Stay StarryEyed

Liz Parker Kuhn has spent more than a decade covering candy, snacks, bakery, and the brands behind them as Senior Editor of Candy Industry and Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery . Just in time for Halloween, she shares the latest innovations, flavors, and formats to watch (and taste). From Nerds Gummy Clusters, Skittles Gummy Crystals and Tootsie Hoots to new OREO LTOs, better-for-you gummies, unex...

How often do we introduce ourselves by what we do? Our job titles become part of our identity. Promotions become proof we’re succeeding. And when a job changes or ends, it can leave us questioning more than what comes next. But we are so much more than what we do for a living. Allison Hill knows we can define success differently. She is the Chief Social Impact & Content Officer at Roark Capita...

The best businesses don't start with a bang. They start with a small problem someone finally decided to solve. Tracey Pickett is the founder and CEO of Hairbrella, an eight-figure brand she built from a single patented rain hat into a multi-category platform for hair protection. A former intellectual property attorney, she holds multiple patents, has raised venture capital, and has been featured o...

Why do some new products take off while others quietly disappear? It comes down to how well the team creating them knows their customer. Mindy Armstrong is the VP of Menu Innovation at Tropical Smoothie Cafe, bringing more than 20 years of culinary and marketing experience. Before Tropic Time, she led menu innovation at Perkins and Buffalo Wild Wings. She also serves on FSR's Next Gen Council and...

What separates leaders who talk about culture from leaders who actually create it? Paul Macaluso is CEO of Torchy's Tacos, the Austin-based brand known for its award-winning queso and "Damn Good" tacos. He brings 30 years of experience, most recently as president and CEO of Another Broken Egg Cafe. He also held senior leadership roles at Go To Foods across McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill,...

Doing the right thing and protecting your margins don't have to be opposite goals. You just need to know where to start. Saloni Doshi is CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer at EcoEnclose, an industry-leading provider of sustainable packaging for leading e-commerce brands. She shares how she helps brands like Crocs and Chö Chocolates create packaging that strengthens sustainability impact with a N...

What if the real advantage of AI isn’t the model, but the context you give it? Tammy Billings is Vice President of Business Development at Signal Flare AI and one of the most knowledgeable leaders in restaurant technology. After a career spanning entertainment, restaurant marketing, and technology, Tammy has become a trusted translator between tech and the leaders who need to use it to make better...

What if the most powerful thing a brand can offer isn't a product or a price point, but a moment you will never forget? Sam Torgerson is Vice President of Global Sales for Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, an independent lifestyle luxury brand with properties around the world. With 20+ years in high-end hospitality spanning Vail Resorts, Marriott International, and Ritz-Carlton, Sam has built a career...

Most people spend their lives trying to find the right path. Dr. McCulloch continues to find the perfect ones. Liz’s dad is an adventurer, doctor, entrepreneur, rancher, investor, husband, father of six, grandfather of 24, and volunteer physician for 30+ international medical missions. His story began in the woods of Ohio, where a love of nature sparked a fascination with biology. That curiosity l...

Most people only apply for jobs they're already qualified for. But what if you're meant for more — or something completely different? Marita Swift knew what she wanted to do next. She just wasn't qualified. Yet. Marita is the VP of Strategic Growth at The Big Biscuit, a Kansas City-based breakfast and lunch concept where she leads franchise development, market expansion, and growth strategy. Her p...

What if crisis and conflict can be the beginning of your most meaningful work? Katrina Markoff, founder of Violet Flame Chocolate and Vosges Haut-Chocolat, has spent her career building brands that are impossible to replicate. Long before “immersive experiences” became a marketing trend, Katrina was blending storytelling, global ingredients, rituals, craftsmanship, and imagination to create the mo...

How do you ensure 60-year-old brands last another 60 and beyond? Paul Damico is the CEO of Ascent Hospitality Management, parent company of Perkins and Huddle House, two breakfast brands that have been serving guests for generations. Paul brings more than four decades leading brands from Moe's Southwest Grill and Cinnabon to Fuzzy's Taco Shop, NAF NAF Grill, and Global Franchise Group. Paul shares...

