What Not To Miss At The Western Foodservice And Hospitality Expo

Every year, restaurant owners, managers, chefs, and industry experts descend on Los Angeles for the Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo. If you’re headed to the Expo this year, you probably have a list of exhibits and shows you want to see. But aside from those, you’ll have the opportunity to see over 400 vendors, plus plenty of amazing demonstrations. With that much choice, it can be hard to pick the perfect lineup. So today we’re going to tell you what not to miss. These are the exhibits and events that you’ll be kicking yourself for missing if you can’t fit them in.

Rob Floyd On Center Stage

Center Stage has some great names performing culinary demonstrations this year, and one of the most exciting is Rob Floyd. You may know Floyd from the TV show Bar Rescue, but he also has over 25 years of experience in the industry. Widely known as one of the best mixologists in the world, Floyd is the founder of RX Liquid Chef, a consultancy firm for restaurants and casinos in the U.S. Any restaurant owner or manager with a bar on the premises won’t want to miss Rob Floyd on Center Stage this year.

The Rapid Fire Challenge

Depending on its niche, a restaurant’s best friend may be a stellar sandwich that keeps drawing back the lunch crowd. But is it the best sandwich around? What about in the country? The Rapid Fire Challenge sets out to settle that question. Chefs from around the country have sent in their sandwich recipes, along with a short video explaining why theirs was the best. The organizers chose three to face off on Center Stage on Monday the 28th, demonstrating their recipes, and hoping to be crowned champion by the three judges. It should be a great time, and of course, you’ll get a chance to sample some of the best sandwich recipes in the country.

Culinary Clash: Battle LA

Held from 3:00-6:00 pm on Sunday the 27th, the 6th annual Culinary Clash is well worth your time. Ten restaurant teams will be pitted against each other in a showdown that requires them to prepare an appetizer and main course in 30 minutes. The competition is a fundraiser to raise money for the California Restaurant Association Foundation, but that doesn’t mean the teams won’t be racing to win. It’s the biggest event at the Expo and should be plenty of fun for any attendees.

Why Whiskey?

Journalist and whiskey expert Tom Fischer will present Why Whiskey on Monday the 28th at 5:00 pm. The program is another $50 to enter, but trust us, the price of admission is well worth it. You’ll get a first-class education on different types of whiskey, as well as getting to sample many of those excellent whiskeys. It’s a great way to relax at the end of the of the day and learn a little more about how you can improve your own whiskey selection.

These are all fun events that you won’t want to miss, and we hope to see you there. Although we won’t have a booth, we’ll be there on both Monday and Tuesday, and we’ll be live tweeting the whole time! Connect with us on Twitter at @Vitals_com.