We’ve seen the menus.
We’ve scrolled the reels.
We’ve watched Michelin stars rise and fall like stock tickers.

But here’s the real question:
Who’s writing the future of food?

Not just what we’re eating, but how it’s grown, governed, served, and shared.
Not just what’s trending, but what’s transforming.

At NOVELCITY News, we believe the kitchen is a system. The plate is a platform. And the food economy? A blueprint in motion.

That’s why we’re launching the NCN Food & Hospitality column—not to flatter chefs, but to elevate systems. Not to chase hype, but to trace value. And not to replicate what media has already overcooked, but to season a fresh, future-forward editorial movement.

We’re Not Tasting the Surface. We’re Examining the Structure.

In our world, food journalism lives across 12 storytelling environments, each one engineered to spotlight a different stage in the innovation lifecycle. Together, they shape a calendar of truth-telling, future-sourcing, and regeneration.

• JANUARY | NOTICE This: What culinary deserts are hiding in plain sight?

• FEBRUARY | OPEN This: What ingredients, communities, or cuisines are locked outside the echo chamber?

• MARCH | VALIDATE This: Which startups are disrupting distribution, but still need to prove their plate?

• MAY | LOCK This: Who’s rewriting the food code—literally? Health, labor, sustainability law.

Each environment invites the food world’s most critical thinkers, doers, and storytellers to write like system architects.

From the Back of the House to the Blockchain

This column won’t just feature chefs. It will feature:

• Farmers deploying AI for ancestral seed protection

• Front-of-house workers co-owning restaurants via DAOs

• Neighborhood kitchens resisting displacement through co-ops

• Cultural cooks preserving legacy while hacking the algorithm

Whether your tools are knives, contracts, or TikTok—if your work is building the next food system, we want your story in NCN.

Be the Author of What’s Next

We are now accepting contributor pitches for our Food & Hospitality column.
The door is open for thought leaders, visionaries, disruptors, and flavor futurists.

Your apron is your lab coat. Your menu is your manifesto.
Let’s write the future of food—one narrative at a time.

Submit Your Interest to Become a Writer Here →

NCN | NOVELCITY News
We don’t just cover trends. We cover transformations.

Contact Us:

• Partnership & Sponsorship Inquiries → partnerships@novelopers.com
• Editorial & Writer Submissions → news@novelopers.com
• Speaker & Event Collaborations → newbusiness@novelopers.com

Note: By 2027, NCN will expand to 43 cities across the globe, activating a global storytelling network to map the new economic landscape and spotlight the cities building what’s next.

First stops: Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, New York, Washington DC, Denver, Houston, Seattle, Phoenix, Bay Area, New Orleans, Orlando, Boston, Austin, and

Las Vegas

Stay tuned. Subscribe. There’s a novel story in your city—and we’re here to tell it.

www.novelcitynews.com

#NovelCityNews #NCN43x27 #InnovationJournalism #NextEconomy

How Chef Cortez Wesley’s Journey Reflects the Resilience of American Food Systems
By NCN Editorial Team, Featuring Chef Cortez Wesley

“Chefs Create. Cooks Execute.”
“You Must Love It! To Do It!”
“If You Can’t Take the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen.”
— Chef Quotes by Cortez Wesley

In times of uncertainty, the culinary world turns not just to flavor—but to those who know how to execute under pressure. One of those figures is Chef Cortez Wesley, whose journey from frying donuts at 14 to overseeing nutrition systems across North America tells a deeper story about what the kitchen really represents: a living system of survival, innovation, and legacy.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Cortez got his start in the kitchen alongside his mother, a pastry chef in a local specialty market. From baking breads to managing three restaurants at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center by the age of 18, Cortez was never just cooking meals—he was building momentum.

That momentum carried him across the country, fueled by a scholarship to Johnson & Wales University, and eventually to leadership roles for some of the largest hospitality and healthcare brands in the nation.

But it’s what Chef Cortez notices—and now writes about—that places him squarely within the mission of NOVELCITY News.

