Speakers & Seminar Hosts

Canaan Marshall is the next-door floral designer of your dreams. An old soul, he has had a natural knack for all things growing and green since childhood. He is best known as the vibrant, young fellow to turn your everyday into elegant. Perhaps just as notable is the seemingly effortless way he creates and very often makes his fans feel as though they, too, could create something just as wonderful.  His mantra: Place it, and move on. To his audience of intrigued green-thumb wannabes, he inspires thoughtful arrangements while never fretting over the perfect placement. He encourages, “Choose flowers you like; put some love into the preparation, and have fun!” Much like your favorite neighbor, he has the finished vision before you even begin. Canaan’s energy makes one want to dance and celebrate each event as if it were the last. That celebration is evident in everything he touches.  Canaan especially values the relationship with each client. He is quick to learn a client’s personality from the onset. From Macon to Atlanta and beyond, many have been known to cheat on their mainstay florist for his gorgeous table scapes, over-the-top mantels and breathtaking bridal bouquets. His work can be found in the pages of Southern Living, Modern Luxury, Flower Magazine, Traditional Home, and Macon Magazine. His lineup of sophisticated events includes ADAC’s To Live & Dine, Historic Macon Foundation’s Design Wine & Dine, and Atlanta Symphony Associates’ Decorators’ Show House & Gardens opening party. Canaan is also a conte   stant on Season Two of Full Bloom on HBO Max. Canaan makes extraordinary appear simple, yet always with a fabulous, fun flair.  For press inquiries or for more information about how you can get in on Canaan’s florabrilliance, contact Goods PR / Susannah Maddux: 478.254.1561 or susannah@forthegoods.com.

Melanie Hansche is the editorial director of special projects at Food & Wine and a former restaurant owner who has created food and lifestyle content for over 24 years across two continents. She started her career in food journalism in Sydney at Australian Gourmet Traveller before joining Aussie food icon Donna Hay for eight years as her magazine and cookbook editor. Melanie relocated to the U.S. a decade ago to work for Rodale publishing as its food director before joining Food & Wine in 2018 as its deputy editor. In her current role, Melanie oversees editorial programs like Best New Chefs and Global Tastemakers, spearheads the brand’s travel and home coverage, and sometimes develops recipes close to her heart (crumpets, anyone?).

Kat Kinsman is the executive features editor at Food & Wine, author of Hi, Anxiety: Life With a Bad Case of Nerves, host of Food & Wine’s Gold Signal Award-winning podcast Tinfoil Swans, and founder of Chefs With Issues. Previously, she was the senior food & drinks editor at Extra Crispy, editor-in-chief and editor at large at Tasting Table, and the founding editor of CNN Eatocracy. She won a 2024 IACP Award for Narrative Food Writing With Recipes and a 2020 IACP Award for Personal Essay/Memoir, and has had work included in the 2020 and 2016 editions of The Best American Food Writing. She was nominated for a James Beard Broadcast Award in 2013, won a 2011 EPPY Award for Best Food Website with 1 million unique monthly visitors, and was a finalist in 2012 and 2013. She is a sought-after international keynote speaker and moderator on food culture and mental health in the hospitality industry, and is the former vice chair of the James Beard Journalism Committee.

Hunter Lewis has been the Editor in Chief of Food & Wine since 2017, leading a team that has earned multiple James Beard Awards and a National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors. Prior to that he was the Editor in Chief of Cooking Light, Executive Editor of Southern Living, Food Editor of Bon Appétit, and Kitchen Director of Saveur. Lewis cooked under chef Jonathan Waxman in Sonoma County, California, and as a line cook at Barbuto in New York City. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he was also a reporter for The Herald-Sun in Durham, North Carolina. You can find him in his home kitchen in Birmingham, Alabama, cooking for his family, on Instagram @notesfromacook, and as a guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef.