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.

Alejandra Graf is a food lover and professionally certified plant-based cook who believes that a “plant-forward” lifestyle should be delicious and easy for everyone. With a background in Art History, she brings a creative, colorful eye to the recipes she shares on her blogs, Piloncillo & Vainilla and AleCooks. Alejandra’s philosophy is all about flexibility—creating vibrant, wholesome meals that offer options for every type of eater at the table. Originally from Mexico and now living in Houston with her husband and three adult children, she is on a mission to make healthy cooking approachable, beautiful, and—most importantly—fun for all.

Allea Grummert runs Duett, an email agency for food bloggers who care about their audience — providing strategy, copywriting, and tech in one place. As well as the relief of not having to do it all on their own.

Amanda Martin is Chief Revenue Officer at Mediavine, the largest exclusive independent ad management company representing more than 20,000 publisher sites. She oversees all revenue strategy, including Publisher Development, Client Experience, Marketing, and Growth Partnerships, with a focus on building the infrastructure and partnerships that drive long-term revenue performance for publishers. With more than a decade of experience on both the buy and sell sides of the market, Amanda brings a perspective most in the industry only see from one angle. She understands what advertisers are looking for, how demand flows through the ecosystem, and what publishers can do to position their sites to capture more of it.

Anastasia is an entrepreneur and marketer with nearly 10 years of experience, a Forbes Council Member, the former Head of Marketing at a multi-million-dollar company, and the founder of a strategic marketing consultancy specializing in consumer brands.

Today, she partners with leading consumer brands to scale their businesses and drive measurable growth. As a thought leader, speaker, and marketing influencer with an audience of over 180K – including some of the industry’s most recognized brands and founders – she has built a strong presence across the modern consumer space through high-profile collaborations, strategic partnerships, and brand-led growth initiatives.

Annette Freckles is a digital creator, cookbook author, and speaker who has built a thriving online community by making authentic Mexican-inspired cooking simple, approachable, and fun. Known for her loud personality, contagious energy, and engaging storytelling, Annette transforms everyday recipes into experiences that entertain, educate, and bring people together. Her goal isn’t just to teach people how to cook, it’s to give them the confidence to create meals they’ll be excited to share with the people they love.

Ben Jabbawy is the founder of Grocers List, working with 1K+ of the top food creators to drive more traffic, list growth and affiliate revenue. He previously was the founder of Privy.com, a leading marketing automation platform used by 100K shopify stores. He lives in Boston with his wife and two daughters, and loves supporting entrepreneurs through new technology.

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.

Christie Vanover is a champion pitmaster and founder of Girls Can Grill – one of the most influential BBQ brands in the country. She has competed and judged at the highest levels of the sport, including multiple appearances at the Jack Daniel’s World Championships, and was named the Nevada BBQ Team of the Year in 2020 and 2023. As seen on Food Network’s BBQ Brawl and Pitmasters. Vanover shares her expertise through girlscangrill.com, her award-winning rub line, and her cookbooks, Holiday Grilling and Ignited Q.

Christina Hitchcock is co-founder of The Smart Influencer, where she helps established creators build businesses that run on smarter systems instead of hustle, replacing overwhelm with practical workflows, delegation, and CEO-level operations. She’s also founder and CEO of White Birch Media Group, home to It Is a Keeper and Cake Mix Recipes, which she runs on the same systems-first approach: data-driven dashboards, automated content pipelines, and AI-powered operations built to scale without adding chaos. Christina is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and an adjunct professor of digital marketing and multimedia communications.

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.

Dora Ramirez is a Mexican-born chef, graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York, and the creator behind dorastable.com and Mi Mero Mole. After adopting a plant-based diet to take control of her health, she set out to veganize the Mexican recipes she grew up with, proving that you don’t have to give up your culture when you go vegan. She is the author of Comida Casera, a love letter to nostalgic Mexican home cooking, and is passionate about sharing accessible recipes that celebrate heritage, storytelling, and the power of a plant-based kitchen.

Ethan Kramer is an entrepreneur and marketing strategist specializing in social commerce, paid media, and digital growth. He founded EK Creative, one of the first agencies focused on TikTok Shop, before leading Social Commerce at Agital following its acquisition. Throughout his career, Ethan has helped leading consumer brands unlock new growth through creator-driven marketing, performance advertising, and innovative commerce strategies. Today, he advises brands on navigating the evolving social commerce landscape and building marketing programs that drive measurable business results.

