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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
And we're just so lucky in this industry that
we've got the passion and thebusiness side Like this is fun.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hello food fam.
This is the Walk Talk podcast,where you will find the perfect
blend of food fun and cookingknowledge.
I'm your host, carl Fiatini.
Welcome to the number one foodpodcast in the country and the
official podcast for the NewYork, california and Florida
restaurant shows, the PizzaTomorrow Summit and the US
Culinary Open at NAFM.
We're recording on-site at IbisImages Studios, where food
(00:40):
photography comes alive and Iget to eat it.
Email us to learn more info atthewalkintalkcom.
Today's guest, a dear friend.
The journey of today's guest,paul Pedros, started with a
pizza shop in Malvern,pennsylvania, winds through the
(01:00):
NFL with the Philadelphia Eaglesand takes off into the world of
international expos and tradeshows.
Whether he was deliveringpizzas, working at the office
for the Eagles, which I think ispretty cool, or running expos
for Informa and Clarion, paulfound one constant in all of it
the power of food to bringpeople together.
Now a key executive atRestaurant Events LLC, paul
(01:23):
helps lead the New York, floridaand California restaurant shows
.
That's right, you just heard mesay it.
This is a big deal.
As well as the Pizza TomorrowSummit, his love for food and
live experiences comes fullcircle, especially on Sundays,
where you'll still find himcooking up ribs and brisket in
D-Lot with his tailgate crewalso a studio today.
(01:44):
And, by the way, just forgiggles, everybody, we had
barbecue, oh my God.
Also in studio today, chefKevin Raspberry has grilled up
some summer fun on the barbecue,adding even more flavor to this
conversation, and I promise itdid.
And the photos?
Oh yeah, you know what I'mtalking about.
(02:05):
The photos, john, I do.
I hate giving you props, youknow.
I know you're too long to wantto, like you know, give you an
attaboy, but, bro, every weekyou just simply murder the
photography.
You do it great this off.
(02:26):
I want to do a quick shout outto our newest partner, the Burnt
Chef Project.
As we continue amplifyingmental health awareness in
hospitality through media andstorytelling, walk Talk is eager
to amplify the Burnt ChefProject message.
Man, these guys are greatmental health awareness
advocates.
They have all sorts ofresources and everything.
Go inside the description.
You'll find how to reach them.
Great folksris, tom colleen,all these, all these cats, chef,
(02:49):
talk to me.
The chef, kevin.
I told john last week.
I said dude, listen to me, beexcited, be very excited.
He's like what are you talkingabout, kevin?
And he looks at me.
He's like what do you meanbarbecue?
He's like oh, I get it, I getit, 100, man he so we've been
(03:12):
excited.
We were ready for this and youdid, you brought it.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I appreciate it can you talk about what you did
today.
So today I did the mesquitegrilled chicken with a pineapple
bourbon jam to go on top,smoked gouda mac and cheese,
grilled corn on a cob.
Also I prepared the grilledbarbecue ribs cowboy baked beans
pickled red onions.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I know you have some secret ingredients.
What's one of them?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
One of the secret ingredients I use for my own
seasoning company, mama JeanSeasoning.
I have a barbecue blend calledCactus Jack.
It is a mesquite barbecueseasoning.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, so I have like a truckload of that stuff at the
house.
It's legit, and I mean atruckload, like every time he
comes here he brings.
You're very gracious, by theway.
First of all, chef, you do.
You have a great product line.
I appreciate that Today therewas an additional special
ingredient.
What was that?
Tillman's barbecue.
Oh my god.
Tillman wins these barbecuecompetitions constantly.
(04:09):
He goes all over Florida,sometimes out of state.
He's got this.
It's a rig.
It's actually like a tour buswith the grill in tow behind it
stupid.
So what's going to happen?
He's going to to wrap the uh,the rig, not the, not the you
know the actual bus, but the rig, and it's going to be, you know
(04:30):
, uh, blended walk and talk withTillman's barbecue.
It's going to be so cool and uh, and we're going to be
basically representing at all ofthe barbecue competitions and
Tillman is going to be the uh,you will of Walk Talk at these
shows.
