Katie Ayoub is a flavor trends expert, content creator and F&B consultant for special events. With more than 20 years in the foodservice industry, she has gained a reputation as a thought leader, known for her sharp trend-based foresight and her ability to provide sound context around sustaining trends and shifting consumer behavior. She delivers forward-thinking editorial, seasoned insights and dynamic trends presentations—all aimed at inspiring chefs in their future menu development.

She serves as managing editor of Flavor & The Menu magazine, the restaurant industry’s leading authority on flavor trends, and is the content director of the Flavor Experience, an annual conference geared toward chefs. Katie is a regular speaker and moderator at various industry events across the country, including the Flavor Experience, The Culinary Vegetable Institute, and The Culinary Institute of America. She has also served as a judge for numerous cooking competitions, including the PBS network’s “The Great American Seafood Cook-Off.”

In the world of custom copy development, Katie specializes in creating content that engages chefs and menu developers while delivering effective brand messaging for food manufacturers and commodity boards. Through her years of industry perspective and experience, she understands the intended market and knows how to connect to it in a meaningful, productive way.

She is proud of the long-standing partnerships forged with many of her clients: Katie has worked with the Kraft Heinz Foodservice’s CRM team since 2006, with the editorial team at Flavor & The Menu since 2008 and with the agency Summit Group since 2017, providing content for Bel Brands, Barilla Global and True Aussie Beef & Lamb, among others.

In 2021, she served as creative co-director of F&B for the Toyota National Dealer Meeting, a gala that hosts more than 4,000 attendees. She and her partner were charged with elevating the food & beverage through creating a compelling experience with trend-forward flavors and engaging guest chef interactions.

With English parents, a Canadian husband and a childhood spent in Latin America and the Caribbean, Katie enjoyed global flavor mash-ups before they became a trend. She is an award-winning writer and a proud member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and the International Foodservice Editorial Council. A graduate of Northwestern University, she currently lives in a Chicago suburb and is not afraid to admit that she loves a big, buttery Chardonnay.