Katie Ayoub is a flavor trends expert, foodservice consultant and award-winning writer, known for translating emerging consumer behavior into actionable insights for high-volume operators and global brands. She is a frequent speaker on flavor innovation, Gen Z influence, and the cultural forces shaping menus today and tomorrow. As managing editor of Flavor & The Menu and content strategist for Flavor Experience, Katie develops trend-forward, engaging content that bridges inspiration with real-world application. She has been part of the Flavor family since 2006 and brings more than 25 years of experience across the foodservice industry. As president of Katie Ayoub & Associates, her Chicago-based consultancy, she partners with manufacturers, agencies, commodity boards and restaurant brands—including Kraft Heinz Away From Home, Unilever Food Solutions and The Mushroom Council—to craft strategic narratives, develop trend platforms and position products within today’s evolving menu landscape. Katie’s global perspective is personal: raised between Latin America and the Caribbean with English parents, she experienced cross-cultural flavor mash-ups long before they entered the mainstream. Today, she draws on that perspective, along with decades of industry experience, to track emerging flavor trends and translate them into actionable menu innovation for high-volume foodservice—both in her consulting work and on stage. She serves as a board director for Les Dames d’Escoffier Chicago and is a graduate of Northwestern University. Katie lives in Chicago, within a fly ball of Wrigley Field, and isn’t afraid to admit her love of a big, buttery Chardonnay.