The theme of this year's Roots conference is empowerment and both Chef Falkner and Chef Folse deftly embody the principles of this powerful word that is so integral to our culinary community.

Chef Falkner is a multi-award winning chef, television personality and cookbook author whose restaurant Citizen Cake was a beloved institution in the San Francisco Bay Area for over two decades.

Her career-long commitment to empowering our food world through action-based work is illustrated in countless endeavors including her leadership role in the Women Chefs and Restauranteurs and her Warrior Wellness program which is focused on strengthening both our minds and our bodies through healthy eating and physical fitness.

Chef John Folse is an award winning chef and restauranteur who has been committed to the empowerment of his state of Louisiana since the inception of his career. His lifelong commitment to the study and preservation of his region's food culture is as admirable as his dedication to the ingredients grown in his state and to the people who grow them.

We are so honored to welcome Chef Falkner and Chef Folse to The Chef's Garden as our keynote speakers for Roots: Empower 2016. The messages of empowerment they have to deliver are sure to resonate long after the conference concludes and we could not be more delighted to host them at Roots.

Please join us on September 19th-20th for our fourth annual Roots conference to learn, connect and empower!