Our Approach
As avid cooks, restaurant-goers—and, yes, perpetual networkers!—our work is driven by a genuine interest in the creators and consumers who shape the world of food. So rather than deliver sterile data or impersonal insights, we strive to understand the deeper social, economic and cultural trends that drive noteworthy shifts in our industry. Whether speaking at conferences, traveling to the hottest culinary markets or investing in long-term relationships with business leaders and tastemakers, the real value of our services is rooted in our insatiable curiosity for all things F+B.
We meet clients with the same people-first perspective, seeking to understand the operational concerns and stakeholder structures that influence their unique decision-making processes. Serving as an organic extension of their in-house teams, we partner closely with individuals across various fields of expertise to generate impactful solutions and identify new opportunities. By looking at business challenges from these diverse perspectives—and within a broader socio-cultural context—we can more effectively empower clients to implement innovative strategies that challenge the status quo.
Maeve Webster | PRESIDENT
Maeve Webster is the founder and president of Menu Matters, the food and beverage consultancy she launched in 2015 to cut through the industry’s flood of data and find the why behind consumer behavior. She built the firm to be the source she felt was missing, one willing to step back and ask what all the available information was really saying about consumers, culture and the future of food.
Her perspective is grounded in a rare blend of hands-on and analytical experience: a Le Cordon Bleu culinary degree, an MBA, and four years owning an award-winning café, paired with a double degree in political science and history and an early career in theater. Together they shape an approach that is rigorous, human and built for storytelling, whether on stage presenting to professional audiences or in a thoughtful data-driven client report.
Across more than two decades, Maeve has advised manufacturers, operators, commodity boards and agencies, and she is most often invited to speak not about what’s trending but about what’s coming next and what it means for a given audience. She has earned the Ogilvy Award for Research & Communication Innovation, serves on the Bayer Crop Sciences and the HZPC Culinary Councils, co-hosts Menu Matters’ podcast, The Mess Hall, and has been quoted as a food-industry expert by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, NPR, CNN and the BBC.
MIKE KOSTYO | VICE President
Mike Kostyo has been a leading voice in food industry trends and insights for over a decade, known for digging through the messy information landscape to uncover unique insights that help brands think differently. Viewing food through a human-first, anthropological lens—shaped by his master's degree in gastronomy—Mike brings depth and expertise to industry research and analysis. He excels at collaborative problem-solving with clients, bringing high energy, humor and a personal touch to every project.
His cross-disciplinary background, ranging from magazine journalism to advertising to political communications, allows him to communicate complex trends and ideas with clarity and impact, earning him coverage in the New York Times, a featured profile on Huffington Post (“This Food Trendologist Knows What We’ll Be Eating Before Anyone Else”), on NBC Nightly News, as a recurring guest on Fusion TV’s The AV Club Show, and even as a judge on Food Network’s Eating America. He is also a sought-after speaker who has presented to over a hundred industry events on topics like innovation and AI, as well as his still-talked-about “How to Be Weird” presentation.
Based in Chicago, Kostyo is also a freelance writer who regularly contributes to food industry publications. In addition to his gastronomy degree from Boston University, he has certificates in the culinary arts, baking arts, wine, and artisan cheese production and he proudly serves on the advisory committee for the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at the Market Center of the Ozarks.
erin murray | senior director, client partnerships
Erin Murray has spent more than 30 years helping food and beverage brands understand what consumers want next — and why. She translates market signals, cultural shifts and consumer behavior into clear direction for innovation, positioning and communication strategy, bringing insight to life through narratives that are as engaging as they are actionable. Fascinated by food’s many roles in a fulfilling life, Erin is driven to find the "sweet spots," unique and ownable ideas that meet evolving consumer needs.
Fluent in both quantitative and qualitative methods, Erin has spent her career at the intersection of rigorous research and trend activation, holding senior insight and consulting roles at Sara Lee, Mintel, Datassential, GfK, Barilla, and Bimbo Bakeries USA. Erin understands the co-existence of food trends and their counter trends. With strategic thinking and creativity, she has identified growth opportunities for major food/beverage manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, retailers, chain operators and food trade associations.
Erin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from William & Mary and a Master of Integrated Marketing Communication from Northwestern University's Medill School. She recently completed a class on Foresight Essentials through the Institute for the Future (IFTF), continuing to sharpen the tools she uses to help companies futureproof. Erin is particularly interested in food as medicine, the future of fresh, and the benefits of biodiverse ecosystems in food production.
SHELLEY PHILLIPS | STRATEGIC PLANNER
Shelley Phillips joined Menu Matters in November 2024, bringing with her 20 years of experience in investment banking with a focus on structuring complex funding solutions for non-profit and municipal clients. At Menu Matters, she leverages her expertise in strategic planning, team building and research.
Shelley earned a Master's in History, followed by her MBA at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She, her husband and two cats reside in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana where they enjoy fly fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and gardening.