Economic Pressure. Culinary Precision.

In his recent article, “How Economic Changes Are Reshaping Culinary Trends in the USA,” Cortez explores how inflation, income shifts, and cultural tension are transforming how we eat, cook, and connect. From the rise of comfort food and value meals to the growing prominence of plant-based proteins and sustainability initiatives, Wesley positions these trends not as passing fads—but as economic responses that mirror his own resilience as a chef.

His analysis is more than observation—it’s execution. Much like his quote: “Cooks execute. Chefs adapt.”

"We’re seeing a rebirth of community-centered cuisine, reinvented classics, and ghost kitchens that respond directly to financial realities. Food isn’t just about flavor anymore—it’s about function, identity, and survival."
— Chef Cortez Wesley

Consulting the Future: Beyond the Plate

As NCN launches its Food & Hospitality column, voices like Cortez’s help shape the blueprint for what's next—not only in food, but in systems thinking. His story embodies our mission: to tell stories that function as infrastructure, not just inspiration.

With a finger on the pulse of evolving culinary economics, Wesley is more than a chef—he’s a strategist, a storyteller, and a systems thinker.

Want to Join Cortez in the Kitchen of Ideas?

We're calling on chefs, creators, consultants, and culture-builders to contribute to NCN’s growing editorial ecosystem. As Cortez shows, you don’t have to come from media to influence it—you just have to love it enough to do it.

Explore our writing environments and become a contributor here.

Follow Chef Cortez Wesley:
IG: @chef4life2018
Facebook: 7246 Personal Chef & Culinary Services
LinkedIn: Cortez Wesley

NCN | NOVELCITY News
Where the kitchen is the code—and legacy is the recipe.

Contact Us:

• Partnership & Sponsorship Inquiries → partnerships@novelopers.com

• Editorial & Writer Submissions → news@novelopers.com
• Speaker & Event Collaborations → newbusiness@novelopers.com

Note: By 2027, NCN will expand to 43 cities across the globe, activating a global storytelling network to map the new economic landscape and spotlight the cities building what’s next.

First stops: Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, New York, Washington DC, Denver, Houston, Seattle, Phoenix, Bay Area, New Orleans, Orlando, Boston, Austin, and

Las Vegas

Stay tuned. Subscribe. There’s a novel story in your city—and we’re here to tell it.

www.novelcitynews.com

#NovelCityNews #NCN43x27 #InnovationJournalism #NextEconomy

If you’ve ever heard me speak on food, you know I don’t just cook for the flavor—I cook for the future.

I got my start back in Kansas City, Missouri, where my mother worked as a pastry chef in a local specialty market. I was about 14 when I first started frying donuts and making specialty breads, but even then, I knew the kitchen was more than a place to make food. It was a system—a rhythm of pressure, timing, creativity, and survival.

By 18, I was managing three restaurants at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center downtown. By 19, I had a scholarship—personally gifted to me by my Executive Chef—to study at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. Since then, I’ve been honored to work across the country, earning leadership roles, traveling coast to coast, and eventually overseeing food and nutrition for all of North America for one of the largest healthcare companies in the country.

So when I say the economic shifts we’re seeing now are transforming the culinary world, I don’t say it as a trend-watcher—I say it as someone who’s stood behind the line and seen the pressure rise.

How Economics Are Changing What—and How—We Serve

We’re entering a time where economic fluctuations—rising costs, supply chain strain, inflation—are influencing what’s possible in the kitchen, and what diners expect on the plate.

Here’s what I’m seeing—and living—in real time:

1. Comfort Food Makes a Comeback

When the economy tightens, people seek the familiar. Sandwiches, casseroles, stews—dishes that bring emotional value as much as flavor. These aren’t just meals—they’re memories. They also happen to be cost-effective and scalable for restaurants trying to stay afloat.

2. Bigger Portions, Tighter Margins

Consumers want value. That means more combo deals, family-style options, and value meals. Restaurants are finding creative ways to increase perceived value without cutting quality—because we know diners are counting every dollar.

