Keynote Sessions

Enjoy the following keynote sessions while attending FNCE^®

• Opening Session
• Mission in Motion
• Closing Session

Opening Session

Saturday, October 11; 3 - 4:30 p.m. Central time

Carla Hall

Chef | Author | TV Host

Carla Hall first won over audiences when she competed on Bravo's "Top Chef" and "Top Chef: All Stars" and shared her philosophy to always cook with love. She is a trained chef who has worked in several professional restaurant kitchens in and around the Washington, D.C. area and believes food connects us all, a belief she strives to convey through her work, her cooking, and in her daily interactions with others.

Carla spent 7 years co-hosting ABC's Emmy award winning, popular lifestyle series "The Chew," and is currently featured as the Host of "Chasing Flavors" on Max, and on the Food Network as a judge on competition shows such as "Harry Potter: The Wizards of Baking" and the "Summer, Holiday and Halloween Baking Championships." Her latest cookbook, Carla Hall's Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, was published in 2018, landing on annual "Best Cookbook" lists across the country and receiving an NAACP Image Awards nomination. Carla is also currently being honored by Les Dames d'Escoffier as Grande Dame, a lifetime achievement award and honorary title given to members in recognition of extraordinary contributions within the fields of food, beverage and hospitality. She has published a children's book, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread (2021), a heartwarming tale loosely based on Hall's childhood growing up in Nashville, TN, and her second children's book Carla and the Tin Can Cake will be available October 2025.

Mission in Motion

Monday, October 13; 1:30 - 3 p.m. Central time

Ellie Krieger, MS, RDN

Chef | Registered Dietitian | Author | Host

Host and executive producer of the cooking series "Ellie's Real Good Food" on Public Television and well known from her hit Food Network show "Healthy Appetite," Ellie Krieger is a New York Times bestselling, IACP and two-time James Beard Foundation award winning author of seven cookbooks. She is a weekly food columnist for The Washington Post, podcast host, and author of a weekly Substack newsletter.

A registered dietitian nutritionist who earned her bachelor's in clinical nutrition from Cornell University and her master's in nutrition education from Teachers College, Columbia University, Ellie finds happiness living with her daughter and husband in New York City where most days you can find her walking or biking in Central Park.

Closing Session

Tuesday, October 14; 2 - 3 p.m. Central time

Andy Cohen

Host | Executive Producer

Andy Cohen is an Emmy Award-winning host, producer, and author best known as the host and executive producer of Emmy-Nominated "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Bravo's late night, interactive talk show. The series is the only live show in late night television and consistently makes headlines with bold interviews viewers don't see anywhere else. Cohen serves as executive producer on over 11 properties across NBCUniversal. He also has two personally curated channels on SiriusXM "Radio Andy" and "Andy Cohen's Kiki Lounge," and his own book imprint, Andy Cohen Books. He has been a New York Times best-selling author five times and hosts CNN's NYE Special with Anderson Cooper.

In his ten years as an executive at Bravo he was responsible for an aggressive slate of unscripted series and specials including hits. Cohen received an Emmy award when season six of "Top Chef" won at the 2010 primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for 18 additional Emmy Awards. In 2019, Cohen was awarded the Vito Russo Award by GLAAD. In June 2020, Andy was recognized in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety's Most Powerful LGBTQ Players in Hollywood lists. Additionally, Cohen received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2022. Born in St. Louis, Cohen resides in New York City with his son, Benjamin Cohen and daughter, Lucy Cohen.