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Boot Camp: Education to Get You Started on Day 1

Name: Nosh Live 2025
Start: 2025-12-04T08:00:00-08:00
End: 2025-12-05T15:00:00-08:00
Location: Marina del Rey Marriott

On the morning of Day 1, industry newcomers attending Nosh Live can learn the basics of running a food business and jumpstart their networking during Boot Camp. Experts will present on the 5 topics early-stage food brands need to know, including finance, sales, marketing, design, and operations.

Following the presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to sit down with the experts and ask them their toughest questions. Here are the details:

Thursday, December 4th - Morning Session

90 mins of presentations
30 mins of roundtable networking

Boot Camp helps lay the foundation for success. If you're just getting started in the dynamic world of packaged food, we recommend you attend the 90 minute segment.

Boot Camp Schedule

Thursday, December 5 - Morning Session

Print the agenda for Thursday, December 04

Please note: All times US Pacific Time

7:00 AM
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9:00 AM
Breakfast & Registration
8:00 AM
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2:30 PM
1:1 Meetings

Nosh Live attendees have the opportunity to meet 1:1 with retail buyers, investors and experienced food leaders. Prior registration is required and meeting times are sent individually. Please check in at the 1:1 Help Desk before heading to your meeting room. Meetings will be 10 minutes each and the complete schedule is posted at the Help Desk.
- Todd Davis
  
  Natural Foods/Multi-Cultural Category Manager, King Soopers/City Market
  
  Todd Davis
  
  Natural Foods/Multi-Cultural Category Manager, King Soopers/City Market
  
  Todd Davis’s journey with Kroger started in 1995 as a fresh-faced Courtesy Clerk, and it didn’t take long for his hard work to pay off—he was promoted to Produce Clerk that same year. By 1996, Todd had already stepped into his first leadership role as a Produce Manager, setting the stage for a career full of growth and fresh opportunities. Fast forward through the years, and Todd’s resume reads like a tour of the grocery world. From Assistant Store Leader in 2001 to Division CAO Specialist in Houston, Produce Field Specialist, and more, Todd has worn a lot of hats. His knack for innovation shone through when he became the District Produce Coordinator in 2010 and then a Produce Subject Matter Expert at the General Office in 2011. By 2019, Todd was leading stores in Houston, and in 2023, he took on a new challenge as Store Leader in Excess at King Soopers. Today, he’s the King Soopers/City Market Division Natural Foods/Local Category Manager, where he blends his passion for fresh products with a flair for creative merchandising. But there’s more to Todd than his impressive career. He’s driven by a calling to help others grow, both professionally and personally. He’s all about those deep, meaningful conversations where everyone walks away with something new. Todd’s curiosity is boundless, he’s got an itch to study quantum physics and a soft spot for Thanos (yes, that Thanos), who could both save and destroy with a snap. When he’s not shaping the future of grocery, Todd’s geeking out on documentaries, diving into self-improvement books, or soaking up stories from strangers that offer fresh perspectives. You might be surprised to know that Todd’s hip-hop collection is the largest in North America—who knew? A self-proclaimed "Inspirational Speaker," Todd aims to inspire and assist others in reaching their goals. Todd is grateful for life and family. Todd loves to inspire others and will always be curious. His advice to his younger self? “Be patient, plan accordingly, and believe.” Todd is a leader who knows that growth and innovation go hand in hand.
- Eric Skae
  
  CEO, Carbone Fine Food
  
  Eric Skae
  
  CEO, Carbone Fine Food
  
  Eric Skae serves as CEO of Carbone Fine Food, maker of the fastest-growing national pasta sauce. The only major center-store CPG brand that bridges pop culture, tastemakers, influencers, celebrities, events and social media, Eric has led Carbone to the #2 position in Natural and #6 in Grocery in four short years since its 2021 launch. The results are 100% YOY growth and unique status as the only leading pasta sauce brand that indexes high with both Gen Z and millennials – all against Eric’s goal of making Carbone a billion-dollar brand.
- Jing Gao
  
