Getting Ready for Worlds of Flavor November 3 – 5, Copia, Napa Valley

Worlds of Flavor (WOF) is fast approaching and details are falling into place. The Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) Worlds of Flavor® International Conference & Festival at their Copia center in Napa Valley, is one of the country’s “most influential professional forum on world cuisines, food cultures, and flavor trends.” Now in it’s 23^rd year, WOF is a “must attend” event for leading chefs, corporate menu decision-makers, foodservice management executives, suppliers, and media. This year’s theme, Cities of the Americas: Landscapes of Flavor Culinary Disruption and Renewal from the United States and Canada to Latin America, will look at how some of the most innovative chefs in cities across Latin America, continue to find new ways to work with traditional ingredients, and how that informs menus in the US. We are thrilled to be a participating sponsor of this exciting event as it is an ideal forum to promote dry beans and bean ingredients, such as flours, as we advance our innovation agenda to increase consumption of dry beans around the world.

USDBC will send a delegation of four industry representatives to attend and network at this event. On day one, November 3, we will be featuring a one bite bean based snack as guests register, check in and receive their welcome packets. Day two, November 4, USDBC will be presenting CIA Master Chef Brad Barnes in the Museum Stage Kitchen under the theme “Brazil from Coast to Coast: An Exploration of Afro-Indigenous and Other Traditional Dishes.” This session will present an overview of several cuisines found across that part of the continent, with a special focus on the large role played by beans as well as an exploration of the Afro-Indigenous cuisine of Northeast Brazil (featuring beans). For this session, Chef Barnes will be preparing three dishes featuring innovative preparations with dry beans, geared toward restaurant chefs. USBC will also be hosting a table during the Marketplace event, which will open for up to two hours each day of the festival. Our table will provide samples of the dishes prepared during the kitchen workshop along with one sweet bean-based dish. We are working on the specific menu items now and will present more details once everything is confirmed. This is an amazing opportunity to take beans to the next level and teach U.S. and global chefs, and food industry representatives how to add beans to their menus in new and innovative ways. More details to come.