All Posts

Community Meetings & Events Things We Love Trends

What Event Planners Can Learn from Ancient Rome?

0Comments

The culinary world seems to discover a new dining trend every five minutes, but when it comes down to it, banquets haven’t changed all that much. There might be some inspiration and ideas event planners can learn from ancient Rome. I recently read this very entertaining and informative piece about history’s ten greatest banquets, and I was struck by what they had in common, all the way back to the days of Nero. They were once-in-a-lifetime events full of entertainment and surprise. They were opportunities for people to show off their wealth. But most importantly, whether it was dormice sprinkled with…

Read more

Meetings & Events Trends

How to Diversify the Plate While Respecting the Palate

0Comments

Like most event planners, I read a lot of restaurant menus. I like to keep in touch with trends and ways to diversify the plate while respecting the palate. One thing that continues to surprise me is just how similar they are. At both down-home joints and white-tablecloth establishments, Americans seem to be interested in a narrow choice of meats. We will eat any part of the chicken, but most restaurants focus on the breast. When it comes to beef, we eat about half the cow, but only about 10 percent (e.g., strip loin, tenderloin, sirloin, and rib eye) ends…

Read more

Community Dietary Needs Duty of Care Food Allergies Food Service Lifestyle Choices Medical Conditions Meetings & Events Registration Religious Dietary Practices Traveling Trends

Brazil Eventos & Transparency

0Comments

As an international speaker and Food & Beverage expert, I’ve found at least one universal truth – allergies are present in all countries and, therefore, a place must be set at the table for attendee safety and trust. I speak on a number of topics when I travel, including legislation and legality of meetings, efficient food and beverage budgeting, custom eater menu planning, and more. Next week I’ll be in Brazil discussing important food trends from around the world and how to seamlessly incorporate these exciting trends into your meetings and events for an experience your attendees will devour. I’ve…

Read more

Check Lists Community Event Planning Skills Sustainability Things We Love Trends

The Next Frontier is Dine-Arounds: Eating in Chefs’ Homes

0Comments

Most conference planners want to plug their attendees into the vibe of the city they’re in, but when planning around a jam-packed education schedule, it can be a challenge to find the time. One tried-and-true solution is the dine-around: Send small groups to different restaurants around the city, to allow attendees to engage with their surroundings and taste what the locals eat. Recently, a dizzying number of tech startups have pushed this one step further, offering visitors a chance to eat in the homes of locals. This gives visitors the opportunity to learn, over the course of a few hours,…

Read more

Dietary Needs Education Classes Food Allergies Medical Conditions Recipes Sustainability

Kids Summer Cooking Camp

0Comments

Kids Summer Cooking Camp (Ages 10+) Among her many talents, Tracy Stuckrath is teaching summer cooking camps. She is available by request for private lessons, adult cooking classes, and customized group courses. These summer classes, however, are all about the kids. Slow Food: Sourcing & Cooking Locally Kids will learn to make real food, using real ingredients! The farm will be coming to us once again this summer as many local farms and producers including Moore Farm & Friends, Banner Butter, Many Fold Farm Cheeses, Riverview Farms, and White Oak Pastures provide farm fresh ingredients for each day of camp.…

Read more

Laws & Regulations

Are you Alienating 38% of Your Guests?

0Comments

As many as 38% of people worldwide, self-identify as having a food allergy or intolerance. Whether running a catered corporate meeting, a dining experience out on-the-town for visiting colleagues, or a large conference at a hotel, a lack of trust in the food reflects poorly on everyone and can end up alienating guests. From the event host, to the servers, to the dining venue, lack of trust bleeds into the entire event experience. Food safety is important because it saves lives, but consumer confidence is a critically important goal in it’s own right. From a public health perspective, consumers need…

Read more

Community Things We Love

A Brief History of Eating: Dining Trivia For A Shared Meal

0Comments

Whether it’s through lavish parties or simple snacks, the act of eating has brought humanity together since the beginning of time. Food is essential to the stories of the Judeo-Christian faith, from the fruit that cast Adam and Eve out of Eden to Christ’s Last Supper. Holidays both religious and secular are almost all organized around a meal. What would Thanksgiving be without a feast? A bunch of football games? And meals make up some of the most famous moments from literature. Think about the wild tea party in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, or the moment Oliver Twist dares to…

Read more

Lifestyle Choices Meetings & Events Religious Dietary Practices Things We Love Trends

Going Alcohol-Free for Your Next Big Event

0Comments

We think of alcohol as vital for evening events, and in most cases, it probably is. It lubricates conversation and helps many people relax. But I wanted to share this recent New York Times article that inspired me to shake things up and consider going alcohol-free at my next event. “Shine” is a networking and dating event founded in Venice Beach, CA, and that recently expanded to New York City, which is notable in that no alcohol is served. Participants drink tea, juice and mocktails and eat delicious, healthy, mostly vegan meals. It results in sparkling conversation that isn’t dulled…

Read more

Eating Communally
Community Meetings & Events

The Power of Eating Communally

0Comments

Can Eating Communally Positively Impact Events? When we think about food at conferences, most of the talk is about logistics: How do I serve 500 people while the keynote speaker is talking? How many drink tickets can we afford to give away for free before charging? What meat will most of our attendees eat? Don’t get me wrong, this type of problem-solving is vital. If you can’t feed your attendees, you’ll have riots in the ballroom. But here’s the thing: We see meals as part of the structure, not the content of the meeting, in other words, what happens when…

Read more

Food Safety

Chipotle: An Opportunity for Food Safety Reminders

0Comments

On February 8th, every Chipotle restaurant in the country closed briefly for an all-hands meeting to address food safety. In the wake of 52 foodborne illnesses, in nine states, five of which resulted in hospitalization, the chain needed to respond to the public outcry with a comprehensive food safety plan. Unfortunately, contaminated food and E.coli outbreaks affect every state at an average rate of one illness every two weeks. Fruits, vegetables, beef, dairy products, chicken, fish, eggs, turkey; it can seem like  nothing is safe. Only 18% of contaminated food is imported, so food handling and revised safety plans are…

Read more