Speakers

Abbey Rodriguez is the founder of Tastemaker Conference, and The Butter Half, a food blog that combines gluten-free recipes, herbal cooking, and holistic nutrition and wellness education for the whole family. After three years of growing her community online, she was inspired to create a real-life community where other creators could come together. Tastemaker Conference was born in 2017 out of this mission to empower bloggers and influencers to build sustainable businesses and relationships through food.

Abbey has worked with hundreds of brands and organizations, providing recipe development, food photography, and influencer marketing consulting. Abbey is also a certified herbalist and holistic nutritionist, and is the co-author of the cookbook, Root & Nourish: An Herbal Cookbook for Women’s Wellness.

In an effort to educate and empower the creator industry, Abbey is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Sociology at George Mason University, where she is studying Digital Sociology, and using her background in the influencer marketing industry to inform her thesis, “The Politics of the Creator Economy.”

Abbey resides in the D.C. metropolitan area, with her children and their ever-growing pet family.

Andrew Bernard is the quiet, quirky, introverted guy you’ll probably spot wandering around Tastemakers—usually solo, definitely observing, and always up for a chat (as long as you start it). Bonus points if the topic is snowboarding, Marvel, or the fact that he probably brought his Playstation to the conference.

He’s the creative mind behind Make It Dairy Free and The Nard Dog Cooks, a vegan YouTube channel dishing out bold, flavor-packed recipes with approachable video tutorials. His storytelling, low-key pep talks, and creative visuals help his content stand out—even if he’s still surprised anyone watches.

Andrew is a self-taught chef, videographer, and award-winning photographer who’s figured out how to combine food, film, and just enough awkward charm to create a space where cooking and content collide.

He’s grown a loyal community of food lovers (not just vegans!) who come for the recipes, but stay for the heart, humor, and encouraging reminders that you’ve got this—even if your sauce breaks or your biscuits burn. His go-to philosophy: Believe in Yourself. Believe in Others. Believe in Good. (And maybe don’t forget to preheat the oven.)

Andrew has loved building, fixing, and maintaining websites for over 25 years. In 2010, he created a successful food blog (using WordPress, of course), which brought him into a community of publishers in need of technical support. A magna cum laude graduate from Northwestern University’s Theater program, Andrew now leverages the experience gained in his previous career as a lighting designer to bring a unique emphasis on collaboration to NerdPress.

A proud Eagle Scout, he lives in Southern California with his husband Matty and their hungry dog Harry.

Bree Pair is on a mission to help creators stop playing small and start building profitable brands. She’s the founder of Thrive and host of The Thrive Podcast for Content Creators, a go-to show that inspires and educates thousands of listeners each week. Bree has helped countless content creators grow their audience, land partnerships, and monetize their work—without burning out. Her coaching blends real talk and proven strategies to help women step fully into their role as CEO of their own business.

Brita is a Portland, OR based food blogger at Food with Feeling which is a Vegetarian focused food blog! She’s been blogging since 2012 and has had the honor of working on her blog full time for almost 10 years now. She focuses heavily on videography and storytelling as a way to connect with her audience and make meaningful connections with her followers. When she’s not working, she loves going on hikes and being outdoors with her girlfriend, Tesa, and their 8 year old daughter, Jemma.

Carolyn leads CSHEL Search Strategies, a consultancy focused on helping organizations succeed in the evolving search landscape. She advises select clients on AI-aligned strategy, technical SEO, product-driven growth, and large-scale content visibility. Carolyn also co-hosts the “SEO Update by Yoast” podcast and speaks regularly at major industry events.

Through CSHEL Search Strategies, Carolyn helps organizations turn search into a growth engine — bridging product, engineering, and marketing to drive measurable results.

Chandice Probst is the bubbly personality behind both This Vivacious Life and Holiday Food and Fun. She is a food and entertaining blogger and the co-author of Gluten-Free on a Budget with her mom. Chandice’s work has been featured in print and online industry publications, as well as on television. As someone with Celiac Disease and a degree in exercise and health wellness, she has led the charge in hosting Celiac awareness nights with MLB and NBA teams around the nation as well as working with the Celiac Disease Foundation to raise money for research.

