“Food” Track: March 11–13

The Forrest Four-Cast: February 7, 2017

As we prepare for the feast of SXSW content that will be announced on February 7, let’s investigate the three-day “Food” track at the 2017 event. The majority of these Food sessions occur at the Driskill (although a few of the Meet Ups in this track will happen at the JW Marriott).

1. 17 Ways Breakfast Is Transforming America. Every weekday morning since 1952, the TODAY show has had a metaphoric seat at the breakfast table of millions of viewers. This unprecedented position has yielded unique insights into the ways American families seek connection, comfort, and conversation around food — creating, in essence, a snapshot of America’s cultural evolution. Speakers include Jenna Bush Hager. Scheduled Sunday, March 12.
2. 2017 Food Trends Meet Up. Everyone wants to know what the next food trend will be. Mariam Parker of the Austin Food & Wine Alliance has scoured local and national reports, talked to friends and run to new restaurants to get the answers. Join this Meet Up and learn the answers from data and research. Scheduled Sunday, March 12.
3. From Political Capital to Culinary Powerhouse. This panel includes top Washington DC chefs about what is cooking, brewing, shaking, distilling, and thrilling residents and visitors to this political town, and how the right mix of social, political, and economic ingredients combined to give birth to a new creative economy for the nation’s Capital City. Scheduled Sunday, March 12.
4. Funding the FoodTech Revolution. Rob Wilder, co-founder of ThinkFoodGroup and founder of FoodTech Angels, will lead a panel of FoodTech innovators disrupting different parts of the food business: from urban agriculture to a marketplace for small culinary artisans. Their unique insights will enlighten entrepreneurs, investors, enthusiasts and activists. Scheduled Sunday, March 12.
5. How AI/Machine Learning Will Change the Way We Eat. Speakers from leading food tech startups working on identifying novel flavor combinations, developing intelligent cooking appliances, and building personalized food discovery experiences will discuss the state-of-the-art in food-related artificial intelligence — the problems being solved, the methodologies and algorithms being used, opportunities, and examples of successes and failures — and contemplate the future of food. One of the many many AI-related sessions that will be part of the 2017 lineup. Scheduled Sunday, March 12.
6. Livestreaming and the Future of Food TV. This panel explores America’s obsession with cooking shows and how social media is revolutionizing that format. From Julia Child’s groundbreaking — The French Chef — to the democratization of culinary content by YouTube, we’ll walk through the roots of food entertainment, where it is now, and what’s in store for the future. Scheduled Monday, March 13.
7. Seeds of Disruption: The Future of Protein. Learn about the alternatives to conventional meat, dairy, and eggs that are cleaner, safer, and more sustainable. This session will highlight some of what are currently deemed to be change-makers in the search for the the future of protein. Scheduled Sunday, March 12.
8. Small Plates, Big Data: Food Tracking & Privacy. MyFitnessPal has over 80 million registered users worldwide. What could we learn about the world from this data? How can it be used to improve public health and shape our behavior? And, if you are what you eat, what privacy concerns are raised by our appetite for big data? Scheduled Sunday, March 12.
9. The Smart Kitchen: Cooking Better with Technology. With speakers from IDEO and Edible, this session covers the hardware and software innovations coming to the home and commercial kitchens, revolutionizing the preparation of food and improving restaurant experiences. Scheduled Saturday, March 11.
10. Stay Hungry: Increasing Diversity with Food & Hip Hop. Urban music serves as a tool of familiarity when introducing kids, particularly those in inner city neighborhoods to the possibilities of the culinary arts world and food in general. Scheduled Monday, March 13.

Other compelling tracks at SXSW include “Brands & Marketing” (March 11–16), “Government” (March 10–13), “Intelligent Future” (March 11–16), “Journalism” (March 11–16), “Social Impact” (March 11–15) and “Startup Village” (March 10–16). See the day-by-day list of tracks on this page and browse the full online schedule of all March 10–19 events here.

The deadline to save $100 on the walkup price for SXSW 2017 is end of the day on Friday, February 10. Before you make your purchase, please watch this short video to better understand the increased badge functionality and flexibility for this year’s March Magic.

Hugh Forrest tries to write four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts generally cover technology-related trends. When not attempting to wordsmith or meditating, he serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW in Austin.