Eating at a Meeting

Did you know that wine, beer, and spirit manufacturers are not required to tell you what's in their products? It's true. Amanda Thomson, CEO, and Founder of Thomson & Scott Noughty Alcohol-Free Wine wants to change that - especially at it relates to wine. On Wednesday, March 9 for Women's HERstory Month, I'm chatting with THE woman taking the wine world by storm with her organic, alcohol-free, veg...

To kick off Women's HERstory month, Tracy is chatting with Jamie Gonzalez, aka the "Puta De La Fruta," who has, since 2020, partnered with over 50 organizations to distribute more than 3 million pounds of food. With the mantras "Everybody Eats" and "Cultivating Community" she is using her voice and her experience to help people find pathways to quality, affordable, and healthful food choices. Her...

Who says that eating plant-based cannot have flavor? I am sure there are a lot of people who do, but not Chef Robin Asbell. A vegetarian since 1980, Robin is the least preachy veg-head you know. Most of her friends are omnivores and she cooks meat for her private clients. She is more into living it than talking about it at parties and really believes that teaching people to enjoy eating more plant...

Coming Live from Las Vegas on the final day of PCMA Convening Leaders, Tracy reports on what she saw and heard about food and beverage at the convention, around town, and through the convention partners who are showcasing their cities. Tracy covers presentation styles, labeling, room sets, and ancillary events. She even takes a tour around the main area of the show so you can see how it is set-up....

Kicking off the 2022 talking about and celebrating veganism and how it can help us be better stewards for our planet. Who better to help me do this than Veganethical food advisor Chantal Cooke . Her 30+ years as an environmental journalist, founder of UK's only ethically focused radio station PASSION for the PLANET, a long time vegetarian/vegan, she is a wealth of knowledge to start the year and V...

To truly create safe, inclusive, and sustainable food experiences, we must take into account all the other human and non-human inputs along the food supply chain. Using their experience running a global corporate food program and their appreciation and advocacy for local and sustainable food system, McKenzie Phelan and Meghan Shellenberg founded Foodmuse. Through their food and beverage design age...

What do you get when you provide a safe dining experience for someone with food allergies? An inclusive experience in which everyone can enjoy a meal with together without anyone going hungry. If you are a #foodservice outlet or an #event, adding those two types of experiences together — safety + inclusion — you gain potential for increasing your revenue. You see, individuals with #foodallergies a...

When contacting a hotel or other venue to hold a meeting/event there is usually a food and beverage (F&B) contract clause that stipulates the group must spend a minimum amount of money on F&B during the event, providing a source of revenue for the venue. And, if the group doe not generate the contracted amount, it will responsible for making up the difference. These are "standard" clauses, if you'...

What are the cocktail (alcoholic and non!) basics that everyone should know about making excellent drinks? Grab a glass and tune in to learn from cocktail editor, coach and mixologist, Erin R. Petrey about how cocktails are made, why they are made the way they are, and the history behind what's in the glass. Learn what to serve for your New Year celebrations and events in 2022, including non-alcoh...

I met Becky Kekula a few years ago at a conference about work place inclusion. When we talked about what we both do, I was intrigued by her perspective of eating at a meeting. As a person with dwarfism, she opened my eyes to yet another approach #eventprofs should consider when designing events, including the food and beverage service. In her TedX Talk, she says "we live in a society that encourag...

Did you know that in the US alone, 48 million people get and 3,000 people die from a foodborne illness each year? Some of these illnesses cause lifelong ramifications or potentially death. The problem is, no one cares until it affects them personally. To help spread awareness on the importance of compliance and ethics related to food safety, in this week's Eating at a Meeting LIVE, Tracy chats wit...

Hotel catering menus are pretty standard. You have your choice of this breakfast or that. Lunch and dinner choose from chicken, beef or fish with salad and dessert. Bonni Scepkowski was never one to follow the standard rules of meeting. She never met a menu she couldn't improve. As you know, food is more than 'lunchtime' — it's an integral part of the experience and should be woven into the fabric...