Chandice has been with Abbey since the first Tastemaker Conference in Salt Lake City and has loved getting to know the community at each subsequent event. Working with sponsors to help them achieve their marketing goals and planning fun experiences for guests is where she thrives. From conceptualizing booths and brand activations, to creating menus and organizing all excursions for Tastemaker Conference, Chandice loves creating moments that everyone will remember for many years to come. The best part? She gets to do it with the greatest team ever!

While Chandice loves to cook, entertain, travel and plan for Tastemaker Conference, she loves being a wife and mother most.

Chef Carla Contreras is a content strategist, brand alchemist, and food creative who helps entrepreneurs, brands, and small businesses grow their presence with creativity and intention.
Her work has been featured in Apartment Therapy, Well+Good, and a variety of digital and print platforms, where she brings stories to life through thoughtful strategy and elevated visual content.

With over 25 years of experience in the food industry, including an appearance on Chopped! on the Food Network. Carla has contributed to hundreds of photo shoots as a food stylist, photographer, recipe developer, art director, and digital creator.

As the host of The Nourishing Creativity Podcast, she explores the intersection of creativity, well-being, and self-expression—a thread that runs through all her work.

Carla is also a certified health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and The Nutritious Life Studio, a Master Reiki practitioner, meditation teacher, and mother of two.
When she’s not collaborating with clients or recording a podcast episode, she can be found at the farmers market with her family, doing Pilates, or sipping on a mug of Green Smoothie Soup.

Based in Los Angeles, Chef Dara Yu is a culinary powerhouse whose vibrant career spans multiple facets of the food industry. Her rich cultural heritage is a tapestry of Chinese, New Zealander, Californian, and New England coastal influences, all of which shape her distinct culinary style—a blend of classical training and a fusion-focused, modern twist.

Inspired by transformative family trips to Italy and Japan, Chef Dara’s passion for the culinary arts was ignited by the rich traditions and innovative techniques she encountered abroad. Her prowess in the kitchen gained national attention when she debuted as runner-up on Masterchef Junior at age 12. Following nearly 10 years of experience including prestigious restaurants across LA and NYC, she graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) with high honors in baking and pastry, and made her victorious return to Masterchef as its youngest winner ever in Season 12. In 2024, she launched the “Food For Yu” scholarship at the Culinary Institute of America. Her mission is to guide students who aspire to be industry leaders and innovators through mentorship and real-life experiences.

Chef Dara has honed her craft in innovative and industry-leading establishments, including A.O.C., The Tasting Kitchen, and Bouchon Bakery, and Dominique Ansel Bakery. Driven by her life’s goal to build community and accessible education around food, she continues to relentlessly expand her career through creative and personal pop-ups like Congee and Crullers, collaboration dinners (most recently with Chef David Vianna of Lita), and event leadership (including LA Chef Con and A Taste of Culver City). She also works with brands like Coca-Cola, Uniqlo, and Stanley to create engaging content and connect with her global audience of over 58,000+ followers, sharing her culinary knowledge, recipes, travel adventures, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of her life as a private chef. She has made appearances on The Kelly Clarkson Show and Buzzfeed, and has been featured in People Magazine, Girls’ Life Magazine, and the LA Times.

As the Creator Experiences + Events Program Manager at Kit, Haley has dedicated the past seven years to supporting creators, emphasizing the development of meaningful connections. Her primary role involves orchestrating events and experiences aimed at fostering creator growth.

Jessica Hylton Leckie is the creator and founder behind the award-winning food blog Jessica in the Kitchen, providing over 1,000 easy, approachable and seasoned vegan recipes to millions of readers monthly.

Blogging for over 15 years, Jessica’s work has been acknowledged by top platforms in various mediums and multiple countries including being interviewed by Google & Pinterest and has been featured in The Washington Post, Essence, Oprah Magazine & More.

Discovered in 2018 by renowned comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, Kalen first made a name for himself through his hilarious “Kalen Reacts” videos, giving colorful and witty commentary on culinary concoctions found on the internet. One of these videos caught Ellen’s attention, and after inviting Kalen to appear on her talk show, she knew she had found something special, and offered him an opportunity to collaborate and produce content for her digital platforms. At just 29 years old, Kalen Allen has catapulted into the mainstream media, reaching millions of people worldwide across his social media platforms and through his online content as well as becoming an award-winning actor, producer, singer, and television personality.

