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.
Matthew Thompson, Chief Culinary Officer, Phoenix3 Collective
Matthew Thompson is among the most credentialed culinary executives in the United States, a Chief Culinary Officer whose work sits at the intersection of world-class culinary mastery, clinical nutrition science, and enterprise-scale operational leadership. Across 25+ years, he has transformed dining programs in fine dining, hotels, restaurants, contract foodservice, collegiate hospitality, senior living, healthcare, and corporate environments, building systems that convert foodservice from a cost center into a competitive differentiator, a clinical tool, and an expression of institutional values. As CCO of Phoenix3 Collective, Matthew provides strategic vision and operational architecture across three foodservice verticals: Restaura (senior living), Culinour (healthcare and behavioral health), and Infuse (corporate dining). He is the creator of the Dignified Plate™, a memory care dining program integrating IDDSI 2.0 compliance with dignity-centered hospitality, and co-architect of the ICAA Culinary & Hospitality Standards of Excellence, the national evidence-based benchmarks for senior living dining. Beyond his CCO role, he founded Rooted Impact Consulting and co-founded ROME Seed Co., a regenerative food innovation venture. Matthew is a guest lecturer at San Diego State University's Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, has appeared on ACF podcasts and webinars as a featured presenter, and speaks nationally at LeadingAge, ICAA, and industry conferences. He has been profiled in FoodService Director and on MSN, and many national keynote speaking events across the country. His credential stack, WCMC (fewer than 175 active globally), MWMCS, CIA ProChef III (fewer than 500 nationally), CEC, CCA, GRAE, MBA (Johnson & Wales), and a Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine from Harvard Medical School, represents a decades-long, disciplined investment in culinary craft, clinical nutrition, sustainable food systems, and dignified hospitality.