Sophie Egan has been a guest speaker at conferences including the Future of Food Summit (EatingWell/IFIC, New York, NY), the Good Food Conference (Good Food Institute, San Francisco, CA), the Fancy Food Show (Specialty Foods Association, San Francisco, CA), the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) annual conference (New York, NY, and Louisville, KY), and the Global Food Tourism Conference (Montreal, Canada); at colleges and universities including Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley (Edible Education 101, 2020 and 2021), Northeastern, The Food Business School, Lebanon Valley College, and University of the Pacific; at companies such as Adobe, Google, IDEO, and Simple Mills; and at cultural hubs such as Town Hall Seattle and Climate One from The Commonwealth Club.
Since the pandemic, Sophie has appeared in more virtual conferences, panels, and talks than she can count. They include: Rhode Island Food Systems Summit (held by the University of Rhode Island, appearance starts at 50:20); FTalks20 (held by KM ZERO Food Innovation Hub, Spain, appearance starts at 2:35:32); Beyond the Lunchbox (Kiwi Magazine, digital conference); Food is a Conversation: Sustainable Gastronomy Day (Future Food Institute, Italy); EAT@Home (EAT, global newscast, episode 2); Climate Week NYC, The Wellness Experience (Organic Spa Magazine, digital conference) and Food for Earth Day (Future Food Institute and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, global 24-hour virtual event).
Never thought I’d speak to an empty theater. Such were the unsettling times we were living in. In an eerie event live-streamed at Town Hall on March 19, 2020—sitting six feet apart of course—my dad, Tim Egan, and I did our best to be a resource for the Seattle community by offering tips and ideas for coronaconscious eating: feeding our bodies and souls as we all did our best to get through the pandemic.
Sophie brings authority and a fresh take to topics that include:
Conscious eating—making food choices that are good for you, others, and the planet
Food systems change and accelerating solutions at the intersection of food, health, and climate: how the role of food in daily life (consumption) relates to the problems associated with our current food system (production), and the many delicious ways that what’s good for human health is most often good for planetary health
Food labeling and health claims: empowering consumers to understand labeling loopholes, identify misleading marketing claims, and outsmart them in the grocery store
American food culture
How American values—a strong work ethic and penchant for productivity; fierce independence and emphasis on personal freedom; and unwavering faith in science, technology, and innovation—shape eating habits
Consumer insights and the psychology of food
Health and social behavior: how social norms affect food choices and other lifestyle behaviors that support or undermine well-being
The loss of food literacy—from culinary skills and confidence in the kitchen to seasonality and where food comes from. (All while, ironically, Americans express greater interest in food and “foodie” experiences than ever before.)
Food trends: the separation of fads from long-term shifts in the food landscape, and how those distinctions will shape the future of food
To inquire about speaking engagements, please contact Ashley Cave Himes at the Hachette Speakers Bureau: ashley.himes@hbgusa.com.