Scaling What Works: Lessons from the 2026 Menus of Change Leadership Summit
The conversation at this year’s CIA-Harvard Menus of Change Leadership Summit wasn’t about finding the next big idea. It was about scaling the ideas that are already working.
From upcycling and sustainable seafood to artificial intelligence, the week’s discussions focused on moving innovation from pilot programs to everyday practice across foodservice.
That kind of progress only happens when ideas are tested from every angle. Throughout the summit, chefs, researchers, suppliers, operators, and sustainability leaders challenged assumptions, shared practical experiences, and explored how to move promising concepts into everyday operations. Compass Group was proud to be part of those conversations.
Three themes, in particular, captured where the industry is headed—and how collaboration across the foodservice ecosystem is turning bold ideas into practical solutions.
Upcycling takes center stage
One of the highlights of the conference was the Repurpose with a Purpose culinary competition, which challenged chefs to create dishes using ingredients that may have otherwise gone unused.
Chef John Miller from Compass Healthcare took home the top prize with his Grounds to Gold: Zero Waste Coffee & Banana Foster Shake.
The competition reflected a broader theme throughout the week. Upcycling is increasingly being viewed as a source of culinary creativity, not just a waste reduction strategy. Chefs continue to find new ways to create value from ingredients that might otherwise be overlooked, turning sustainability into something guests can experience directly through food.
Sustainable seafood at scale
An entire day of the conference was dedicated to sustainable seafood, from sourcing and biodiversity to culinary application. Barton Seaver led conversations around how chefs can help shape demand for a wider variety of species and ultimately fall in love with seafood that may not already have a place on the menu.
Restaurant Associates Supervising Chef Michael Fraino joined BITE’s Gesina Beckert to lead a workshop focused on practical strategies for working with sustainable aquatic ingredients and bringing those products to life on the menu, including species such as Mid-Atlantic catfish that can help create demand for underutilized and invasive species.
One theme surfaced repeatedly throughout the day: sustainable seafood starts with culinary curiosity. Before guests will try something new, chefs have to be excited about it themselves. Many of the conversations focused on helping culinary teams build familiarity with new species, new preparations, and new ways of thinking about seafood.
The opportunity isn’t simply sourcing more sustainable seafood. It’s creating menus that make people want to choose it.
AI and the future of culinary leadership
The final day of the conference focused entirely on artificial intelligence and its role in foodservice. Discussions explored everything from AI-enabled consumer insights and food waste prevention to practical kitchen applications.
Bon Appétit Management Company‘s Terri Brownlee joined a featured session exploring how AI can support culinary teams working within real-world operational constraints. The discussion focused on how technology can help teams navigate challenges like labor, forecasting, menu planning, and ingredient availability while preserving the creativity and expertise that chefs bring to their work.
Terri Brownlee reflected on the opportunity this way:
“My takeaway isn’t whether AI belongs in our kitchens. The more important question is where human judgment creates value that technology cannot—and how we use technology to amplify, rather than diminish, that value.
The organizations that succeed won’t choose between human expertise and artificial intelligence. They’ll combine both. As industry leaders, it’s up to us to discern where AI is truly helpful and move from individual use cases to more agentic applications.”
AI showed up across the conference in a variety of ways, from consumer insights and food waste prevention to culinary applications. What stood out was how quickly the conversation moved beyond whether AI belongs in foodservice and toward where it can create the most value.
Looking ahead
Menus of Change creates a needed space for conversations between chefs, operators, researchers, suppliers, and sustainability leaders working on many of the same challenges.
Whether the discussion focused on upcycling, sustainable seafood, or AI, the common thread was a willingness to share ideas, learn from one another, and explore what implementation looks like in practice.
We’re grateful to the Culinary Institute of America, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the many partners who continue bringing these conversations together.
We’re already looking forward to next year.