Flavor’s Katie Ayoub looked beyond TikTok’s viral moments to decode the deeper Gen Z motivations driving them (top center), while Johnson & Wales University’s Jason R. Evans, Ph.D., connected the economic and political forces shaping foodservice today and explored what a changing landscape means for the future of food and innovation (bottom left).

Beyond the stage, discovery continued through trend-forward tastes, including Twang Foodservice’s Caribbean Jerk Pork Croquette with Mango Chile Romesco (top left) and AFP’s Carajillo Shake Mocktail, pairing rum-flavored iced coffee with orange-scented crème fraîche, orange zest and spices (top right). Lentils.org offered inventive bites throughout (bottom right), while the Nestlé Professional team toasted with the Green with Envy, featuring Nestlé Vitality GLOW Green Garden—a blend of cucumber, kiwi and green apple finished with a matcha-yuzu cold foam (bottom center).

The 2026 Flavor Experience brought high-volume menu developers and industry innovators together in Newport Beach, Calif., for three days of flavor discovery and forward-looking ideas.