Day Two: Women in Hospitality Day
Presented by Restaurants Canada and PepsiCo
Monday, March 9, 2026
Women make up a significant share of Canada’s foodservice workforce, yet their representation drops sharply at the first step into management. Day Two of RC Show—Women in Hospitality Day—brings that “broken rung” into focus, not as a setback but as a catalyst for change. Presented by Restaurants Canada and PepsiCo, key programming and events celebrate the leaders, learners and change-makers who are redefining what hospitality leadership looks like, while asking hard questions about where progress still needs to happen.
Anchored by the dish. series and a highly anticipated keynote fireside conversation with Janet Zuccarini, the day brings together powerful voices from across the country for candid conversations, future-ready insights, and practical models for leading teams and growing businesses. Alongside this, a full slate of competitions, demos, and industry sessions showcases the creativity and innovation driving Canadian foodservice forward.
Here’s the RC Show team’s guide to Day Two’s can’t-miss moments:
Put women’s leadership at the centre of your day.
dish. Series: Women Who Lead with Strategies for Lasting Impact
Speaker Stage | Hall 5 | 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Innovation rarely comes from playing it safe. This dish. session gathers a panel of women who are reshaping hospitality through bold ideas, decisive action, and values-driven leadership. Together, they explore what impact really looks like in practice, from building healthier cultures and improving performance to influencing the communities they serve. It’s an opportunity to hear how they keep their businesses grounded in results while staying true to their principles.
dish. Series: Unfolding Futures Through Behaviour & Data with Futurist Kathryn Fenner
Speaker Stage | Hall 5 | 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Presented by Technomic
The clearest signals of what’s coming next are already visible in how guests think and behave. In this data-driven presentation, futurist Kathryn Fenner unpacks the mindset shifts shaping hospitality’s next decade, illuminating priorities around experience, convenience, trust, and control, and the growing polarization that’s influencing consumer choices. She also puts technology in its proper place: not as an engine, but as an enabler of change. Operators can count on leaving this session with a clearer sense of which trends demand attention now, and which can safely be deferred for better times.
Connect with a national community of women in hospitality.
dish. Networking Reception for Women Leaders in Food—and Those Who Aspire
Speaker Stage | Hall 5 | 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Presented by Restaurants Canada and PepsiCo
Ahead of the keynote fireside chat with Janet Zuccarini, the dish. Networking Reception offers a focused window for conversation and connection. Over crafted cocktails and thoughtful passed bites, women in foodservice leadership—and rising stars—come together to compare notes, share experiences, and build new relationships. The atmosphere is designed to be warm rather than formal: a space to show up as you are and leave with a stronger network.
The dish. Networking Reception is a limited-capacity event. If you’d like to attend, please email events@restaurantscanada.org. Invitations will be extended as availability allows. Allies are welcome.
DAY 2 KEYNOTE
dish. Series: Fireside Chat with Janet Zuccarini
Founder & CEO, Gusto 54 Restaurant Group
Speaker Stage | Hall 5 | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Presented by Restaurants Canadaand PepsiCo
Few leaders embody reinvention and long-game thinking the way Janet Zuccarini does. As CEO of Gusto 54 Restaurant Group, she has grown a portfolio that crosses borders while staying rooted in culture, design, and a clear sense of purpose. In this fireside chat with Restaurants Canada President & CEO Kelly Higginson, Janet reflects on operating in two distinct markets, the realities of scaling brands globally, and the role people-first leadership plays in retention and resilience. Expect a candid conversation about risk, timing, and learning to evolve without losing what made a brand compelling in the first place—grounded in stories from her early, scrappy beginnings through to international recognition.
Follow the drama on the Culinary, Pizza and Coffee stages.
Garland Canada Culinary Competition – Finals
Culinary Stage | Hall 3 | 10:15 AM – 1:30 PM
Presented by Restaurants Canada and Garland Canada
The top four chefs return to the Culinary Stage for one final challenge. After the pressure of the Semi-Finals, the Finals demand absolute precision, creativity, and calm under scrutiny. For operators, it’s a chance to see how top talent responds to constraints, manages time, and makes decisions when every plate counts. Winners are announced on stage, closing out one of RC Show’s most exciting competitions.
Restaurants Canada Pizza Competition: Creative
Pizza Stage | Hall 2 | 10:45 AM – 4:30 PM
Presented by Restaurants Canada, Galbani, and Labatt
On the Pizza Stage, competitors take pizza Into the Beyond with inventive techniques, unexpected flavour combinations, and ambitious ideas. The Creative Pizza Competition is a live lab for menu R&D: a place to spot trends, test your own assumptions about what guests will embrace, and see how judges balance innovation against fundamentals like flavour, texture and balance.
3-Day National Latte Art Championship – Semi-Finals
Coffee Stage | Hall 5 | 10:15 AM – 5:00 PM
Presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada, Lavazza, and BUNN
Day Two raises the stakes for Canada’s top baristas. Semi-Finals competitors move through two demanding formats: the Art Bar, where they craft designs under close judging, and the Stage Presentation, where they pour live in front of an audience. Together, these rounds test consistency, speed, and artistry. Even if you don’t run a coffee-forward operation, watching how baristas manage pressure and precision offers plenty of takeaways for training and service.
Dig into the ideas shaping a future-ready Canadian food system.
The Evolution of Farm-to-Table: Building a Resilient Canadian Food System
Culinary Stage | Hall 3 | 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Presented by SKIP
Farm-to-table has moved far beyond a menu descriptor. This panel, presented by SKIP, looks at how the movement is maturing into a core element of a resilient Canadian food system. Chefs and operators discuss building global menus with Canadian ingredients, the importance of Indigenous foodways and stewardship, and the economic case for stronger local supply chains. It’s a conversation that connects philosophy, practicality, and long-term viability.
The Power of Chickpea Flour with Ardent Mills
RC Pop Up Experience: The Chef’s Table | Hall 1 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Presented by Ardent Mills
Senior R&D Chef Kirk Borchardt and Reid McEachran lead a hands-on demo featuring Ardent Mills Roasted Chickpea Flour. With its clean, balanced flavour and versatility across sweet and savoury dishes, chickpea flour offers operators another tool for boosting nutrition and interest without overcomplicating operations. Expect practical formulation ideas and, of course, tastings.
Close the day with an evening that blends celebration, representation and mentorship.
Yes Shef
The International Centre Conference Centre | Orion Ballroom | 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Hosted by the WORTH Association, Yes Shef is a sell-out celebration of the women redefining Canada’s food and beverage landscape—and it lands in Mississauga for the first time to cap off Women in Hospitality Day at RC Show. The event brings together top chefs and rising talent for a tasting-driven evening that’s as focused on connection and leadership as it is on flavour.
More than an incredible culinary event, Yes Shef is built around representation and opportunity. Each featured chef is paired with an up-and-coming woman culinary student, creating one-on-one mentorship moments that can alter the course of a career.
Registered RC Show pass holders can access Yes Shef GTA tickets at an exclusive rate. Quantities are limited, so add your ticket now!
Day Two is packed, but its throughline is clear: when women are able to lead fully and visibly, the entire industry benefits. These highlights are just a starting point—explore the full schedule to build out your Women in Hospitality Day plan and make the most of RC Show 2026.