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Kids Summer Cooking Camp

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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.…

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Laws & Regulations

Are you Alienating 38% of Your Guests?

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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…

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Community Things We Love

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

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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…

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

Going Alcohol-Free for Your Next Big Event

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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…

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Eating Communally
Community Meetings & Events

The Power of Eating Communally

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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…

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Food Safety

Chipotle: An Opportunity for Food Safety Reminders

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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…

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Check Lists Dietary Needs Food Allergies Laws & Regulations

Valentine’s Day Reminders for Sweet Success

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Valentine’s is right around the corner and while loved ones are fervently planning the perfect evening, you are assembling the team that will make it happen. But are food allergies and dietary restrictions being planned into your event? Here are just a few reminders to help make the evening a sweet success. Allergens Let’s face it, anaphylaxis isn’t sexy. Keeping an epinephrine auto-injector may or may not be an option in your state. It’s a life saving tool, so if it is available add it to your emergency kit along with at least one staff member trained in how to…

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New Jersey Governor Christie signs Epinephrine Access and Emergency Treatment Act
Food Allergies Laws & Regulations

New Jersey Announces that Stock Epinephrine Bill is Now Law

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New Jersey Governor signs into law “Epinephrine Access and Emergency Treatment Act” In December 2015 you may have read in the Thrive! blog that the New Jersey state Senate had unanimously approved legislation that would create a training program for anyone who wishes to administer EpiPens, especially coaches, teachers, and other professionals in a public environment. The legislation was written broadly enough to include restaurant, hotel, and convention workers. The New Jersey legislation, Bill A-4094/S-2884, titled, “Epinephrine Access and Emergency Treatment Act,” had been awaiting Governor Christie’s signature until Monday, January 11th, when it was signed into law. Epinephrine is a controlled substance and…

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climatarian is a diet whose primary goal is to reverse climate change
Dietary Needs Lifestyle Choices

Climatarian: What this New Food Word Means for Menus

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Climatarian: The Diet Based on Your Footprint – Your “Carbon-Footprint” Last month on Twitter, Shawna McKinley of MeetGreen tagged me while asking #eventprofs if any of them were planning menus for “climatarians.” That was my first introduction to the word and I’m so glad she shared it with me. In 2015, a social network called Climates popularized the term climatarian to describe those who make specific changes in their diet to minimize their carbon footprint. “Climatarian is an easy meat eating diet that’s good for the climate and good for your health.” The site discussed food as a massive contributor to greenhouse…

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The new Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2015 was introduced simultaneously to the U.S. Senate and to Congress
Food Allergies Laws & Regulations

A Spotlight on the New Food Labeling Modernization Act and Meetings

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The new Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2015 is important to the food allergic community and the meetings industry [list icon=”icon: check-square-o” icon_color=”#d81c5c”] The new bill will add sesame to the U.S. top allergen list The bill leaves out important provisions preventing cross-contact Unpackaged foods will need to declare allergens at point-of-sale [/list] New legislation, introduced simultaneously to the U.S. Senate and to Congress in November 2015 has serious implications for the meetings industry and is of significant importance to the food allergic community. Named, “The Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2015,” the purpose of the bill is “to amend the Federal Food,…

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