Breaking Boundaries, June 9 2025

Thank you for helping make this year’s Breaking Boundaries event such an incredible success. Last year marked our first-ever gathering, and we had no idea this year could be just as spectacular. That’s thanks in large part to the incredible planning, creativity, and leadership of Nancy Caswell, who led the Event’s Committee with vision and heart.

Thank you to the Executive Committee for all of your behind-the-scenes and on-stage guidance, presence and leadership. You all helped make this day possible! From the earliest stages of planning through every last detail on Monday, your leadership as a Board, through your outreach, insight, and unwavering support, was essential in bringing this event to life. We truly couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks to your collective efforts, we sold 173 tickets and welcomed 344 attendees, including sponsors, industry leaders, and community advocates. Most importantly, we raised over $100,000 to power MRU’s mission and momentum heading into 2025.

We heard from industry luminaries: Danny Meyer, Joanne Chang, Jesse Baerkahn, Martha Sheridan, Chris Shepherd, and Ashley Stanley. Each provided unique insights and further thought-provoking questions drawn from their wealth of experience. We thank our panelists!

Your contributions made possible not just a day of connection and conversation, but a true celebration of our industry’s heart and resilience. Monday’s event was a reflection of that spirit and a powerful reminder that we are stronger together. Your time, your voice, and your presence, on stage, behind the scenes, and throughout the room, left a lasting impression.

Let’s keep that momentum going —asking big questions, finding new ways to collaborate, and continuing to build a restaurant community that’s more connected, inclusive, and resilient than ever. Everyone who attended Breaking Boundaries received a welcome email with a complimentary one-year MRU membership. We hope you’ll help by bringing people in, sharing ideas, and helping shape what’s next.