Jack Thomas is a knowledge product design expert serving food & agriculture creators worldwide. As the very first Course Design Manager for Teachable, Jack served top-tier creators with best-in-class course and community design, earning 10x the average revenue per user for her creators. With a client portfolio representing over $186M in distributed operating budgets, Jack now works 1-on-1 with creators and businesses around the globe to design and deliver unique online learning experiences for creators and their audiences.

Jeanelle Castro (@jeanelleats) is a Filipina-American food storyteller and digital strategist who transforms “unknown” global flavors into a shared language for her community of over 2 million. She builds cultural bridges through approachable content that ranges from the streets of Asia to medieval banquets in Ireland. Whether she’s designing custom kitchen tools or filming across the globe, Jeanelle’s mission is to make every dish feel familiar by proving no food is “weird” when there’s a story to tell.

Jenné Claiborne is a vegan chef, cookbook author, content creator, and NYT Cooking contributor known for her colorful, innovative Southern-inspired vegan recipes. She shares her recipes with a global audience through her blog Sweet Potato Soul and her social platforms, where hundreds of thousands follow her approach to joyful plant-based cooking. When she’s not developing recipes, Jenné enjoys being a mother, practicing yoga, and playing tennis.

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.

Jocelyn Delk Adams is the founder, author, national television personality and brand ambassador behind the award winning cookbook Grandbaby Cakes and the food website Grandbaby-Cakes.com, where she gives her family’s (particularly her grandmother’s) cherished generational recipes her modern spin while preserving their original charm and spirit.
Jocelyn is the co-host of the Cooking Channel and Discovery Plus game show, “Stab That Cake.” She’s also a judge on “Disney’s Magic Bake Off”, Food Network’s popular series “Santa’s Baking Blizzard” and “Beat Bobby Flay”, and a cast member of several other renowned cooking shows.

Jordan Gill spent a decade running her own business helping creators build systems for their life-first businesses. Along the way, she became a Top 100 podcaster, international speaker, and an affiliate consistently driving 5 to 8% conversion rates for the products she believed in. Now she’s Kit’s Senior Affiliate Marketing Manager. Her mission is simple: create a win-win-win where Kit thrives, affiliates earn real recurring income, and their communities discover how Kit genuinely serves them. Jordan is equal parts systems thinker and relationship builder. She’s here to partner with creators, amplify what they’re building, and spotlight the smart, kind people solving real problems for their audiences. When she’s not growing Kit’s affiliate program, you’ll find her in Dallas, TX working through a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle or watching Survivor reruns in her sauna blanket.

Kaitlin Janes is the founder of Tether Community Marketing, where she helps brands and creators build thoughtful, community-driven marketing strategies that create lasting impact. After years of leading and scaling successful influencer marketing campaigns for leading CPG brands, Kaitlin now consults with brands to develop and execute influencer marketing strategies, immersive events, community-driven marketing programs, PR mailer campaigns, and co-branded partnerships that drive authentic engagement and long-term brand growth. Known for blending strategic thinking with strong relationship-building, she specializes in creating culturally relevant campaigns and experiences that connect brands with their audiences in meaningful, lasting ways.

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.

Kelli Quinn has spent her career chasing one question: Why do some incredibly talented people build lives and businesses that set them free, while others accidentally build cages they can’t escape?

Long before AI, boardrooms, and business strategy, Kelli built her career behind a camera. As a professional photographer and photography educator, she helped entrepreneurs tell stories, grow audiences, and turn creativity into a living. That path eventually led her from the creator economy into executive leadership, giving her a perspective few people have: she’s lived both worlds from the inside.

Today, Kelli is the founder of Founder Freedom and an executive leader in AI, where she works at the intersection of business strategy, human behavior, systems thinking, and emerging technology. She helps founders build businesses that create more freedom—not more complexity—so they can stop becoming the bottleneck in their own success.

Known for asking the kinds of questions that stay with people long after the conference ends, Kelli has a way of making audiences laugh, think, and rethink the stories they’ve been telling themselves about success. She believes creativity and systems belong together, and that the future will belong to the people who know how to stay deeply human while embracing what’s next.

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.

Liane is a mom of three, Siftr investor, committed meal planner, wannabe saucier chef, a seasoned systems analyst and content strategist, and Managing Director of Foodie Digital.