After one nightmarish night in his restaurant back in 2015, on his way home Chef Dominic Teague of One Aldwych Hotel asked himself "Why is it so tough?" With one special dietary request after another there has got to be a better way. There was...convert the menu of the top class, high level restaurant to be completely gluten and dairy free. Listen as Tracy and Chef Dominic talk about how that change helped increase sales by 25% in 3 months and employee satisfaction to 89%. The change went with c...
May 04, 2021•32 min•Ep. 72
Chef Francois Agenbach thrives on designing food solutions that are unique and focused. Loves experimenting with food to create surprises...it looks like something familiar but tastes totally different. Learn how the Executive Chef of the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria, South Africa is designing catering solutions that consider the social, environmental and health impact and allow for opportunities to engage in the design and thought process of the guest experience. Useful Link...
Apr 29, 2021•45 min•Ep. 71
Having celiac disease means you need to be diligent about what you eat ALL THE TIME. Although the disease is manageable and treatable with a completely gluten-free diet, it can be overwhelming with the considerable lifestyle changes it requires when eating at home, at restaurants and at events. Safe food handling, preparation, storage and service is a necessity. In this episode, Margaret Clegg, author of MI Gluten Free Gal, will share her "hands-on" experience of living with celiac disease for a...
Apr 27, 2021•42 min•Ep. 70
Would you have ever thought that the food and beverage ordered for your event could impact the environment? When I first became a planner 30 years ago...no way. It never crossed my mind nor was it discussed by my bosses. Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970 to raise awareness about environmental issues, prompted the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that same year. Twenty years later, Earth Day was a global event celebrated by more than 140 countries. Today, more than 75,000 pa...
Apr 22, 2021•47 min•Ep. 69
Laura Lee Cascada is the Campaigns Director for the Better Food Foundation, where she works to make institutional food menus more inclusive and sustainable through an innovative strategy called DefaultVeg. She has over a decade of experience in environmental and food advocacy and has helped major brands like Starbucks, Subway, and Nestle introduce plant-based options to their menus. She has a master's degree in environmental policy from Johns Hopkins University. DefaultVeg resource guide: https:...
Apr 20, 2021•35 min•Ep. 68
What and how will we be eating in 2021? Comfort food in shipping containers? Functional and healthy? Ethically, sustainably and contactless? Join this conversation with Felicia Trujillo, founder of Food Seen, a creative marketing agency specializing in food and beverage, and Mark Cooper, CEO of the IACC, an international association of world-class venues and the bi-annual Meeting Rooms of the Future report. Felicia Useful Links https://www.foodseen.com/ https://www.instagram.com/foodseennc/ http...
Apr 15, 2021•40 min•Ep. 67
What is sustainable seafood? Should you buy farm-raised or wild caught? How do you find responsibly-caught, sustainable fish? Virginia Willis, chef, James Beard Award-winning Cookbook Author and a Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force Member, will share her passion and expertise on what sustainable seafood is, how to find it and how to cook it. Useful Links http://virginiawillis.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ChefVirginiaWillis/ http://instagram.com/virginiawillis https://t...
Apr 13, 2021•41 min•Ep. 66
Eating at a Meeting can be challenging for attendee's with food allergies and other dietary needs. We are relying on someone else to order, prepare and serve us food and beverage. In this episode, which is published on Global Meetings Industry Day, Tracy goes through 6 Ways attendees with dietary needs and meeting professionals can control about the food and beverage being served in an effort to create safe and inclusive dining experiences. The six tips were prompted by Allie Bahn's Miss Allergi...
Apr 08, 2021•38 min•Ep. 65
While you may know Jim Spellos for his fabulous practical technology training, did you know he spends his "free" time volunteering for organizations that help fight hunger as well as helping people understand the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle? In this segment, Jim and Tracy will chat about eating at a meeting with a plant-based diet, how it has helped him and how to recover event food to help others. Episode Resources: www.rockandwrapitup.org www.nutritionfacts.org Connect with Jim: www.me...
Apr 06, 2021•40 min•Ep. 64
Kristina Stanley, a member of the Red Cliff Lake Superior Chippewa, celebrates her indigenous heritage by creating, selling and promoting the use of food that features indigenous ingredients and tribally-sourced products to produce healthy meals. In this episode of Eating at a Meeting celebrating Women's History Month, learn how Kristina, through her plant-based company Abaaso Foods, her leadership role with I-Collective, and as Food & Culinary Program Manager for the Native American Food So...
