For the past quarter century, the annual UCLA Extension Restaurant Industry Conference has become renowned as a collaborative forum where a diverse audience of restaurant owners, service professionals, executives, attorneys, real estate developers and entrepreneurs come together to engage on issues that matter most to the industry.

On May 1 at The Biltmore Los Angeles, attendees gathered to celebrate and investigate all corners of the restaurant world, culminating in the presentation of the Foodmanitarian Award to Father Gregory Boyle and the Innovation Award to Joth Ricci – an example of the variety of exemplary topics and people feted by the conference during the last 25 years.

“The restaurant industry is entering a transformative era,” said Anna Graves, conference chair and partner and co-leader of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s restaurant, food and beverage group. “As many of our presenters will discuss, this is an era of great change, economic uncertainty and rapid technological advances. Restaurant operators must develop new strategies and implement new practices to stay ahead. There is a tremendous potential for growth and many sound reasons for an optimistic outlook.”

Graves reflected on 25 years of the conference, which has helped navigate topics and trends including fast casual dining, eatertainment, plant-based forward and grab-and-go eras. Transformative leaders from former Sizzler CEO Kerry Kramp to humanitarian/restauranteur Jose Andres have participated.

“It’s been a pretty memorable conference,” Graves said, before giving way to a lineup that included an economic forecast from UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Business Professor Jerry Nickelsburg and a keynote speech from Dine Brands Global (owners of IHOP, Applebee’s and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop) CEO John Peyton. Panels covered topics including pricing, artificial intelligence and the return of localized store marketing.

Midday, UCLA Extension Dean Eric Bullard presented the Foodmanitarian Award to Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homebody Industries in Los Angeles – the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world.

Boyle, a Jesuit priest, started the venture in 1998 with an abandoned bakery in his parish. At the time, his parish was considered the poorest in Los Angeles with the highest gang activity. The concept was inspired by the failure to find enough felon-friendly employers.

“We never intended to be like this, but we evolved our way to becoming the largest gang intervention, rehab and reentry program on the planet,” Boyle said. “So, 10,000 folks a year walk through our doors trying to reimagine their lives.”

The key to its success is how Boyle and his team lead with compassion and humanity.

“Everybody who walks through our doors at Homeboy comes barricaded behind a wall of shame and disgrace, and the only thing that can scale that wall is tenderness,” he said. “We try to create a place that is safe – where people can be seen and then they can be cherished.”

Boyle added that it has been a privilege to walk side-by-side with former gang members for 40 years. He wants to eventually open a Hope Village where even more alternatives to gang life can be offered including housing, arts, substance abuse outreach and mental health services.

“There are two principles that we embrace at Homeboy Industries. One, that everyone is unshakably good, no exceptions. And two, we belong to each other, no exceptions. Homeboy represented an exit ramp off this crazy violent freeway,” Boyle said.

The Foodmanitarian award is dedicated to an individual who is making the world a better place through leadership and caring for others.

“For me your message really resonates, especially at the time we’re currently living through where there is a lot of global chaos and uncertainty,” Bullard said. “But this message of resilience and welcoming, I think it’s so important for people to hear it and to understand. The work you do really does matter.”

As the conference was coming to a close, Joth Ricci, former CEO of Dutch Bros Coffee, Adelsheim Vineyard and Stumptown Coffee Roaster, was presented with the Innovation Award – given to an industry expert who is nimble, inspired and creative through their professional work. After a day of running the gamut of topics for an industry always in flux, Ricci summed up how he pushes his ventures forward.

“I tend to always think that history is a good guidepost to the future,” he said. “What I tried to do was stay calm, stay heady and rely on history as we roadmap ahead.”

For more information, please visit the UCLA Extension Restaurant Industry Conference Homepage.