Texas Beef Council Hosts First Beef Loving Chefs Summit

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Aug. 25, 2021) – Beef Loving Chefs, a program of the Texas Beef Council (TBC), hosted the inaugural Beef Loving Chefs Summit at the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio on August 12-13, 2021. During the two-day event, forty chefs from across Texas learned about the beef lifecycle from pasture to plate from speakers who shared their valuable beef industry knowledge.

“The goal of the Summit was to bring Texas chefs from different sectors of the foodservice industry together and take a deep dive into the beef production process,” said Chef Robert Hale, manager of culinary and foodservice for TBC. “These chefs were able to hear from industry experts and share their own unique experiences as well. When they left the Summit, we wanted them to feel good about choosing beef and including it in more of their dishes, which has the potential to put beef on more consumer’s plates.”

Attendees included healthcare chefs, broadline center-of-the-plate specialists, high school and post-secondary chef instructors, independent restaurant chefs, college foodservice chefs and hotel executive chefs. Each of these specialists are largely tasked with educating their culinary staff or students about beef, while also developing menus and finding new ways to prepare beef that increase demand for the protein at their establishments.

Presenters at the Beef Loving Chefs Summit included Dr. Davey Griffin, professor and extension meat specialist at Texas A&M University; Dr. Travis Tennant, assistant professor of animal science at West Texas A&M University; Dr. David Anderson, professor and extension economist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University; and Dr. Jason Sawyer, associate professor and research scientist at the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management. Chef instructors from the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio performed cooking demos for dishes including beef pho, a ground beef cracker, oxtail pate, beef body butter and suadero and tripa street tacos. TBC’s own Registered Dietitian Hannah Fuerniss also provided a beef nutrition update. James Beard-nominated restaurant 2M Barbeque and James Beard-nominated Chef Johnny Hernandez, both of San Antonio, provided dinner and lunch for the Summit attendees. 

“We were very pleased with the enthusiasm and zest for learning that our chef attendees displayed during the very first Beef Loving Chefs Summit,” said Russell Woodward, senior manager of channel marketing for TBC. “By exposing them to the many ways that beef-centric dishes can benefit their own particular foodservice sector, we are giving them numerous reasons to include more beef on their menus or education plans. We hope to establish the Beef Loving Chefs Summit as a must-attend summer conference in the years to come.” 

To learn more about Beef Loving Chefs, visit BeefLovingTexans.com. For more information about the Texas Beef Council and the Texas Beef Checkoff, or to sign up for the Cattle Talk e-newsletter, visit TexasBeefCheckoff.com.

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The Texas Beef Council (TBC) conducts the $1 per head national checkoff program for Texas beef producers and is also the contractor for the Beef Promotion Research Council of Texas (BPRCT), which administers the $1 per head Texas state checkoff program. TBC’s mission is to increase beef demand in the state through programs of beef promotion, research and education. TBC also helps fund national and international beef checkoff programs to increase marketing opportunities around the globe.  The BPRCT’s mission is to improve Texas producer profitability by strengthening and expanding beef demand. The TBC and the BPRCT are directed by a 20-member board of cattlemen and women representing the state’s beef producers.