Eating at a Meeting

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 community, connect with the land and her past. Listen to Keyatta and I as they chat about her 20-year career in bartending, A Sip of Paradise garden, her other passion projects, and what she's mixing up for clients and customers these days. Links www.asipofparadisegarden.org www.instagram.com/asipofparadisegarden Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

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 footprint. Useful Links IMEX America — https://www.imexamerica.com/ MeetGreen — https://meetgreen.com/ Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

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 hospitality and tourism. Learn how he navigates trying the local food while not speaking the native language, how to find places to eat in a new city, and the tools he uses to find the most authentic places to eat on the next Eating at a Meeting LIVE. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

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 Judith how they are building a successful farming operation and serving the good food movement through mindful land stewardship. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

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 they and I grow mushrooms inside. Are mushrooms — fungi — a food that can save the world? Useful Links https://www.instagram.com/urbiafarms/ https://www.facebook.com/urbiafarms Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

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 — current and forthcoming — pertaining to the labeling of foods that we should all be aware of. Listen as Tracy chats with Jen Jobrak, a nationally recognized food allergy expert, food allergy mom and diner, and founder of Food Allergy Pros, about public policy, regulations and legislation aimed to improve food safety for food-allergic guests. How will they impact event menus? What can #eventprofs do to create safer dining experiences? How can #foodservice use the policies to improve experiences and increase profits? Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com" https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PjkjB3gAMjHJZnGrb-jl3dZfkA1Q-hCo/view?usp=sharing

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, neurodiversity expert, author, speaker and educator who is also autistic, Haley speaks to and consults top organizations seeking guidance in creating a diverse workplace. Her accomplishments and commitment to advocating for the disability community and educating others have made an immeasurable impact, recently being named to Diversability's global 2021 D-30 Disability Impact List. Join Tracy as she chats with Haley on how to create more inclusive food and beverage experiences for neurodivergent individuals. Useful Links http://haleymoss.co http://facebook.com/haleymossart http://instagram.com/haley.moss http://twitter.com/haleymossart https://www.linkedin.com/in/haleylmoss/ Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

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 commercial cheese has been consistently lauded and used by some of Atlanta best chefs and restaurants. She says that tending to the goats is "not so much a job as a lifestyle." Join us as I chat with Mary about the difference between goat and cow cheese, the science behind making cheese, how she keeps her herd of goats healthy and happy, and the different types of cheeses—soft chèvre, feta, a ricotta-like creation called tuma (I just had this and it is SO good). There is so much to learn from this enthusiastic farmer who knows her cheese. Links http://decimalplacefarm.com/ https://www.facebook.com/decimalplacefarm https://www.instagram.com/decimalplacefarm/ Join the Eating at a Meeting Facebook Group facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting Connect with Tracy at thrivemeetings.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 culinary enthusiast who is enthralled by the ways food can serve as a means of unity across cultural differences. Listen in as Tracy chats with Kathiana about how powerful our palates are and how they can shift perspective, perception, and persuasions. Connect with Kathiana: www.kathianalejeune.org www.instagram.com/iam_kathiana www.linkedin.com/in/kathiana-lejeune Join the Eating at a Meeting Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting Need food and beverage management? Contact Tracy: thrivemeetings.com/connect/