So I'm super stoked about that.
With that said, you used one ofhis products in the dish today
(04:53):
on both dishes, actually rightOn one of the dishes, on the
ribs.
Yes, oh gosh, man, I am soexcited this is really.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
It's a great day, and if I, if I might uh add
something, the chipotle applebarbecue sauce hands down the
best barbecue sauce I've everhad.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
You know what makes this really cool?
We get connected.
We have chefs elevated, youknow culinarians that come
through here.
We make friends.
We have brands that we'reconnected with.
We make, make friends.
All of a sudden, the brands,the chefs, all these everybody
kind of meets each other andworks with each other and it's
like this expanding pie ofawesomeness and I'm just really
(05:35):
I'm blessed, you know, to bearound the group of folks that
I'm around.
You know everyone here,included.
You know Kevin, john, you knowyou know Paul's in the green
room, him as well, I mean.
So it's this expandingenvironment of making things
happen and it's terrific.
So, kevin, I want to thank youfor all of your contributions
(05:57):
that we do here and it's greatlyappreciated, and you bring your
A-game every time you show upin the studio.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Thank you, I appreciate you, I appreciate you
, I appreciate John.
I mean, I'm forever gratefulfor the both of y'all.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, man, and I think the video today is going
to be pretty dope.
Yeah, we're up in the game withthe interviews, you know, mixed
into the B roll on the platingand the cooking.
So, yeah, all right, withoutfurther ado, let's usher in our
featured guest, paul.
Welcome to the program.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Hey, thanks for having me, carl Kevin, great to
be with you, jeff, likewise.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Paul we've been talking now for a good while and
the partnership that we puttogether between you, glenn, us
over here at Walk Talk.
It's super exciting and wereally haven't even gotten
started yet.
The first show is in Californiain August and you know we're
going to be there.
Are you stoked or what?
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Oh man, I can't wait.
I just think it's an incredibleway to tell an incredible story
.
I mean, you said it a minuteago with.
You know just the excitement inthis industry about the people,
and you know the shows bringall the people together in one
place for three days and youcan't help but be excited.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
We are excited.
Well, uh, you know we've gotpooch.
You know, john, we have ourextended team with uh, with
glenn and jordan, and there'sseveral others too that are
going to end up being involvedin what we're doing with you
guys.
I think it's going to be big.
It's big.
I have people constantly askingme now, you know side messages
(07:29):
and whatnot about, hey, what's,what's the story with the New
York show and the Florida show?
What is that?
So I think it's.
You know, we're going to end upbringing some new ears and eyes
to um, to this whole thing, and, and if we can create great
content in the interim man, Ithink it's a blessing for all.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I couldn't agree more and we're so grateful for you
guys.
You know you guys are doingamazing work in the industry and
you know we're trying to be apart of that as well and it's
just been great so far.
And so, yeah, we owe you guys abig thank you.
You guys do great work.
I think it goes both ways onthe thank yous, Paul.
(08:19):
Your career has woven togethersports, food and live events.
What was the spark, if you will?
As much as it was a culmination.
You know, I started off thelowest level employee in high
school at a pizza shop and sawthe back end of their operation
and it was probably you know,I'm probably not giving them
(08:40):
enough credit it was an Italianrestaurant as well, and just
seeing all of the hard work thatwent into that early on as a
young kid, and then experiencingdifferent establishments,
cultures and then eventually,separately, the sports and live
events industry, but food nevernot being a part of that it kind
(09:01):
of culminated into this moment.
I guess if you were to pinpointthe spark, it would be some of
the first shows that we ran, orthe first show that we ran as
Restaurant Events LLC, where Igot to see that come together
for the first time I got to seethe business of food kind of
connect with my passion for foodand my passion for putting on a
(09:22):
great event.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
In your history, paul , you've had a front row seat to
how food actually brings peopletogether.
You talked about, you know,from tailgates to trade shows.
That's pretty broad right.
I mean the fact that youactually worked for the
Philadelphia Eagles in anycapacity, I think is pretty,
damn amazing.
Can you, before we go further,can you kind of explain what you
(09:45):
did over there?
