Drexel's chef conference has grown in tandem with Philly's food world prestige

There has always been a lot for locals to love about our city's culinary soul. But as the city and its restaurants are landing on "best of" lists nationwide, it's clear the rest of the food world is sharing the love, with two Top Chef winners running restaurants here and local chefs regularly honored by the James Beard Awards.

There are a lot of things driving Philadelphia's food scene forward, but one unlikely contributing force is Drexel University's Center for Hospitality & Sports Management. It's an unusual culinary school whose ambitions and innovations seem to be growing in tandem with Philadelphia's food-world prestige.

And its annual chef's conference is one illustration of its influence. Now in its third year, the event - Sunday and Monday this year - grew out of a panel discussion between Top Chef victors Kevin Sbraga and Nicholas Elmi, back in 2012, which drew a strong turnout of local chefs. It gave them a rare chance to talk shop, something the chefs urgently wanted and needed.

Josh Lawler, chef-owner of Center City's Farm & Fisherman, was especially enthusiastic about what happened there. A Drexel alum, he told the faculty he thought the university could run an event on its own.

Mike Traud, an instructor at the school, immediately saw the wisdom. "Drexel should be a center for chefs and restaurateurs," he said. Until recently, he had been working in restaurant kitchens, and the issues that obsess and frustrate working cooks - ones that would be part of his students' postgraduation future - were very front of mind.

This year, more than 300 people are registered for Philly Chefs Conference, which features headliners such as Harold McGee, America's preeminent food science writer, and Johnny Iuzzini, a lauded pastry chef who just had a star turn as a judge on ABC's Great Holiday Baking Show.

The first day, which is open to the public, includes topics like restaurant trends and cocktails, as well as serious issues, such as fighting hunger.

"This is a rare chance for someone who loves going out to eat to hear the chefs talk among themselves about what is going on in the industry," said Traud. It lets serious restaurant aficionados feel like insiders for the day.

Day two of the conference, which is limited to the industry, gets into the nitty-gritty of restaurant work. It's also a chance for Drexel to show off its forward-thinking Food Lab, which gives students the opportunity to work with industry professionals on issues such as food waste. One demonstration, for example, will feature recipes created by Food Lab students that use a shelf-stable powdered vegetable blend made from kitchen scraps. They've come up with a fast-casual-style chicken and biscuit that uses the blend as an ingredient for the biscuit and the breading for the bird.

There will also be technique-heavy sessions about the role of gluten in baking, and cooking with spice blends. But the programing isn't entirely for chefs; there are workshops on finding the right real estate for a restaurant and using new technology for inventory management. "We are finding that people in all kinds of restaurant and hospitality jobs from far flung parts of the region are coming out for this conference," Traud said.

One group that will be heavily represented among the day's attendees: Drexel's culinary students. "They can attend for free," Traud said, "and we give them the day off from classes." Many have been working on this event for months, serving on the programing committee. Others will work hands-on, prepping food side by side with local and visiting chefs serving food there. It's a prime opportunity to impress potential employers and make valuable contacts in the industry. "You really have an edge with a prospective employer if, when you sit down to a formal interview, it's not the first time you're seeing them," says Jonathan Deutsch, professor of culinary arts and food science.

It's not only students who go to the conference to network. "The food industry is built on relationships," says Ari Miller, whose charcuterie company 1732 Meats is a sponsor for the second year in a row. Not coincidentally, his business boomed during the last 24 months. "I wouldn't be doing the business that I am now without this conference," he says. He had a big breakthrough when Chefs' Warehouse, a major food supplier to restaurants, sampled his bacon during last year's event and decided to add it to its carefully curated inventory of products. "It would have been almost impossible to get it in front of them otherwise," Miller said.

Beyond the bottom line, the conference offers something more amorphous but equally important: community, a sense of belonging to a tribe. Even as the city's prestige has grown, it has maintained its small-town vibe within the restaurant scene, which this event builds on. "I like that we're friendlier, less cutthroat, than someplace like New York," said Miller.

Many leave the conference wanting to help one another, whether it's through doing business together or offering moral support. That thread of collaboration and shared ideas benefits all the chefs - as well as all of those who relish Philadelphia's increasingly vibrant food culture.