Nick Falco is the Vice President of Operations at Starbird, one of the nation’s first super-premium fast food concepts. Starbird was founded in 2016 by restaurant innovators The Culinary Edge (TCE). At Starbird, Nick pioneers the development of Starbird’s operations, restaurant design, technology, and concept evolution for all streetside, ghost kitchen, stadium, and airport locations. Prior to Starbird, Falco led the hospitality operations at several leading restaurant and gaming companies throughout California. Falco received his bachelor’s degree from The Culinary Institute of America in Culinary Arts and Management, and he serves as the Alumni Champion for his alma mater.

Alex Munoz-Suarez is an accomplished executive with a diverse background in operations, finance, real estate development, and culinary arts with premier restaurant/hospitality brands. He is currently CEO at Fuku, a fried chicken joint from David Chang that’s on a mission to change the way people think about fast casual. Alex leads Fuku’s growth in brick-and-mortar stores, as well as concessions development in stadiums, arenas, airports, and ghost kitchen operations. Prior to joining Fuku, Alex was President at Momofuku Holdings, where he oversaw domestic and international restaurant operations from its NYC headquarters. Momofuku has gained world-wide recognition for its innovative take on cuisine, while supporting local, sustainable, and responsible farmers and food purveyors.

Zak Omar has been a lifelong entrepreneur. He first learned about being a business owner from his father, an Afghani refugee who arrived in New York city in the 1980s. His father introduced a new food option: a mobile fried chicken truck that he would park right outside of 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza. When his father got sick, Omar and his brother, Ray, decided to pursue their own entrepreneurial goals by becoming multi-unit franchisees with Dunkin’. In 2013, Omar fell ill himself and was diagnosed with leukemia. He used this diagnosis as inspiration to expand his portfolio, ultimately investing in Atomic Wings and taking over as CEO in 2016.

Valerie Cansler earned a chemical engineering degree at University of Florida and started her career as a product developer. She then owned and operated PVR Research, an Atlanta-based research facility specializing in food testing. Her team’s culinary expertise and commercial test kitchens made them a perfect fit with Curion Insights. In 2020, Valerie and her team joined the Curion family, where she is now VP of Curion’s south region. Outside of work Valerie loves a good true crime podcast and can be found cheering at her two kids’ soccer and volleyball tournaments.