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Yeah, so that was my first job right out of college
as a, as a summer intern,selling season tickets for the
Philadelphia Eagles.
And, by the way, when you getto do this, you get to work in
the practice facilityside-by-side with the players
who are there working outpracticing.
And for all the food people outthere, every one of these
sports organizations has apretty incredible kitchen.
(10:07):
So I will never forget thelunches at the Novocare Complex
by the Philadelphia Eagles chefsShout out to them.
But yeah, it started as a summerinternship just doing season
ticket sales and blossomed intoa year-long internship
throughout the season and wewere not very good that year,
but it was incredibly fun and Imade some really great
(10:29):
connections and that was sort ofmy first introduction to live
events and I got to go to everygame.
I've been going to every gamesince and part of the reason for
that the food and the fun waspart of it.
I joke around.
I don't think I could work inthat industry anymore because I
like enjoying it too much, so Ihad to leave eventually, but
(10:52):
maybe the food drove me away andit's the way that it blended
with sports.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
What you're saying is you're a Dallas Cowboys fan.
Not at all, no, no.
I'm a champion.
Not at all, no, no, okay, I'm achampion, I'm a champion.
I think food has a uniqueability to build community.
You were in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia has a prettyunique food scene in and of
(11:18):
itself.
Working with the Eagles, lovingfood and being in that
community.
I want to talk about theplayers, because you got to meet
these guys.
You said, right, like you werelike with them.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Yeah, yeah, I did, I did.
We uh, so they had a.
Basically, if you're anemployee of the Eagles, it's uh,
everybody eats from the samecafeteria, so it's $4 lunches
for everybody and they've got,like you know, five-star chefs
doing these things and, um, youknow, I don't know if that's
every team in the league.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
What kind of conversations like how did they
treat you?
How did they embrace?
Speaker 1 (11:53):
you.
Oh man, they were incredible.
I mean the friendliest guysyou'll ever meet.
You would never think you knowyour players just like anything
else.
They tended to stick together alittle bit.
But you know I had lots ofgreat conversations.
I remember eating breakfastwith Jason Peters a few times.
It was.
(12:13):
It was definitely an experiencethat and you know the staff the
current staff for that teamprobably still enjoys.
And you know it's funny whenyou look at the organizations in
the NFL, whether you're a fanor not, when you evaluate the
culture that the PhiladelphiaEagles built in their building.
(12:33):
There's no question thatbuilding of community is a focus
.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
There's no question that building of community is a
focus, and so it's reallytelling that they have that
style of cafeteria whereeverybody eats together.
That's a huge piece ofexperience, because when you're
bringing people together at atrade show or an expo, it's a
similar sort of build out, isn'tit?
There are definitely someparallels.
Yes, what year were you over?
Speaker 1 (12:58):
there.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Who were the star players when you were an intern?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Oh man.
So this is the.
This is the sad part.
I was part of the infamousVince Young dream team year.
So, 2012, 2013 season, whereyou had the signing of of Ny
asamoah to the eagles and vinceyoung, um, a couple other guys
back then it was deshaun jackson, jeremy macklin, washawn mccoy,
uh, as your star players and,um, it was an interesting.
(13:32):
It was interesting year thatdid not go the way they had
hoped.
Uh, andy reed was the coach atthe time and you know not only
did they all eat together in acafeteria, but you know there
were playground build projectsand you know charity fundraisers
and you know events outside ofjust the football games were a
huge part of that too.
And food and you know,experiencing of food was
(13:56):
interwoven throughout that.
In the entire time I was thereand I'm sure still is.
Just from what I see in thetailgate lots, you know that's a
whole nother version of thathappening amongst the fans.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Paul, I put together a list of questions and this
what I'm learning from you aboutyour time with the Eagles, I
think is fascinating.
Time with the Eagles, I thinkis fascinating, and I have to
believe that there is more thanjust small parallels between
between what you did with themcommunity service, charities,
(14:27):
working with people you know,working with these superstars
and it's all based onentertainment, food and bringing
people together.
