The Food Institute's 2023 Restaurant Roundtable

John Goldasich is a Managing Director and senior member of the Consumer, Food & Retail group at Lazard. He brings more than 18 years of mergers and acquisitions and capital markets experience, serving clients across the franchising, restaurant, multi-unit and consumer services sector. Mr. Goldasich has worked with a wide range of closely held, founder-owned and sponsor-backed clients.

Prior to joining Lazard, Mr. Goldasich was a partner and Managing Director at Arlington Capital Advisors where he led the firm’s restaurant, consumer services and franchising practice. He also previously served in the Capital Markets group at AmSouth Bank (now Regions Securities). He serves on the board of the Alabama Golf Association and Fenwick Brands.

Mr. Goldasich graduated from Lipscomb University and received his master’s degree from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Riley Lagesen, chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Global Restaurant Industry Group, serves as lead counsel to many of the nation’s most well-known restaurant brands and culinary talent. Riley’s passion for the restaurant industry comes from his many years as a restaurant employee, and later, a restaurant owner, in Los Angeles. He saw an opportunity for law firms to better serve restaurant industry clients, and has dedicated his career to supporting both clients and the restaurant industry. Learn more here: https://www.gtlaw.com/en/professionals/l/lagesen-riley

An industry leader and innovator, Kim Malek is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Portland-based Salt & Straw Ice Cream. Since founding the company in 2011, Malek has built Salt & Straw from a humble ice cream cart into a fast-growing company with 30 locations while retaining its bones as a family-run company known for its culture of hospitality. A pioneer in localization, every chef-driven ice cream flavor conceptualized by Malek’s cousin and co-founder, Tyler Malek, is handmade in small batches using the best organic and sustainable ingredients from local farmers and artisans.

Malek is a humble and passionate leader, engaged member of the community, and a champion for causes such as childhood hunger and equal rights through initiatives such as community hiring programs. Prior to launching Salt & Straw, Malek held positions at Starbucks Coffee, Yahoo!, adidas and Gardenburger in marketing, community outreach, and product management and development. She also worked with Bono of U2 on an online music service (RED) and with Seattle’s Cupcake Royale, specializing in retail marketing and management and bringing new, epicurean trends to market.

Malek founded Salt & Straw to create neighborhood gathering places, and the company’s strong community roots and dedication to giving back drives everything they do. In 2014, Malek received the Portland Business Journal’s Women of Influence Award, and in 2017 was recognized by Basic Rights Oregon as an Equality Advocate Honoree. That same year, Malek interviewed Vice President Joe Biden for his “Promise Me, Dad” nationwide book tour. Additionally, Malek has been named to Inc Magazine’s 100 Female Founders list of entrepreneurs, the Cherry Bombe 100 list featuring female leaders in the culinary space, and Nation's Restaurant News’ Power List.

Malek lives in Portland with her partner, three children and two dogs.

Aaron Noveshen is the Founder & Chairman of The Culinary Edge (TCE), America's leading innovation consultancy. TCE fuses culinary excellence, operational expertise, and human-centered design to forge the future of what we eat and drink. Aaron and his team have worked with 30% of the top 200 restaurants and co-created over 25 global and regional restaurant brands. Aaron leads TCE Ventures which hatched Starbird Chicken, TCE’s first self-actualized and self-operated concept. Starbird opened to critical acclaim with the Breakout Brand Award from NRN and currently operates 12 locations in the Bay Area and Southern California. Aaron is also the co-founder of Pacific Catch, the co-founder of World Wrapps, the Director Emeritus of the California Restaurant Association and the former Chairman of the board of the California Restaurant Association Foundation.