Kevin Curry is an entrepreneur, content creator, thought leader, and founder of FitMenCookTM, the highly popular food blog, cookbook, and app that has inspired millions of people worldwide to live healthier, happier, and more balanced lives through food.
With millions of social media followers worldwide, Curry has become one of today’s most sought-after personalities in the fields of nutrition, wellness, and social impact. In 2025, he was named the #1 Instagram Male Influencer to follow by Influencer Marketing Hub.
Curry’s FitMenCookTM App, has consistently been ranked as one of the top Food & Drink apps globally. His app has been downloaded by more than 2 million people worldwide and has received over 15,000 five-star reviews.
In 2018, Curry released his first cookbook, where he shares 100+ quick & easy meal prep recipes to help jumpstart your wellness journey. The cookbook was featured on Amazon’s Top Seller List immediately after going on sale.
Curry has become one of the most sought-after personalities and thought leaders in Nutrition and Wellness. He is a regular contributor on TODAY and has made frequent appearances on GMA, Live with Kelly & Ryan and many others.

Lisa Childs is a YouTuber, food blogger, and cookbook author. She started her website, triedtestedandtrue.com and YouTube channel in 2019. In February 2020, Lisa was named YouTube’s Creator on the Rise and she is now a full time video creator. In 2021, she published her first officially licensed Instant Pot® cookbook with Simon and Schuster, “I Love My Instant Pot®: Cooking for One.” Lisa and her team also just self-published a cookbook in 2023 called, “Enjoy! 101+ Pressure Cooker Recipes for Everyone”. Lisa has also been honored as Allrecipes Magazine’s “Cook to Follow” in their 2023 Holiday issue.
Lisa and her team of employees love to help their readers have confidence and joy in the kitchen. Lisa loves to eat ice cream, watercolor and gouache paint, nap, listen to podcasts, volunteer, walk her Coton de Tulear dog Runa, and travel to find delicious food. She mostly just drives around her kids to their activities. She resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with her two amazing children and husband, Brett.

When Google makes a significant move, the search community turns to Dr. Marie Haynes for answers. Her pioneering work on Google’s quality guidelines and the concept of E-A-T (now E-E-A-T) has become foundational to modern SEO practice. Now as the industry faces the seismic shift towards AI powered search, and as the world enters a time of drastic change, Marie is again at the forefront, helping businesses and individuals not only adapt, but thrive as AI opens up opportunities.

Natasha is the host of the Shine Online Podcast and a Video Marketing Coach for small businesses. Through her signature group programs and educational content, Natasha helps you build your brand with a confident video marketing strategy that ultimately grows your business, community, and impact simultaneously.

Sabrina is a digital analytics consultant who helps creators and small businesses make smarter decisions with data. With expert-level knowledge of Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, and Looker Studio, she transforms raw numbers into clear insights and confident strategies. Through tailored training, setup, and custom reporting, Sabrina empowers her clients to understand what’s working, what’s not, and how to grow with purpose.

Shannon is a dedicated financial advisor who specializes in serving bloggers and influencers nationwide. As a fiduciary, she prioritizes her clients’ best interests, offering tailored strategies to achieve their financial priorities and goals. Recognized as an expert in investment strategy and management, Shannon is also known for working collaboratively with clients’ trusted tax and legal professionals to provide impactful, long-lasting financial planning and guidance. Based in beautiful Greensboro, North Carolina, Shannon is a Partner and Wealth Manager at Kingsview Partners, where she runs an independent practice. Her clientele includes some of the most successful bloggers and creative entrepreneurs in the United States. Outside of professional life, Shannon recently celebrated 30 years of marriage with her husband, Doug. They are proud parents to six adult children and are “Mimi and Papa” to six grandchildren.

EVP Audience Growth at Raptive

Tom is widely recognized as a thought leader in the industry who has helped shape the future of SEO. Following his time at Distilled, he worked at Google, where he contributed to innovate projects like Maker Camp, an online kids’ summer camp. He then built a successful career as an independent strategy consultant, working with leading media companies such as The New York Times. He also founded the online education platform SEO MBA, which has trained over 800 SEO professionals, and developed open-source tools for creators.

umna Jawad is an entrepreneur, social media influencer, and the founder of the popular food blog Feel Good Foodie. Inspired by her Lebanese mother’s cooking, she is known for sharing healthy-ish, family-friendly recipes with Mediterranean flavors that are easy to make. She has gained millions of followers across platforms, has been featured by major media outlets like Good Morning America and The New York Times, and is also the founder of the packaged overnight oats brand Oath.