Apr 01, 2021•46 min•Ep. 63
In this episode of Eating at a Meeting, Tanya Gurrieri, founder of Salthouse Catering in Charleston, SC joins us to talk about how there is no compromising when it comes to food safety or quality no matter where we are executing an event or for whom. Useful Links www.salthousecatering.com https://www.facebook.com/SalthouseCatering https://www.instagram.com/salthousecatering/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/salthousecatering Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeti ng thrivemeeting...
Mar 30, 2021•39 min•Ep. 62
When Keitra Bates lost her family-owned pizza shop in a rapidly gentrifying community due to rent hikes and the threat of displacement, she bought a boarded up building in a nearby neighborhood and created Marddy’s, a food incubator with a mission to preserve and promote culinary culture. By providing local food entrepreneurs who are people of color, women and other marginalized populations a licensed facility for cooks to prepare and distribute their offerings Marddy's is empowering economic in...
Mar 25, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 61
After 20 years owning and running her own farm-to-table restaurants in Sonoma County, Duskie Estes is now running Farm to Pantry, taking her dedication to sourcing food ethically and advocating for small farmers to fighting food insecurity by distributing nutrient-rich foods to those in need. This episode is part of thrive! meetings & events celebration of Women's History Month, honoring women who are doing amazing things in food and beverage. Learn how Duskie is making HERstory by helping f...
Mar 23, 2021•51 min•Ep. 60
Nine out of 10 kids don't eat enough vegetables, according to the US Centers for Disease Control. Marketing companies spend $1.8 BILLION marketing junk food to kids as young as 2. A farmer, two farm to school program educators, and a chef have committed themselves to combat this issue by creating meaningful, turn-key resources that are accessible, impactful and fun! Having spent a decade traveling classroom to classroom, school to school, educating kids (and teachers) about how and why to eat fr...
Mar 18, 2021•39 min•Ep. 59
Mona Esposito, aka "The Grain Lady," is an activist and advocate of restoring heritage grains to Colorado. She is a resource for all things grain, in the field and in the kitchen. Through the Noble Grain Alliance she co-founded in 2016 and founding board member of The Colorado Grain Chain in 2019, she is supporting and recreating the network of farmers, millers and makers needed to make a regional grain economy thrive. Learn how Mona's passion and commitment are helping encourage environmental s...
Mar 16, 2021•39 min•Ep. 58
A bartender who gives history lessons with every cocktail she serves? You bet! Her name is Tiffanie Barriere, aka "The Drinking Coach" and her main goal is education, service, and fun with every pour. Her history lessons pay homage to her ancestors, culture, and family, as well to the labor of the Black women before her who shaped the modern-day hospitality industry. Her cocktails are inspired by history, designed from the heart, and connect culinary and farm culture with spirits. Listen as the ...
Mar 11, 2021•38 min•Ep. 57
From first selling sasuage for a local 4th of July Festival in 1990, Loree Mulay Weisman is proud to run the 31 year old food company that sells all products that are clean, paleo-friendly, gluten-free an top 8 allergen free. Though the ingredients are now “on-trend” her recipes is from her family’s centuries old tradition. Learn how Loree ensures her food is certifed allergen-free foods and how that allows everyone to eat together. She shares how she sources the pork and beef, been successful i...
Mar 09, 2021•38 min•Ep. 56
Celebrate Women's History Month, we're honoring women who are doing amazing work— creating their own HERstory — within the global food and beverage system. Caroline McCann is passionate about sustainable, ethically-produced food, and assisting communities around southern Africa to develop local food economies using the principles of #SlowFood - good, clean & fair food for all promoting biodiversity. An accomplished entrepreneur and a warrior for free range grass-fed meat, learn how she is ad...
Mar 04, 2021•35 min•Ep. 55
Michele Payn wants us to better understand the connection between food and the farm. One way she does that is by bringing clarity and common sense to help us all navigate the grocery store. As one of North America’s leading advocates, she is passionate about getting back to the truth in food – raised the right way, by the right people, for the right reasons. In this episode of Eating at a Meeting Tracy and Michele share truths about food labeling, discuss food bullying, and exploring food insecu...
Mar 02, 2021•42 min•Ep. 54
Shandee Chernow has taken her knowledge and personal experience with life-threatening food allergies to create a business that is revolutionizing dining for allergy sufferers and restaurant owners. As founder and CEO of CertiStar Shandee is going to share her story, including a traumatic reaction, explain the anxiety and frustration that comes with eating out with a life-threatening food allergy and how technology can help both restaurant owners and food allergic guests feel safer in the dining ...
