Over 30 chefs cooked up inspiration at BrandSpark
Yum! Brands recently hosted an event designed to collaborate across brands and continents, crafting culinary creations that may land on menus next year.
Habit Burger & Grill Director of Culinary Innovation Jason Triail spices things up for Team KFC. Participants were divided into four teams – one representing each brand – with representatives from the brands on each team.
Taco Bell CEO and Yum! Chief Consumer Officer Sean Tresvant motivated the BrandSpark participants as part of the event's Inspire Hour.
BrandSpark chefs had the same challenge: In three days, they were to recreate an existing limited time offering (LTO) and craft a brand-new menu item. The third option was a food innovation of their own choice.
Team Habit Burger & Grill
Team Pizza Hut (aka Team Slice of the Future)
Team KFC (aka, the Cluck Squad)
Team Taco Bell (aka Team Crav-a-Bell)
KFC Regional FIT lead for the Americas Ana Maria Basurto chops tomatoes for Team Pizza Hut.
Kavi Morgan, KFC Regional FIT lead for the Middle East, India and Africa, works with cheese and tortillas for Team Taco Bell.
Pizza Hut chef Philip Smith and Taco Bell Research & Development Associate Manager Nancy Lee have a laugh in the kitchen.
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Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence (YCGFE) “Accelerating Growth” program
August 20, 2025
