Time for another quarterly catch-up with your co-hosts, Christine Farkas, RSE, CRC and Lara Tiro.

In this "snackable" roundup, we share the key moments, industry gatherings, and forward-looking forums that shaped our winter and early spring in food innovation.

From San Francisco to Anaheim, we've been on the ground learning, connecting, and supporting growth across the food and beverage ecosystem. Here's a taste of what we've been up to:

• Trend spotting in full force: Winter Fancy Faire brought us face-to-face with what's next on shelf, including the rise of sensemaxxing and what it signals for product development and positioning.
• Community in action: The CFE Gathering and BCFT Suppliers Night reminded us why in-person connection in this industry is irreplaceable.
• The big shows: SCIFT and ExpoWest , CHFA Vancouver delivered its usual sensory overload of innovation, emerging brands, and category disruption, and we came back with plenty to unpack.
• Founder energy: Jake Karls of Midday Squares at Fasken for a candid conversation on the power of authenticity and storytelling and what it really takes to grow a food business from the ground up.

Looking ahead to Q2, we have a packed conference slate including the Dressings and Sauces Technical Meeting, ThaiFX and the CHFA Ottawa Regulatory Forum.

We have been sitting on some exciting news: Munching on Molecules is approaching its 100th episode! We are planning something special to mark the occasion mid-November. This show exists because of this community, and we want to celebrate that. 

Stay tuned, because this event is going to be worth the wait.

Hit play, grab a snack, and let's set the stage for a strong Q2!