AOCF Conference Schedule 2026

First registered, first served!

Tour Larkin Hall, the headquarters of Blue Plate Chicago and your host for Art of Catering Food! An 80,000 square-foot facility completed in 2016, Blue Plate operates on floors one and two, while Allium, Blue Plate’s newest event venue (completed in 2025), occupies the third floor. Nationally recognized as the first Chicago caterer to earn Green Restaurant Certification, the custom-designed facility includes temperature-controlled kitchens and on-site composting.

In this approximate 20-minute tour, you will see:
First Floor – The Foundation: View the State-of-the-Art Production Kitchen; Workshop; Warehouse

Second Floor – Public Facing: Walk through The Terrace Room; The Tasting Kitchen; Private Dining Rooms and its corporate offices

Each tour will host 12 attendees during off-session times. Groups are small to be considerate of ongoing catering production and business and allow networking between attendees/Blue Plate staff.

This is an add-on opportunity for a limited number of attendees and will occur either before breakfast or toward the end of lunch breaks on both days of the conference. Register early to secure your slot! Eligible attendees will be notified of their tour time closer to the event.