundation
Michael K. Dorsey, Arizona State University, Around the Corner Capital
Fernanda Facchini, Head of Climate and Circularity, Natura
Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Fireside Chat
Mark Bittman, Founder, The Bittman Project and Community Kitchen, Bestselling Author and Former NY Times Columnist
Kathleen Finlay, President, Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming
Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Lightning Talks
Pierre Thiam, Founder & President, Yolélé, Founder; Executive Chef, Teranga; Author
Rupa Bhattacharya, Transformative Change Agent
Tara Smith Swibel, General Partner, Terra Regenerative Capital; Co-Founder; Board Chair, Teens for Food Justice

Panel: Breaking Through The Noise: Climate Solutions That Get Results In Partnership with Planet FWD + Brightly
Julia Collins, Founder, Planet FWD
Sarela Herrada, Founder, SIMPLi
Andy Levitt, Founder, Brightly
Corey Blumenthal, Sustainability Specialist, Shake Shack
Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Keynote and Panel: Catalyzing Change: Impact Investing to Regenerate the Food System In Partnership with Astanor
Eric Archambeau, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Astanor Ventures
Leslie Kapin, Partner, Astanor Ventures
Sara Eckhouse, Executive Director, FoodShot Global
Kwan-Yin Graw, Analyst, Capricorn Investment Group
Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Keynote and Panel: A Private Sector Case Study in Reducing Food Loss and Food Waste In Partnership with Guckenheimer
Paul Fairhead, CEO, Guckenheimer
Rebecca Chesney, Director of Sustainability Innovation, Guckenheimer
Mike Kedala, Executive Chef, ISS/Guckenheimer
Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Panel: Restaurants Tackling the Climate Crisis One Bite at a Time
JJ Johnson, Chef, FIELDTRIP
Liz Neumark, Founder and CEO, Great Performances
Brian Fowler, Chef, BLACKBARN
Moderated by Anne McBride, VP of Programs, The James Beard Foundation

Fireside Chat
Marion Nestle, Author, Professor Emerita, NYU
Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

Fireside Chat
Eric Adjepong, Chef, Sankofa Hospitality Group
Moderated by Anne McBride, VP of Programs, The James Beard Foundation