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IFMA’s Chain Operators EXchange (COEX) brought several hundred operators, food manufacturers, suppliers, and industry service providers to Kansas City, MO, March 3 to 5. Throughout the event, food manufacturing companies showcased their products and shared culinary creations tailored to operator kitchens.

The two main chef-led events of COEX 2024 were the opening evening reception, allowing attendees to sample a wide variety of dishes at stations surrounding the reception area, and the well-respected IFMA Menu-a-thon, held during the general sessions on Monday.



Menu-a-thon opened with a review of current food trends and then saw those trends brought to life in dishes presented by chefs from eight companies: Custom Culinary, Entegra, Impossible Foods, ofi, Tyson, Unilever, Ventura Foods, and Wayne-Sanderson-Farms.

We’ve outlined the culinary offerings at both the reception and in Menu-a-thon here.

Opening Reception

Atalanta: Benedetto Cavalieri Orecchiette Pasta with Menu Pomodorina Tomato Sauce, Menu Mushroom Truffle Sauce

The Coca-Cola Company: Simply Mixology Peach Sour, Simply Mixology Lime Margarita, and Simply Mixology Strawberry Guava Mojito

EW Grobbel: Slider Station (including Smoked Brisket Pastrami; Smoked Pork Burnt Ends; Hickory Smoked Sliced Brisket – all on brioche buns)

Farm Frites: Chef's Harvest, skin-on french fries

Kellanova: Caviar & Pringles, Candied Bacon Club Crackers, Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts®  featured in Ida’s Artisan Apple Ice Cream, and Frosted Confetti Cupcake Pop-Tarts® featured in Ida’s Artisan Cupcake Ice Cream

Kerry: Blood orange spritz and a watermelon ranch water

Lux Ice: Premium beverage ice spheres – slow melting craft ice

Nestlé Professional: Sweet Heat Pizza (with Stouffer’s® Pizza Tomato Sauce and Minor’s® Pineapple Jalapeño Sauce); Savory Sweet Pizza (with Stouffer’s® White Cheddar Sauce and Minor’s® Bacon Jam, Nestle Toll HouseTM Chocolate Chip Cookie Shots

PepsiCo: Doritos, Tostitos & Fritos Walking Taco/Nacho Bar and Cocktails: Dewgarita and Pepsi Zero Sugar Old Fashioned and Mocktail: Bubly Blackberry Smash


Menu-a-thon

Chef Alvaro Lima from Unilever: Guajillo and Garlic Mushroom Tostada, Avocado and Pineapple Crema, Spiced Corn dusting, Radish and Micro Cilantro.

Chefs Steve Logan and Trever Defelice from Ventura Foods: Spicy Pork Belly CinnaJang Rolls

Chef John Csukor from Entegra: Baha Banh Mi - Smithfield Pork Carnitas, on La Brea Bakery Telera Roll, with Fresh Slaw, and Hellmann's Spicy Mayo

Chef Thomas Wenrich from Tyson: Wright® Brand Steak Cut Bacon with Tofu, Pickles & Crispies

Chef Renate DeGeorge Vujic from Custom Culinary: Tikka Grilled Cheese & Makhani Soup – with True Foundations® Ready-To-Use Frozen Tikka Masala Sauce, served with a soup made with True Foundations® Ready-To-Use Frozen Indian-Style Butter Sauce

Chef Jill Houk from ofi: Roasted Chilled Pork Tenderloin Salad - marinated in ofi's Upcycled Jalapeno Sesame Lime Sauce, dressed with ofi's Upcycled Jalapeno Sesame Lime Dressing

Chef Aneesha Hargrave from Impossible Foods: ImpossibleTM Larb Beef & Crispy Rice Salad

Chef Beau Batchelor from Wayne-Sanderson-Farms: Arancini of Wild Mushroom and Chicken Confit

“The fantastic thing about having so many chefs with us at COEX is getting the opportunity to taste their products and speak with them,” said IFMA VP of Partnerships, Ellen Devine. “It’s really a win-win for our attending foodservice operators as well as the manufacturers. COEX brings everyone together to get business done – and we eat well too!”

Our Menu-a-thon and Opening Reception are not the only ways IFMA member companies brought flavor to COEX. Throughout the conference, additional food, beverages, and snacks were offered from the following companies, ensuring that our attendees see some of the best the food-away-from-home industry has to offer. IFMA thanks all of our partners for their support.


