Speakers 2027
The education opportunities at Cater+Event feature presentations from more than 100 industry luminaries who have been there, done that, and are armed with content that’s trendy, thought-provoking, and always influential.
Mark Lopez, Chef | Farmer | Owner, Crave Catering
Mark Lopez is Chef, Farmer, and Owner of Crave Catering, a boutique farm-to-table catering company in Portland, Oregon, with roots dating back to 1998. Crave got its start as a small downtown taqueria, and Mexican food remains at the core of the brand's identity to this day. Mark trained under two James Beard Award-winning Southwestern chefs before building Crave into a company trusted by some of the Pacific Northwest's most recognizable names, including Nike, OHSU, Lewis & Clark, Fortis Construction, and Freres Lumber — growing the business to more than $2 million in annual revenue at its peak. By design, Crave takes on one event per day. That boutique approach has shaped Mark's entire philosophy on selling and running a catering business: build real relationships, lead with quality and story over volume, and never treat a client like a transaction. Mark is also the co-owner, alongside his partner Nikki, of Gather and Feast Farm, a 20-acre regenerative agritourism farm in La Center, Washington. The farm raises Highland cattle and supplies Crave with farm-direct ingredients, giving Mark a front-row seat to a side of the industry most caterers never touch — and a powerful example of how sustainability and sourcing transparency can become a genuine selling point rather than a marketing checkbox. Crave has donated more than 16,000 pounds of food to Portland-area shelters, a reflection of Mark's belief that a catering business should give back to the community it feeds. A familiar face on the CaterSource stage, Mark has presented at the conference for eight years, often alongside longtime friend and fellow industry veteran Steve DeAngelo. Known for his energy, candor, and "Mark the Spark" approach to both food and business, Mark brings a refreshingly direct perspective to conversations about sales, brand-building, and what it actually takes to compete in catering today — informed by decades on the ground as both an operator and a salesperson, not just a consultant talking theory. Whether he's behind the grill, walking the pasture at Gather and Feast Farm, or on stage challenging a room full of caterers to rethink how they sell, Mark's message is consistent: stop taking orders, and start building something worth choosing.