Between that and yourexperiences at Informa and
Clarion that set the stage foryou to be who you are at
restaurant events right now.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Oh, I think that's definitely accurate.
Yeah, I mean, the experiencesare everything.
I think it was Anthony Bourdainthat said food is everything we
are.
It's an extension of anationalist feeling.
Your personal history, yourprovince, your tribe, your
grandma, something like that,and so, yeah, that's mine.
(15:10):
Working in trade shows thatweren't necessarily food
industry focused gave meincredible experiences all over
the world and enabled me totravel at a young age when I
otherwise would have had zerochance of affording to be able
to travel to certain places andexperience certain things.
(15:30):
And I'm very grateful for bothof those jobs and how they kind
of set me up to sort of be ableto jump at an opportunity that
brought it all together.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Restaurant events has grown super fast under your
leadership.
What do you think sets yourshows apart from others in the
industry?
Speaker 1 (15:49):
It starts with a passion.
I think everybody that worksfor restaurant events has a true
passion for the restaurant andfood service industry and for
putting on good events and forthe events industry.
A lot of people don't realizejust how much goes into the
organization of these events,especially at, you know, large,
(16:10):
publicly run convention centers,and it really I'm going to draw
another parallel.
Unfortunately I hate to do itto you guys again, but you know
it really an events teamfunctions much like a football
team where you know the synergyand everybody doing their job is
very necessary for team success.
And one of the things that wehave at restaurant events is I
(16:34):
an unmatched synergy acrossdepartments.
You have people who are focusedon getting the show marketed to
chefs and restaurant owners andoperators and to make sure that
side of the industry comes.
You have people who are focusedon bringing the companies and
the suppliers in.
You have people who are focusedon developing the content and
(16:56):
creating the sessions, suppliersin.
You have people who are focusedon developing the content and
creating the sessions and youknow one hand feeds the other in
a more dramatic way than Ithink a lot of people realize
and a lot of the focus that weput into our efforts at
restaurant events is oncommunication.
You know internally and I'vebeen around the block you know
it's not the easiest thing toachieve.
(17:18):
You can say it.
You know until you're blue inthe face that we want to be good
communicators.
But you know, one of the bigdifferences, I think, at
restaurant events is that I canpick up the phone and have a
conversation with any member ofmy team at any level, at any
time, and you know we justtackle issues, you know, through
that direct, quickcommunication and I think it
(17:42):
sets us up to be reallysuccessful.
The last and final piece of thattoo, I think, is just veteran
experience.
You know, in the industry wehave four or five salespeople
that work for me and everysingle one of them can answer
99% of the detailed, you knowoperational craziness that gets
(18:03):
thrown at us, because we allknow that one of the most fun
parts of a trade show is whatclients do in their booth and we
.
So we get some crazy stuff andit can be a lot, a lot easier to
make things happen when theperson that you're dealing with
directly has all the answers foryou.
So we try to make sure that ourstaff has that.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Most of the people in our audience will probably
understand the idea of a tradeshow and how large they are.
If you have three, four, 500exhibitors at a trade show,
there's a lot of work, a lot ofbackstory, a lot of things
happening that nobody's aware of, what goes on behind the scenes
(18:46):
that the average personwouldn't have any idea about,
probably the easiest answer tothat would be the operational
cost factor, becauseeverything's happening inside a
public convention venue.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
There's a vendor for everything who has exclusive
rights over that venue, and alot of our suppliers at
restaurant and food serviceshows actually work.
Those catering companies are agreat example of that your
Aramarks and Sodexo's and so alot of people don't realize that
all of the suppliers at thevenue are navigating.
(19:22):
You know the safety regulations, the health guidelines, all of
the things that are put in placeby that venue, and so it's very
much.
You know.
I come from the school oftailgating, as we talked about,
where you can roll in with yourtrailer and you can have an open
fire, and you're doing it inthe parking lot.
(19:44):
And, by the way, chef, kevin,carl, that rig that you guys are
working on, you ever want tobring that up to an Eagles game?
I'll get the tickets, so youjust let me know, but
unfortunately that's a littlebit harder to pull off inside a
convention center, right?