Breakfasts

Bush Brothers: Breakfast Fiesta Bean Scrambler, Bush's Best Fiesta Breakfast Toast

The Coca-Cola Company: Core Power (Chocolate, Strawberry & Vanilla), Fairlife Milk & Chocolate Milk, Minute Maid Cranberry Apple Raspberry & Orange Juice

Hormel: Fontanini Chicken Cranberry Sausage, Nobel Star Ranch Bacon

The J.M. Smucker Company: Folgers 1850 Regular and Decaf Coffee, Assorted Smucker's jams and honey, and Jif portion control peanut butter

PepsiCo: Quaker Oatmeal, Naked Juice Coconut Water, Berry Blast, Mighty Mango, Green Machine, Strawberry Banana, Blue Machine, Red Machine, and Tropicana Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Zero Sugar Lemonade, Summer Splash

WK Kellogg: Granola Crust Yogurt Cheesecake with Berries, Cereal Milk Lattes, Frosted Flake Crusted French Toast Sando’s

Registration Café

Conagra: Udi's Blueberry Muffin, Udi's Double Chocolate Muffin

The Coca-Cola Company*: Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Fanta Orange, Fanta Orange Zero, Sprite, Sprite Zero Sugar, Gold Peak Sweet Tea, Gold Peak Unsweet Tea, smartwater, smartwater Alkaline w/ Antioxidants, Core Power (Chocolate, Strawberry & Vanilla), Fairlife Milk, Fairlife Chocolate Milk, Minute Maid Cranberry Apple Raspberry, Minute Maid Orange Juice, Powerade Mountain Blast, Powerade Zero Mixed Berry, Minute Maid Aguas Frescas Hibiscus, Minute Maid Aguas Frescas Strawberry, Minute Maid Aguas Frescas Mango, BodyArmor Sports Water

Costa: Costa Coffee Smart Cafe

Hershey*: Payday Bars, ROLO Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel, Almond Joy Bars, Jolly Rancher Soft Chews, Twizzlers Cherry Nibs, Hershey's Cookies 'N' Crème Bars, Kitkat Milk Chocolate Bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Reese's Take5 Bars, Heath Toffee Bars, Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars, Icebreakers Spearmint, Icebreakers Spearmint

Kellanova: Cheez- It, Pringles, Homestyle Rice Krispies Treats, RX Bars, RX AM Bars, Eggo Belgium-Style Waffles

Nestlé Professional*: Nescafe Coffee Kiosk with Ultimate Barista, Seattle's Best Coffee and coffeemate creamer

PepsiCo: Life WTR, Gatorlyte, Gatorade Zero, bubly, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Starry, Starry Zero, Mtn Dew, Mtn Zero, Rockstar Zero, KeVita Lemonade, KeVita Sparkling Lemon Ginger, KeVita Sparkling Strawberry Acai Coconut, KeVita Sparkling Lime Mint Coconut, Cheetos® Cheese Snacks Crunchy Flamin' Hot, Doritos® Tortilla Chips Cool Ranch, Doritos® Tortilla Chips Nacho Cheese, Doritos® Sweet And Tangy BBQ, Fritos® Corn Chips Chili Cheese, Lay's® Kettle Chips 40% Less Fat Smoky BBQ, Lay's® Kettle Chips 40% Less Fat Original, Lay's® Kettle Chips 40% Less Fat Salt & Vinegar, Lay's® Kettle Chips Jalapeno, Miss Vickie's® Kettle Sea Salt & Vinegar, Miss Vickie's® Kettle Sea Salt Original, Miss Vickie's® Kettle Smokehouse BBQ, Ruffles® Baked Potato Crisps Cheddar Sour Cream, Nut Harvest® Mixed Nuts, Jack Links® Jerky Doritos Spicy Sweet Chilli, Jack Links® Bites Original, Jack Links® Bites Teriyaki, Qkr Popped Rice Crisps Caramel Corn, Qkr Popped Rice Crisps Cheddar, Rold Gold® Pretzels Classic Style Tiny Twists, Snackers Hummus with Pretzels, Fun Snacker Buffalo Hummus w/Tostitos

Rich Products: Hershey’s Brownie Slice, Reese's Brownie Slice, Christie Cookie Triple Chocolate Blonde

*Supplied same products to session breaks

Session Breaks

Aspire Bakeries: Otis Spunkmeyer Muffins - Wild Blueberry/ Banana Nut/Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Lemon Poppy Seed, Cheese Streusel, Blueberry Crumb Cake, Apple Cinnamon Pecan, and Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies - Chocolate Chunk, Double Chocolate Caramel, Apple Cinnamon Oat, and Otis Spunkmeyer Brownie, Otis Spunkmeyer Double Chunky Chocolate Dream, Otis Spunkmeyer Cranberry Oatmeal, Otis Spunkmeyer Double Chocolate with Pink Milk Chocolate Candy Gems

Javo Beverage Company: Pomegranate Pineapple Energy Lemonade, Blackberry Energy Lemonade, Mango Guava Iced Tea, Peach Ginger Hibiscus Iced Tea, Guatemalan Cold Brew Coffee, French Vanilla Iced Latte, Caramel Iced Latte, Honey Lavender Iced Latte

The J.M. Smucker Company: Uncrustables



COEX 2025 will be held March 2-4, 2025, in Kansas City.