How are restaurants conceived by owners and designers? What has changed during the food and travel boom of the last two decades?Creative director and food scholar Robert McKeown will take us through the back door of global hospitality development, showing us the how and the why behind the places and spaces we love to eat, to follow, and to talk about.   Robert McKeown has worked in all aspects of the food, design, hospitality, and media industries. He served as editor-at-large and Asia Correspondent for publications like Gourmet, Wallpaper*, DestinAsian, and Gourmet Traveller, winning numerous awards, including a nomination as World’s Best Food Journalist. As a creative director, he has helped research, design, and conceptualize dozens of projects for iconic and Michelin-starred chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Neil Perry; hotels like Singapore’s 6-Star Fullerton Bay; and the modern Hong Kong brasserie Lily + BLOOM, among others. His scholarship has been presented in forums like the Global Summit on Peace Through Tourism, the NY Conference on Asian Studies, and the Oxford Food Symposium.