In honor of vegetarian awareness month, I asked my friend Chef Megan of Healthy Eating 101 to create some recipes that are free-of the top eight food allergens and are vegetarian. [amd-zlrecipe-recipe:1]
Dear Meetings Industry, In June 2016, I attended Meeting Professionals International (MPI) World Education Congress. As usual, the international conference was well attended and a wonderful gathering of top industry professionals. We studied food and beverage topics, budgeting, international trends, hybrid and virtual meetings and more. Added to this year’s event was a celebration of inclusion … mostly. Unfortunately, the convention occurred on the heels of the tragic LGBT nightclub shooting in Florida, where 49 people were killed, over 50 were injured, and over 200 were held hostage until the gunman’s death, when police stormed the club around 2 a.m.…
Sustainability has become a big aspect of almost any industry and in the meetings industry sustainability has become crucial to maintaining our social and environmental responsibility. While we often hear farmers producing sustainable crops or even sustainable livestock, our kitchens also need to take stock in their environmental impact as well to ensure a better quality and in-demand products. Just as Climatarians make specific changes in their diet to minimize their carbon footprint, we need to make changes, industry-wide, to do our best to minimize and diminish unsustainable practices across the supply chain and in the kitchen. Whether we seek a…
As part of fruits and veggies month, Thrive! is featuring fruit and veggies each week. This week the vegetable is beets - red, golden, Chioggia. A whopping ninety percent of adults and children don't get enough fruits and veggies, so add this one to your shopping list this week! HISTORY The beet comes from the wild sea beet, native to the Mediterranean and parts of the European and North African Atlantic coast. Only the leaves of the sea beet were eaten. The scientific name for the beet is beetroot or table beet also the sugar beet and the mangelwurzel. The…
From locally sourced to spicy, ugly, personalized and nostalgic, here Thrive! predicts the 2016 Top Food and Beverage Trends When thinking about the 2016 top food and beverage trends, the year will be a fascinating mix of creative menu design from source to finish. Recognizing the approach to food, processing and presentation, the guest experience, and even the kitchen itself are all on the table, so to speak, for the coming year. 1. Source Local. While organically grown and a lower carbon footprint can sometimes be at odds, it seems local trumps all. Food lovers want to know where their food is from.…
From Bar Carts to Beer, Here is How and What We Ate in 2015 As 2015 comes to an end, it’s time to review the lessons of the past year and welcome a new year of successes and challenges. Let us know what you thought of the best food trends from 2015. [list icon=”icon: check-square-o” icon_color=”#d81c5c”] Restaurants and events have seen a return of bar carts for cold and warm dishes. This vintage touch has the benefit of transportation efficiency and satisfaction of the immediate supply of additional condiments and other requests. Gourmet comfort foods were added to menus across the nation this year.…
An Analysis of the Ingredients Used for an Event Earlier this year, I attended a meetings industry conference where I was hired to give two presentations on how to manage dietary requests at meetings and events. The challenges with managing dietary needs can be confusing, frustrating and never ending. We already have a lot on our to do list, so adding a few more ingredients might seem annoying. However, I see those ingredients as opportunities to make attendees feel safe, valued and confident in their experience. I commend the organization for taking steps to meet the needs of their more than 2,000 attendees…
When I was an in-house corporate meeting planner, one of the executive assistants used to call me “everybody’s mamma.” Whether it was purchasing new jeans for the CEO because he forgot his, ordering a low-salt meal for the executive vice president with a heart condition, finding hotel rooms for 30 sales staff stranded in Dallas due to bad weather, or getting the vice president of marketing to the hospital when she was sick at an event, I responded to everyone’s needs and wants. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, all of these incidents (except the CEO’s jeans) fall under my responsibilities as an event planner in what is termed…
We should give thanks to our event participants for having chosen to spend their money and time attending our events or we can leave them hungry at the table.
This is the first in a series of posts on evaluating hotel banquet menus for event attendees with dietary needs. If you’ve done your due diligence and asked your guests if they have dietary needs, great job! – but that’s only half the battle. Trying to figure out what to serve everyone when you have guests with food allergies, celiac disease or diabetes, others who are vegan, vegetarians or raw and yet others with cultural or religious beliefs that require a specific diet can be daunting. Allergens are often disguised even in well-labeled banquet menus, and just because you’ve offered…