3. Local Ingredients, National Movement

Sourcing local is no longer just about sustainability—it’s a financial strategy. Supporting nearby growers cuts costs, supports regional economies, and builds real relationships between chefs and farmers. I’ve seen firsthand how sourcing local creates resilience—not just for menus, but for whole communities.

4. The Rise of Ghost Kitchens and Delivery-Only Menus

Convenience and cost-saving are driving innovation. With more people eating at home, the demand for delivery-friendly dishes has skyrocketed. Ghost kitchens are popping up in places you’d never expect, offering everything from gourmet to grab-and-go.

5. Plant-Based on the Rise

I used to think plant-based menus were niche. Now they’re essential. Not only are they appealing to more health-conscious consumers, but they’re also more cost-effective to produce at scale—especially with meat prices fluctuating.

6. Nostalgia Sells—With a Twist

Right now, it’s all about reinvented classics. Think meatloaf sliders, mac and cheese with smoked gouda, or fried chicken with a sorghum glaze. Comfort is in—but innovation still matters.

7. Waste Less, Serve More

Reducing waste is not only ethical—it’s economical. I’ve worked with organizations implementing nose-to-tail practices, repurposing ingredients, and saving thousands. Chefs today aren’t just measured by taste—they’re judged by stewardship.

A Kitchen is a Reflection of Its Economy

Every shift in the economy echoes through the kitchen. From the supplier to the server, every dollar spent—or saved—tells a story.

And if I’ve learned anything from my time behind the stove and in corporate boardrooms, it’s this: chefs don’t just cook—they adapt.

That’s what I mean when I say:

“Chefs Create. Cooks Execute.”
“You Must Love It to Do It.”
“If You Can’t Take the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen.”

These aren’t just quotes on a wall—they’re survival codes in today’s food economy.

The Next Course

I’m proud to contribute to NOVELCITY News because we’re not just talking about food—we’re building an ecosystem where culture, commerce, and comfort intersect. If you’re in this industry—chef, server, grower, or guest—I invite you to be part of the conversation.

Let’s write what’s next.

Follow me for more insights:
IG: @chef4life2018
Facebook: 7246 Personal Chef & Culinary Services
LinkedIn: Cortez Wesley

NCN | NOVELCITY News
Food is more than flavor. It’s infrastructure.

A bold new voice in global innovation media has officially launched: NOVELCITY NEWS (NCN). Born out of Kansas City’s rich legacy of entrepreneurial grit and visionary storytelling, NCN is a next-generation media platform focused on identifying, tracking, and celebrating the people, ventures, and cities shaping the future of business and society.

With the philosophy that “There’s a NOVELCITY in every city,” the platform takes a hyperlocal-to-global approach—connecting grassroots ecosystems with global capital, talent, and opportunity.

From deep-dive features on startup traction and corporate reinvention, to immersive reporting on urban transformation, legal innovation, and new approaches to wealth creation, NCN is not just reporting stories—it’s building the archive of the next economy.

Coming soon:

• Annual Lists & Rankings, including Top 100 Novel Professionals, Most Investable Ventures, and the NOVELCITY Index.

• High-impact editorial verticals like TRACTION, NEW 2 NOVELCITY, NOVEL PROFESSIONALS, and NOVEL VENTURES.

• Cross-sector intelligence from media, research, education, legal, and financial innovation perspectives.

And this is just the beginning. By 2027, NCN will expand to 43 cities across the globe, activating a global storytelling network to map the new economic landscape and spotlight the cities building what’s next.

📍First stops: Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, New York, Washington DC, Denver, Houston, Seattle, Phoenix, Bay Area, New Orleans, Orlando, Boston, Austin, and

Las Vegas

Stay tuned. Subscribe. There’s a novel story in your city—and we’re here to tell it.

🌐www.novelcitynews.com

#NovelCityNews #NCN43x27 #InnovationJournalism #NextEconomy