So what a lot of peopleprobably don't realize is just
that there's so much that goesinto it in the way of
(20:05):
documentation, safety, approvalsand collaboration amongst
different vendors andcontractors.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Well said what I'm going to do right now, Kevin.
Yes, You've not been to doright now, Kevin.
Yes, You've not been to a foodshow, trade show, Never.
Okay.
I want you to jump in with hey,Paul, it's Kevin.
And I want you to ask say, I'ma chef, In fact, you can even
say that you got your promotion.
(20:35):
Don't say that you just gotyour promotion.
Just say that, hey, I'm kind ofoverseeing multiple units.
I've never been to a trade show.
What good is it for me to goLike?
What is it for a guy like me,you know, with my position to to
go to a show Like what is,what's the benefit?
Speaker 3 (20:49):
Okay, right.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Gotcha, you can, you can jump in right now.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
All right, paul, I have a question for someone of
my stature that's 22 years inthe industry and that's
overseeing, that's assistingwith multiple communities.
What did, what did they talkabout at the trade shows?
What's the experience like?
What can I look forward to whenI go to my first trade show?
Speaker 1 (21:14):
That's a great question and there's so much
really to be excited about.
So I'll try to try and not gettoo detailed on you and break it
into a few, a few categories.
The first one's the networking.
You've been in the industry for22 years.
There's going to be a lot ofpeople just like you walking
around this event and attendingvarious sessions, you walking
(21:40):
around this event and attendingvarious sessions.
There's a lot of folks who arestarting new, but also a ton of
folks who have been doing thiseven longer than that, and those
people are up on stages talkingabout their businesses and
where they've had success, wherethey've had failures.
There's also any chef.
I would say probably thecoolest part is just seeing the
chef competitions and the demosfrom the other chefs, which we
(22:03):
always get some big names to theshow to come do something, and
you can always, you know, takesomething away for your own
repertoire, and that's a bigpart of it.
You know the education and thenetworking.
And then, obviously, thesupplier.
You know interfacing, right?
I think one of the beautifulthings about the restaurant
industry and food is that we'realways innovating.
(22:24):
You know, I used to think for awhile that that was, you know,
purely consumer driven, right.
You know thinking about it fromtoo much of a business sense,
but you know.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Ifeel like every chef actually
just has that as an innatedesire.
You know within them to makenew, cool stuff Right,
absolutely.
So.
This is where you find all thesupplies to do it.
Man, you can talk to them faceto face, learn a little bit more
(22:47):
about you, know how things areused, and most of these
suppliers, now you know, havehave in-house chefs who are real
experts on it, and I think oneof the biggest advantages is if
they're looking for a newingredient, a piece of equipment
, even a piece of technology oranything to help run an
establishment.
It's always nice to talkface-to-face with an expert and
(23:10):
to see, touch, feel, taste whatit is that you might be looking
at incorporating into yourrepertoire.
Chef Kevin, we've got to getyou down to the Florida
restaurant show.
We've got, we've got a stagethere for you.
We may, we may need to see ademo of this deliciousness that
you're cooking up down there.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I can give you multiple demos, that's not a
problem.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Well, it's even more than that, guys, because here's
the thing we're going to haveour whole video crew there.
So you know Chef Kevin is youdon't know this, paul, but you
know Chef Kevin is actually.
You know a walk and talk, callit personality so you know him
(23:52):
being there and our video crewbeing there as well.
You know there's some magicthat's going to happen.
I don't know if it's going tobe barbecue or not, but you know
it's going to be somethingdelicious, kevin.
It's going to be at the OrangeCounty Convention Center and
you're definitely going to bethere.
You got to get the time off orwhatever, and let's make this
happen.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Time's already off right now.
That's not a problem.
I'm definitely looking forwardto it.
You're going to be out there.
I'm going to be out there.
We're going to have a good time.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Paul, there's so many trade shows out there and
they're gigantic.
The competition is fierce.
How are you keeping restaurantevent trade shows fresh?
Speaker 1 (24:30):
How are you keeping them ahead of the curve?