I had the opportunity to interview Chef Keith Rhodes of Catch restaurant (Wilmington, NC) for a Meetings Today article I wrote on the Cuisine of the Coastal Carolinas earlier this year. His knowledge of and ideology behind cooking fresh, healthy, seasonal meals and living a sustainable lifestyle comes from his deep roots to the Carolina coastal community. While he supports local purveyors, fisherm...

In this final session recorded at IMEX America 2022, Tracy chats with Yalmaz Siddiqui, Vice President, Corporate Sustainability at MGM Resorts International and Mariela McIlwraith, Vice President Sustainability and Industry Advancement at Events Industry Council. https://www.linkedin.com/in/yalmazsiddiqui/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/marielamcilwraith/ Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/Eatin...

This episode is the second of three recorded at IMEX America. Tracy is chatting with Mark Cooper, CEO and Sean Anderson, Global Board President of IACC, an international collection of 400 small to mid-size conference, training and meeting venues that specialize in meetings and events. Listen in as Tracy, Mark and Sean talk about food and beverage trends. From QR codes for each person's dietary nee...

When Keyatta Mincey Parker realized that she and other restaurant and bar workers need to de-stress, she created a community garden with 501c3 status where bartenders can go and wind down. With the mission to provide a "healthy and safe space for members of the industry to recharge their creativity, minds and themselves," the garden lets her grow as a creative person, plant new roots into the comm...

LIVE from IMEX America 2021 in Las Vegas, Tracy chats with Dale Hudson, Knowledge and Events Director for IMEX Group and Eric Wallinger, Director of Sustainability at MeetGreen on the sustainability efforts that IMEX Group has championed at the meetings industry's largest exhibition. Learn the steps taken and the milestones reached over the last 10 years in regards to reducing the show's carbon fo...

When you travel do find that you get a better sense of place when you eat traditional foods and beverages from that place? Are you one to search out the local haunts to get a true non-tourist experience for yourself, incentive trip, or VIP excursion? Erik Wolf, Executive Director & Founder of the World Food Travel Association, is dedicated to preserving and promoting culinary cultures through hosp...

Judith Winfrey is a farmer, partner, serial entrepreneur, and overall fabulous human being who has fused her passion for good food to save humans and the planet by empowering, nourishing and enriching people and their communities. She and her husband Joe are LANDLESS farmers who, since 2008, through Love is Love Farm have dug into the Atlanta soil to grow produce, plants and community. Hear from J...

I met Kyle Winfrey and Austin Roper a few months ago when visiting the New Bern (NC) Farmers Market. Through Urbia Farms they were selling mushrooms. And, they were selling big white blocks for customers like me to grow mushrooms on their own kitchen counter. What?!?!? That's right. In this episode of Eating at a Meeting LIVE, Tracy chats with both of them about why mushrooms and why and how can t...

Since COVID-19 hit, there has been a greater emphasis on food safety — at home, in the grocery stores, restaurants, and at #meetingsandevents. Guests/attendees want to know what's in the food, how it is prepared, and how it will be delivered or served. While the US Food Code (and state food codes) provides guidelines on how food should be prepared and handled, there are other rules and regulations...

Tracy looks back and listens to some of the guests who have inspired, educated and pushed us all to think about food and beverage. She shares clips from previous episodes to give you an idea of what she has learned throughout the year.

People don't eat or drink at events for a variety of reasons: food allergies, religious, moral, personal, disability, pregnancy, mental health, etc. Haley Moss says (and I agree) that "they shouldn't always feel pressured to disclose why or feel they have to opt out of socializing!" because of their need. Menus and environments should be designed so they are able to participate. As an attorney, ne...

Did you know August was National Goat Cheese Month. Who knew!?! To celebrate, Tracy chatted with passionate goat farmer Mary Rigdon of Decimal Place Farm located in southeast Atlanta, GA. While the history of goat cheese goes back 9000 years to Ancient Greece, self-taught cheese-maker Mary has been making it for 26 years when she first acquired Decimal Place Farm and two goats. Since 2008, her com...

How would you describe your gastronomic palate (tastebuds)? How did it develop — family recipes, trying new foods, TV commercials, exploring other cultures, travel? Has your palate shifted your opinion, appreciation, and/or outlook on the world, other cultures, friendships, business? Kathiana LeJeune, author of the new book "The Power of the Palate," is a gastrodiplomatic thought leader and culina...