Dana Cowin, longtime former Editor in Chief of Food & Wine magazine will discuss the rise of foodie culture in America, starting with the obsession with chefs in the 90s, moving through reality TV, ingredient trends, and arriving more recently as a power for global change. Cowin’s will interweave her own stories of cajoling now-famous chefs to step into the spotlight, her turns as a Top Chef judge and her experience as part of a larger movement to create a more equitable and inclusive food world. 

Dana Cowin, spent two decades as the Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine Magazine until 2016. Cowin launched DBC Creative, a PR, branding and culinary connection consultancy with clients such as Dig Food Group, Neiman Marcus, and Governors Island. Simultaneously, she created “The Broadlies,” a podcast, event and content hub focusing on highlighting and linking extraordinary women in the food industry, including her podcast Speaking Broadly and a mentoring project Coaching Broadly.  In 2014 she published “Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen: Learning to Cook with 65 Great Chefs and Over 100 Delicious Recipes”. Cowin serves on the board of the Food Education Fund, the Food Council of City Harvest, a hunger-relief organization, and Hot Bread Kitchen, a workforce development group. Cowin was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Drink.