Feb 25, 2021•34 min•Ep. 53
Positive office culture is essential to happy, productive employees. Food and beverage have often been part of office culture, but what and how it was served may have subversively impacted diversity and inclusion in the workplace. In this episode, leadership and workplace culture expert Nora Burns talks about how to advocate for inclusion-based employee meal planning and shares ways employers can strengthen cultural diversity and foster inclusion and belonging at work through food. www.theleader...
Feb 23, 2021•50 min
In the age of COVID-19, planners and suppliers are charged with establishing extra safeguards to keep participants, sponsors and their companies and safe and healthy. Food and beverage safety is among those extra precautions. How can both sides ensure the safety and legally protect themselves in these uncertain times? In episode, attorneys Tyra Warner and Lisa Sommer Devlin talk with Tracy about what planners and suppliers need to know about contracting food and beverage events in the age of COV...
Feb 18, 2021•36 min•Ep. 51
Free-from, GMO, naturally grown, organic, sustainable, cage-free. You name it, there's a label for it in the food you are buying. But, what do they all mean? Which one is right for you? Your guest? Consumer's expectations around food and beverage are changing. The diversity of needs, wants and customs is vast. How do those who provide the food — farmers, manufacturers, grocers, chefs, hotels, event planners, servers — stay on top of the needs, communicate and build trust in their products and he...
Feb 16, 2021•45 min•Ep. 50
To celebrate #hearthealthmonth, Tracy chats with Jennifer Sena, CMP HMCC, a meetings & event industry professional working for Visit Lauderdale who is also a mother of two and a heart attack survivor. Jennifer shares how having a heart attack has changed her perspective on her lifestyle, exercise and eating at home and at work. Learn how she is motivating and educating others so we can get to the heart of making her and our lives healthier. https://www.facebook.com/Heart-Me-with-Jennifer ht...
Feb 11, 2021•45 min•Ep. 49
I wanted to catch up with my friend and farmer Laurie Moore to talk about what is going on with small local farmers, the restaurants and consumers they support with seasonal, naturally-grown, organic and regional foods. I invited her to Eating at a Meeting. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com
Feb 09, 2021•33 min•Ep. 48
Allie Bahn, also known as Miss Allergic Reactor to many in the food allergic community, has lived with life-threatening allergies to numerous foods, including four of the top eight allergens, as well as having environmental allergies and asthma her entire life. In this conversation learn how she lives and travels confidently with food allergies. She will share best practices for those with food allergies AND for those who are ordering and serving food to guests with food allergies. www.missaller...
Feb 04, 2021•38 min•Ep. 47
Food and beverage is typically the biggest budget expenditure for an event. COVID-19 has impacted the availability and prices of food, leading to the fastest rise in food prices in more than four decades. With stories of farmers tilling their crops back into the ground and throwing milk away, how will the supply and demand impact food costs for events. Michael Dominguez, CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) will chat with Tracy about what he's seeing and watching from ALHI’s coll...
Feb 02, 2021•45 min•Ep. 46
Kathy Hester is passionate about making healthy eating accessible and delicious. Her recipes are plant-based and vegan, plus she can help you with your dietary restrictions or allergies with recipe alternatives. In this episode learn how to https://healthyslowcooking.com https://www.facebook.com/veganslowcooker/ https://instagram.com/geekypoet https://twitter.com/geekypoet https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyahester/ https://www.youtube.com/c/KathyHesterVeganRecipes/ Connect with Tracy: facebook.co...
Jan 28, 2021•49 min•Ep. 45
How does eating tie into being mindful and joyful? Can chocolate provide healing? In this episode, Tracy chats with Meredith Whitely, founder of Food at Heart 💚, a London-based mindful eating guide, meditation teacher and passionate lover of all things cacao. She supports people in bringing calm to their minds and their bellies through slow tasting, sensory-filled cooking, and using meditation and mindfulness to get on top of stress. Useful Links https://calmcocoa.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.co...
Jan 26, 2021•41 min•Ep. 44
To be as productive and effective as possible during your day, you may want to ask yourself if the food you're eating is the right fuel for your mind and body. Just like your car may need premium gas, your body needs premium fuel - real food!! Dr. Sabrina Falquier Montgrain feels we have lost our ability to know how to cook and we are paying a high price as far as the declining health of our society. Her goal is to empower people to come back to the kitchen and to know how to do this in a delici...
Jan 21, 2021•45 min•Ep. 43
