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The Food Party! just returned from Food Is Life, Food Is Health, a three-day gathering in Napa presented by the Culinary Institute of America and co-sponsored by Stanford University. Bringing together chefs, physicians, researchers, food producers, and wellness experts, the conference explored an important question: What happens when doctors and chefs work together? Rather than tell the story in words alone, we’re sharing it through photographs—capturing memorable dishes, inspiring speakers, innovative ingredients, and the conversations that are helping shape the future of food.
If you haven’t visited the CIA at Copia, put it on your foodie bucket list. This downtown Napa destination combines hands-on cooking and beverage classes, inspiring exhibits and events, a garden-to-table restaurant, wine tastings, a marketplace, and the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum under one roof. The nearly 80,000-square-foot complex spans a 12-acre campus beside Oxbow Market and serves as a showcase for culinary creativity. Not surprisingly, the Culinary Institute of America put on an exceptional conference—beautifully organized, educational, and delicious from start to finish.
Food – Star Attraction
Of course, the food was a star attraction, with this year’s conference spotlighting plant-based ingredients, vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains.
But the talks and presentations were fascinating as well.
Fermentation Frenzy
One of the conference highlights was a captivating talk by Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, Stanford’s Alex and Susie Algard Endowed Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, who shared insights from his world-renowned research on the human microbiome.
Watch for a future interview as we dive deeper into his work, as well as the research of fellow Stanford scientists Christopher Gardner, PhD, Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine and conference co-chair, and Vayu Hill-Maini, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering. Hill-Maini’s groundbreaking research harnesses fungi to transform food waste into nutritious new foods, advancing both human health and environmental sustainability. Interesting things continue to happen at Stanford.
Fermentation commanded center stage during a captivating session led by Mara King, Director of Fermentation and Sustainability for IDEST Restaurant Group. Through her inventive “speed fermentation” techniques, King proved that gut-healthy foods need not require weeks of waiting. She whipped up eight fermentation recipes while the clock counted down ten minutes, turning a complex culinary art into something approachable, practical, and delicious.
If there was one takeaway from Food Is Life, Food Is Health, it was that meaningful change can begin with what we choose to grow, cook, and eat every day. We hope these images capture some of the energy, creativity, and optimism that filled Napa throughout the conference. Please come back for seconds—more stories and interviews coming to a food party! near you.