What if the best way to expand your brand is to stop following the typical playbook? Kate Assaraf is the founder of Dip, the plastic-free haircare brand that has sold thousands of shampoo and conditioner bars without paid advertising, Amazon, or influencers. Instead, Dip has grown through word of mouth, independent refill retailers, authentic storytelling, and products people want to share with th...

What does it take to build a brand people trust enough to choose and help grow? Jennifer Dodd is CEO of Main Squeeze Juice Company, and Tyler Owen is a new franchisee who recently joined the brand after a career at Panera. Together, they share two perspectives about building a brand: the leader shaping its future and the operator executing it, highlighting the special relationship between franchis...

Want to grow a brand people discover and share without paying for attention? Esther McIlvain is Head of Marketing at Hawkers Asian Street Food, where she leads brand strategy, creative, marketing, and communications for the fast-growing concept. Since joining, she has helped shape Hawkers’ evolution and doubled their store count with the power of repeat guests, recommendations, and community conne...

What does it take to make sure your brand delivers on what it promises? Eric Martino is President of the Hard Rock Cafe Division at Hard Rock International, where he leads 170 cafes around the world with the global retail business. While Hard Rock’s hotels and casinos continue to grow, the cafe division represents a different kind of challenge: how to evolve an iconic experience to meet today’s gu...

What happens when a frustrating moment turns into a business idea you can’t ignore? Annabel Hay is the founder of CLUTCH, the first fashion glue designed to fix wardrobe malfunctions that has turned into a globally-patented product and fast-growing brand. After four years of development CLUTCH is a fast-growing, category-shaping brand now carried by retailers like Urban Outfitters and CVS. Annabel...

What does it really take to make an old brand exciting again? George Felix is Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Brinker International, where he leads marketing for Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy. He’s helped bring Chili’s back to category leadership in both sales and traffic by pairing brand strategy with better operations, smarter focus, and a lot of cre...

How do you lead a fast-growing brand while managing complexity, embracing new technology, and preparing for what’s next? Laurie Schalow is the Chief Corporate Affairs and Food Safety Officer at Chipotle, where she oversees communications, sustainability, customer experience, and food safety across more than 4,000 restaurants. From rebuilding trust to scaling operations and advancing sustainable de...

What if the best way to get ahead is to stop pretending and being your true self? Erin Levzow consults as CMO for CapitalSpring, a restaurant-focused investment firm, and the co-host of Bite-Sized and Bossy, the fastest-growing restaurant podcast. Her career has spanned theater, hospitality, digital marketing, resorts, restaurants, and experiential brands including MGM Resorts, Caesars, Wingstop,...

What if the future of creative leadership is less loud and more quiet power? Emma Baines is Global Head of Creative at Tony’s Chocolonely, the mission-driven chocolate brand working to end exploitation in cocoa. Emma has built a career of bold ideas, strong teams, and creative cultures where people can do their very best work. Emma shares how Tony’s turns purpose into product design, packaging, an...

How do you expand a beloved family brand without losing its soul? Elias Lehnert is the co-founder and owner of Legacy Pie Co., a fourth generation pie company reimagining what the modern bakery can be. After growing up in the Colorado Cherry Company business, Elias and his wife Rachel launched Legacy Pie Co. with the same iconic recipes, plus new name, identity, and ways to engage the community. E...

What happens when you turn one product into a branded point of view? Matthew Carver is the founder of The Cheese Bar, The Cheese Barge, and Pick & Cheese, the world’s first conveyor belt restaurant dedicated entirely to cheese. What started as a bright yellow grilled cheese truck at music festivals has evolved into an international hospitality brand with locations across the UK, Berlin, and no...

What if creativity isn’t something you’re given… but something you claim? Satyne Doner is the Senior Editor of Women in Restaurant Leadership at QSR and FSR Magazines. In just a few years, she has helped grow WiRL from one event into a media ecosystem of articles, podcasts, webinars, power hours, and a sold out, flagship summit that brings 500 women together to connect, learn, and lead. Satyne sha...

You can’t scale a brand today without scaling content. Yet, most companies are still using outdated systems, fragmented teams, and expensive models that weren’t built for the modern marketplace. Liz Giorgi is the co-founder and CEO of soona, the all-in-one creative platform to make, manage, and optimize high-quality photo and video content across channels. She shares how she replaced expensive, di...