  Founder & CEO, Fly By Jing
- Jeni Britton
  
  Founder, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams & Floura
  
  Jeni Britton
  
  Founder, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams & Floura
  
  Jeni Britton is a pioneering entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and one of the most original voices in American food and brand culture. She founded Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002 in an Ohio farmers’ market, transforming it into a national phenomenon with over 90 scoop shops and retail presence in thousands of grocery stores across the U.S. Known for its inventive flavors, ingredient integrity, and joyful design, Jeni’s helped define a new era of modern American food brands. A champion of sustainability and human-centered innovation, Jeni’s latest venture, Floura & Co., reinvents fresh produce trimmings—like watermelon rind and apple cores—into delicious, fiber-rich snacks that help close the fiber gap and combat chronic illness in America. As with Jeni’s, the mission is bigger than food: it’s about well-being, beauty, and reclaiming what nourishes us. Jeni is a 2017 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a U.S. Culinary Diplomat. Her leadership style blends artistry and pragmatism, intuition and data. She speaks powerfully on entrepreneurship, creativity, sustainability, brand-building, and the power of pleasure and beauty to transform lives and businesses. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, and spends as much time in the forest as possible.
- Becca Millstein
  
  cofounder + CEO, Fishwife
  
  Becca Millstein
  
  cofounder + CEO, Fishwife
  
  Becca Millstein is the CEO & Co-Founder of Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co. She co-created the company in 2020 during Covid-19, after recognizing a glaring hole in quality, sustainable tinned fish available in the U.S. market. She was recently named as one of Forbes 30 under 30 and has been interviewed by Eater, Cherry Bombe, Nylon, and more, and recently appeared on Shark Tank. She’s currently based in Los Angeles.
- Brad Barnhorn
  
  Board Member and Strategic Advisor,
  
  Brad Barnhorn
  
  Board Member and Strategic Advisor,
  
  Brad partners with leading growth-stage food and beverage companies as an active Board member working with high performance CEOs to optimize their leadership effectiveness across all business dimensions in order to build/scale dynamic brands and create high value, category winning companies effectively positioned to sustainably drive strong, profitable growth and/or exit to strategic acquirers. Current Boards: Country Archer, Gimme Foods, Biena and Barney Butter. Prior Boards from early/growth stage through to Company Exit: Kevita (Pepsi), Simple Mills (Flowers Foods), Krave (Hershey), Flying Embers (JuneShine), Health Warrior (Pepsi), RightRice (Planting Hope), Zola (Karp Reilly), Fishpeople (Bornstein Seafood), Chameleon Cold Brew (Nestle), Red’s All Natural (Bansk Group) and Aura Bora (Next in Natural) … with cumulative exit value surpassing $1.5 billion. After time spent in management consulting and investment banking, Brad’s food/bev journey began over twenty-five years ago as the Founder/CEO of the Fantasia Fresh Juice Co. which he built into a leading superpremium fresh juice/smoothie brand culminating in a merger with Naked Juice and subsequent acquisition by Pepsi. He holds an MBA from the Stanford GSB and a true passion for unlocking the power of human transformation and possibility in life and leadership.
- Mollye Santulli
  
  Senior Associate, Springdale Ventures
  
  Mollye Santulli
  
  Senior Associate, Springdale Ventures
  
  Mollye Santulli is an investor at Springdale Ventures, an early-stage venture fund backing the next generation of consumer brands. She began her career in finance at General Mills and Simple Mills before earning her MBA from Harvard Business School. At Springdale, she leads sourcing, diligence, and investments across food, beverage, wellness, and personal care, and works closely with founders post-investment on fundraising, hiring, and go-to-market strategy. She also serves on the associate board of Naturally Chicago and Chicago Seed, supporting early-stage founders in the region.
- Todd Davis, Natural Foods/Multi-Cultural Category Manager, King Soopers/City Market
- Eric Skae, CEO, Carbone Fine Food
- Jing Gao, Founder & CEO, Fly By Jing
- Jeni Britton, Founder, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams & Floura
- Becca Millstein, cofounder + CEO, Fishwife
- Brad Barnhorn, Board Member and Strategic Advisor,
- Mollye Santulli, Senior Associate, Springdale Ventures
8:00 AM
-
10:00 AM
Boot Camp Presentations & Roundtable Networking

Boot Camp is a fast dive into the basics of launching a food brand with hand-chosen CPG experts and entrepreneurs. All Boot Camp Presentations are 15 minutes, starting at 8 a.m.; as soon as all speakers are finished, attendees join them at round tables for individual Q and A.
10:00 AM
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10:15 AM
Welcome Remarks
10:15 AM
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12:15 PM
Presentations
12:15 PM
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12:30 PM
Nosh Best of 2024 Awards Announced
12:30 PM
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2:00 PM
Lunch Break, Sampling & Elevator Talk

Lunch is served on the rooftop level and is included with registration. Sampling continues in the foyer of the main ballroom and a live recording of Elevator Talk on the livestream takes place in the Venice room on the lower level.
2:00 PM
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3:00 PM
Presentations
3:00 PM
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5:00 PM
Nosh Live Happy Hour

At the end of Day 1, continue the day’s conversations at the Nosh Live Happy Hour.

The Venue

Register for Nosh Live to Attend Boot Camp.

