Through participating and organizing events, Hot Bread Kitchen cultivates critical connections that foster change, generate opportunities for industry progress, and provide brave space for conversations about job quality, social and economic equity, allyship, and leadership.
Past Events
PROOF Pitch Program + Showcase
At Hot Bread Kitchen’s first PROOF Pitch Program + Showcase in October 2022, five food entrepreneurs of color from across New York City got the opportunity to “proof” their products for a panel of culinary experts. Shelly Flash of 2 Girls & A Cookshop took home the “Best in Show” prize, winning $14,000 in kitchen rental, financial advising and continued Access to Markets opportunities with Hot Bread Kitchen.
Putting Quality Jobs on the Menu: A Recipe for Thriving Workers and Thriving Businesses
At Hot Bread Kitchen, we hear again and again from food businesses that they want to do better by their teams, and we are committed to getting them there. Hear real-world approaches and best practices from people building stronger businesses, who will give owners and operators concrete ideas and tactics for their own operations.
Food Entrepreneurship Forum, 2020
Hot Bread Kitchen’s Food Entrepreneurship Forum was a 3-day virtual event for anyone invested in rebuilding a more equitable and inclusive small business community. The Forum featured educational panels, workshops, pitching opportunities, and cooking classes–all with a focus on uplifting Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) and working to ensure every entrepreneur has the opportunity to thrive.
The Kitchen Conference, 2019
Workers’ voices are often left out of critical conversations about how the food industry operates. The Kitchen Conference convened 200+ food service workers at all levels of the industry: chefs, educators and human resource professionals, advocates, supervisors, and entry-level hourly staff to engage in actionable solutions on critical equity and inclusion topics. The Conference featured 11 sessions (panels, workshops, and keynotes) on topics including allyship, job quality, inclusive hiring, leadership, and building a supportive culture.
Black History Month, 2020
During Black History Month, we heard directly from chefs as they explored themes of Black culture and identity and shared their stories of what food means for them, their families, and their communities. Our cooking classes and demos directly supported Black entrepreneurs and owners who have grown their food businesses at Hot Bread Kitchen.
The Real Implications of Artificial Intelligence: How AI Technology Affects Hiring – presented with NYCETC
As more and more employers adopt new recruiting and interviewing technologies powered by artificial intelligence (AI), longstanding hiring practices are shifting across industries—sometimes for the better, sometimes not. In this panel, we explored the AI hiring technologies in use today, dissected how their rising popularity affects NYC job seekers, and evaluated the implications for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts across sectors.
Panelists included: Karen Bornarth, Hot Bread Kitchen, moderator; Julia Stoyanovich, Assistant Professor of Computer Science & Engineering, and of Data Science, New York University; Andres Blank, CEO, Fetcher; Troy LeClaire, Chief of Staff, RippleMatch
Speakers Bureau
Our team is well-versed and prepared to speak on a variety of topics, including social enterprise, small business, workforce development, DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, allyship), job quality, women and families, and more.
Please contact Margo at msivin@hotbreadkitchen.org to discuss opportunities for events, press, and more.
Select speaking engagements have included: NYC Employment & Training Coalition Conference, NGO Committee on the Status of Women Forum, Women in Finance, Whole Foods Market, Museum of the City of New York, Speciality Food Association’s Fancy Food Show, Capital One, Yelp, Chanel, WeWork FoodLabs, Made in NYC, Cherry Bombe Jubilee, Food+Tech Connect, and more.
