On the evening of January 24, 2026, culinary storytelling took root at Ford’s Farm in South Florida, as some of Miami’s most innovative chefs joined forces with a visionary farmer for an extraordinary farm-to-table dinner experience.
For Centenary College of Louisiana’s bicentennial gala in Shreveport, Sodexo ensured the culinary experience was worthy of the historic milestone.
The Spotlight Centenary gala in late 2025 brought together donors, alumni and campus leadership to celebrate the college’s 200th anniversary. A longstanding campus partner, Sodexo—led by General Manager Shanta Chatman and District Chef Norman Hunt—worked closely with college leadership to build a menu that felt elevated without alienating a wide-ranging guest list.
University dining halls haven’t always been known for culinary excellence. For many college grads, the cafeteria brings back memories of bland, boring buffets.
Today, that stereotype is being phased out of the curriculum, thanks to such campus foodservice providers such as Elior Collegiate Dining. The company—which serves more than 35 million meals annually at college and university campuses throughout the U.S.—tailors its offerings to what students want. Whether that’s the latest TikTok food trend, a macro count with every meal or the ability to order through the dining plan on Grubhub, Elior is meeting Gen Z students where they are.
America’s restaurant industry is poised for a year of measured growth, though a cooling labor market, persistent cost pressures and cautious household spending will continue to challenge operator margins.
According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry report, total restaurant and foodservice sales are projected to reach $1.55 trillion, and restaurant operators are forecast to add more than 100,000 jobs.
The once-ubiquitous heaping buffet platter is losing its place at the table. At corporate gatherings and weddings alike, caterers are seeing a decisive shift toward smaller, more curated food experiences that prioritize presentation and guest engagement over portion size.
That was among the key takeaways from the inaugural meeting of the CFE News Editorial Advisory Board, held this month. The board brings together leading U.S. caterers to discuss the trends and challenges shaping the industry.
In autumn 2025, Reverie No. 1 marked the launch of LUX Catering & Events’ LUX Supper Club series, an immersive, chef-led dining experience designed to blur the lines between food, art, memory and imagination [four additional dinners will take place this year]. Some 51 guests dined at one long communal table overlooking the city skyline, creating an atmosphere that felt intimate, cinematic and quietly transportive.
Rachael Volz—CEO and owner of A Fare Extraordinaire, The Revaire, and Goodie Rentals in Houston—introduces CFE News readers to Lucky, the sweet goldendoodle who lives up to his name.
A recipe from the iconic Brown Derby restaurant, reprinted with permission from “Citrus, Illustrated” by George Geary, Chronicle Books, 2026
Texas leads the nation for the most projected culinary industry jobs by 2032, according to a study by Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.
The state-by-state breakdown analyzed national and state-level employment projections, comparing projected trends and actual growth across all 50 states.
By Jay Webber, publisher of CFE News Sometimes a change of scene doesn’t require a passport—just a reservation. Recently Sara