Past Speakers

Rodney Clark

Managing Partner, Aspect Consumer Partners

Rodney Clark

Managing Partner, Aspect Consumer Partners

Rodney J. Clark is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Aspect Consumer Partners, a boutique M&A, strategic and corporate finance advisory firm based in San Francisco, California. Rodney is passionate about providing companies and entrepreneurs with the right advice to help them grow and succeed, and has spent the past 25 years focused on advising companies in Food & Beverage, Consumer Products, Health, Wellness & Lifestyle companies. His experience includes a wide variety of strategic and financial advisory assignments including, buy- and sell-side mergers and acquisitions, public offerings and private placements and Rodney has completed over $68 billion in M&A and financing transactions across a number of key industries. Rodney lives with his wife and two children in Marin County, California, and in his spare time he enjoys trail running, hiking, yoga and reading.
Steve Gaither

EVP of Growth & Strategy, 1o8

Steve Gaither

EVP of Growth & Strategy, 1o8

Steve Gaither is the EVP of Growth and Strategy for 1o8, a creative meets commerce agency for CPG that focuses on brand strategy, creative and digital performance marketing. He was the founder of JB Chicago, a CPG focused branding and creative agency in 2000 with a client roster that included Unilever, Goodbelly and Dish Network. Steve exited the agency to C.A. Fortune in 2019, where he ran the Branding unit and became CMO of the larger organization. As a mentor at the Good Food Business Accelerator, ICNC, the Food Foundry, Chicagoland Food and Bev, and The Hatchery, his relationships with entrepreneurs led him to cofound the Windy City Troublemakers, an emerging brand meetup and podcast. Steve is also a partner in Vosges Chocolate, a partner in Spiral Sun Ventures and Windy City Food Brands, where he and his fellow CPG experts provided the capital and go-to market strategies that help brands accelerate their growth. Steve graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Architecture and Planning. He resides in Munster, Indiana with his wife and three children.
Joe Overall

Brand Strategist, SPINS

Joe Overall

Brand Strategist, SPINS

Joe Overall is a seasoned brand strategist specializing in helping new and emerging brands unlock their growth potential. With a strong foundation in eCommerce insights and analytics, Joe brings a deep understanding of industry dynamics and market trends. His expertise enables brands to carve out their unique path forward and tell a compelling story that resonates with their target audience. Joe is passionate about elevating brand experiences, driving impactful growth in the ever-evolving landscape.
Bob Burke

Principal, Natural Products Consulting LLC

Bob Burke

Principal, Natural Products Consulting LLC

As a consultant since 1998, Bob Burke provides assistance in bringing natural, organic and specialty products to market across most classes of trade. This includes work in strategic planning, growth strategies, writing sales, marketing and business plans, budgeting, pricing, building distribution, broker selection and management, organizational development, strategic options, financing, branding, trade spending management and assistance around M&A, due diligence and venture strategy groups. He is also the co-author and co-publisher of the Natural Products Field Manual, Ninth Edition. Prior to consulting, Bob was with Stonyfield Farm Yogurt for 11 years as Vice President, Sales & Corporate Development and Vice President, Marketing & Sales. He has held marketing positions with Colombo, Inc. and Sperry Top-Sider. He received an MBA from Babson College.
Cybele Pascal

Founder & CEO, Cybele's Free-to-Eat

Cybele Pascal

Founder & CEO, Cybele's Free-to-Eat

Cybele Pascal is the Founder of Cybele's Free-to-Eat, a top selling, nationally distributed line of allergy-friendly snacks that are gluten-free and free from the top nine allergens. Cybele provides executive leadership to her team by overseeing sales and market growth strategies, product innovation, quality control, marketing and consumer relations decisions. Cybele is also the author of three best-selling cookbooks, Allergy-Free & Easy Cooking, The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook, and The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook. She has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, The Food Network, the Today show, Good Morning America, PBS, NPR and most recently, QVC to launch her new line of products, Ancient Grain Pops which is her first collaboration with Free to Eat’s new partner, Awakened Foods. Cybele lives in Los Angeles with her two sons, and enjoys hiking and yoga in her spare time.
Joanie Merriman

Client Insights Manager, SPINS

Joanie Merriman

Client Insights Manager, SPINS

Joanie has dedicated her career to the CPG industry, concentrating on strategically leveraging data to help brands succeed. Her experience includes past roles at Nielsen, and now SPINS where she has worked for 3+ years. At SPINS, Joanie manages two services dedicated to supporting small and emerging brands in the market. Outside of work, Joanie loves to attend CorePower classes and explore new and innovative restaurants in Chicago.