The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association’s annual show, set for June 1-3 in New Orleans, will include a great mix of guest speakers and industry experts who will shed light on what works — and what doesn’t — in today’s ever-changing food business world.

Leading a stellar cast of keynote speakers at IDDBA ’25 will be Academy Award-winning director, producer, and actor Kevin Costner and Super Bowl Champion and Peabody award winning journalist Michael Strahan. Other speakers at the show will be Food Network star and host Carla Hall and author and YouTube host Claire Saffitz.

Star power

While working at the famed Raleigh Studios and taking acting classes at night, Costner’s career in film officially began when he landed a role in the ensemble drama The Big Chill. Although he would not make the final cut in the iconic film, it would set the stage for starring roles in a string of seminal films, the first of which was the coming-of-age comedy, Fandango.

Throughout his career, Costner has varied his choices with comedy, action and drama roles. He has appeared in such popular box-office hits as Silverado, No Way Out, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, The Bodyguard and Wyatt Earp.

Costner’s exceptional filmmaking abilities were showcased in Dances with Wolves, which he produced, directed and starred in, and which won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.

In addition to appearing in memorable roles in JFK, The Untouchables and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, he re-teamed with his Bull Durham director Ron Shelton for the hit feature Tin Cup.

Costner also starred in Thirteen Days, successfully collaborating again with his No Way Out director Roger Donaldson. His other film credits include For Love of the Game, The War, 3,000 Miles to Graceland, Dragonfly and The Postman, his second directing effort.

Costner last directed the box office hit and critically acclaimed film Open Range, which he also co-starred in alongside Robert Duvall and Annette Bening.

More recently, in addition to several film roles, Costner starred in and executive-produced the Paramount Network’s mega-hit drama, Yellowstone, a role for which he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama.

Currently, Costner is directing, producing and starring in Horizon: An American Saga, a multi-faceted, years-long span of post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. Experienced through the eyes of many, the epic journey is fraught with peril and intrigue, from the constant onslaught of natural elements to the interactions with the Native American people who lived on the land, and the determination and at many times ruthlessness of those who sought to settle it.

Winning combination

Versatile Michael Strahan currently co-anchors ABC’s “Good Morning America,” serves as an analyst for “Fox NFL Sunday,” and hosts ABC’s primetime game show favorite “The $100,000 Pyramid.” Strahan also headlined the Thursday Night Football Pregame Show live on the Fox Broadcast Network.

For four years, Strahan co-hosted the hit talk show “LIVE with Kelly and Michael,” and prior to joining the ranks of the top sports broadcasters in the country, Strahan had a spectacular NFL career that resulted in him being named to the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Strahan was honored with a star in the newest category of ‘Sports Entertainment’ on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Strahan is the co-founder of SMAC Entertainment, a multi-dimensional talent management, music, branding and production company to create a major presence in the sports and entertainment arena. In addition to representing globally recognized talent, SMAC produces a diversified slate of film and television content, with projects set up at primetime cable and broadcast networks including HBO, DIRECTV, Showtime, ABC, CBS, E!, NFL Network, Audience Network, and Nickelodeon, as well as Prime Video.

In 2015, Strahan launched his lifestyle brand, Michael StrahanTM. What started with tailored apparel grew into more than 50 product categories including home decor, skincare, boys, pajamas, sportswear, tuxedos, basics, and officially licensed NFL and NHL apparel for men, women, and more.

The brand was founded on one of Strahan’s core principles — if you look good, you feel confident. It was developed from his own need for stylish, professional yet versatile apparel that fit him and his active life. The latest expansion for the brand came in 2025 with the launch of the Michael Strahan Design Lab, a streamlined way to order high quality, fully personalized suits from the comfort of your own home. For more information, please visit MichaelStrahan.com.

In December 2021, Strahan expanded his horizons even further, taking a flight to space with Jeff Bezos’s aerospace company, Blue Origin, on their third passenger space mission.

Strahan released his best-selling book, “Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life,” which includes personal stories and motivational advice. Dedicated to many charitable works, Strahan donates his hands and heart to charities including St. Jude’s.

From screen to (the IDDBA) stage

Carla Hall first won over audiences when she competed on Bravo’s Top Chef and Top Chef: All Stars and shared her philosophy to always cook with love. She is a trained chef who has worked in several professional restaurant kitchens in and around the Washington, D.C. area and believes food connects us all, a belief she strives to convey through her work, her cooking, and in her daily interactions with others.

She spent seven years co-hosting ABC’s Emmy Award-winning, popular lifestyle series The Chew, and is currently featured on the Food Network as a judge on competition shows such as Summer, Holiday, and Halloween Baking Championships. Her latest cookbook, Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, was published in 2018, landing on annual Best Cookbook lists across the country and receiving an NAACP Image Awards nomination.

In 2024 Hall was honored by Les Dames d’Escoffier as Grande Dame, a lifetime achievement award and honorary title given to members in recognition of extraordinary contributions within the fields of food, beverage, and hospitality. She has also published a children’s book, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread (2021), a heartwarming tale loosely based on Hall’s childhood growing up in Nashville, TN. She is an ambassador for Caire Beauty.

As host of the YouTube channel baking show, Dessert Person, Claire Saffitz reaches over one million subscribers. She is a former Bon Appétit Senior Food Editor, and she shares her love of food with audiences through her award-winning cookbooks and books.

Saffitz’s first cookbook, Dessert Person, published in 2020 by Clarkson Potter, won the IACP Julia Child First Cookbook Award. Her second book, What’s For Dessert, published in 2022, was nominated for the James Beard Award.

Previously, she was senior food editor at Bon Appétit magazine. She currently hosts a baking YouTube channel called Dessert Person, which has more than 1 million subscribers. She also writes recipes and hosts videos for New York Times Cooking.