You know there's definitely alot of them out there and I
think it's almost the same waythat our chefs and their
restaurants stay ahead of thecurve and stay relevant, and I
(24:52):
think it's part staying true toyourself and it's part
continuing to innovate.
So what we do is we try toreally really know and
understand who we are and ourevents from a size standpoint.
You know we aren't the.
We're not as big as some shows.
We're very regionally focused,but we're large within the
(25:22):
region.
It's the perfect balance forsuppliers and end users to come
together, because foodultimately is a regional
business for the most part, justin the nature of freshness,
right, um, and when you are ableto to get the majority of the
of the players you know within aspace together under one roof
from a supplier standpoint,that's what is going to bring
(25:43):
new and exciting innovations inthe industry.
For us, it's really aboutstaying true to who we are from
a size and scope perspective,while also continuing to
innovate.
So we're regional events, butwe're large regional events, so
we're really good.
For example, florida RestaurantShow getting the whole Southeast
(26:05):
market together under one rooffrom both a supplier side and a
owner operator, chef side ofthings.
And the innovation piece iswe're really lucky that we have
so many great people andpartners really to lean on.
When it comes to the innovationpiece, I think what we're doing
(26:27):
together with Walk Talk is agreat example, you know, of one
of those things right, and whenI say we're lucky, the other
piece of that is that you knowfolks like Chef Kevin and some
of your other guests that you'vehad on the show.
I know a few who actually maybe a few others who might be
speaking at the event.
They're always, you know, doingnew and interesting things to
(26:51):
stay fresh, and we're just solucky in this industry that
we've got the passion.
And the business side Like thisis fun.
You know there's a huge part ofthis that is just fun.
And when you're able toinnovate, fun and also educate
from a business perspective, itcreates every reason in the
world for people to come backevery year.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Your approach to this , I think, is fantastic.
Your frame of mind, becausethat trickles down to the rest
of the team, I have to believethe logistics in putting
together a mix of vendors andspeakers and different
experiences when you're at atrade show that's probably the
voodoo math, the hard, that'sthe hard.
Planning right.
Is that the hardest part ofthis, or is there something else
(27:33):
?
Carl?
Speaker 1 (27:34):
you know it's staying ahead of the curve and not
losing a boatload of money atthe same time.
The reality is that the biggestchallenge is staying ahead of
the curve while navigating therules, the restrictions and the
costs of everything it would be.
(27:55):
I can't tell you how many timesI've had this incredible grand
idea.
That's just a little bit tooout there and it's not feasible
within the context of a tradeshow floor, especially as a
tailgate guy.
Right, I got all sorts ofvisions of flames and things,
(28:16):
fireworks going off and stufflike that, and if I could do it,
I would.
I would, but there's a there'sa lot to navigate when it comes
to, you know, the business sideof it and the venues themselves
and all that.
So that that's probably thebiggest challenge is making all
that work and still producingstuff that's just new and cool
(28:37):
and, you know, makes people'sjaw drop a little bit, paul
spaceships.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
You need spaceships.
I mean, I think let's get withelon, let's figure something out
.
Um, is that grandiose?
Speaker 1 (28:50):
no, it's not grandiose I can only imagine
that email to the Orange CountyConvention Center is is the roof
retractable, first and foremost?
Speaker 2 (29:04):
We're going to go to Dallas Stadium.
No, we'll do it there.
No, too soon, too soon.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
All right, so you were talking about.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
you know how do you make it happen without you know
burning the house down, spendingall the money?
How do you make it happenwithout you know burning the
house down, spending all themoney?
What's a challenge that thathas taught you the most about
this business and how did youovercome it?
Speaker 1 (29:24):
The biggest challenge was the pandemic in this
industry.
Everybody felt it and I cameinto this industry.
As we were coming out of it, Iinherited some of these shows at
a point where they were attheir lowest just full
disclosure.
It was probably the biggestchallenge of my career and I
(29:46):
would just be completely remissif I didn't say that I just have
a lot of people to thank forhelping us rebuild and get out
of there and get to the pointthat we're at now.
Us rebuild and get out of thereand get to the point that we're
at now, and I think it's therelationships, cultivating those
(30:07):
relationships and showingpeople sometimes that you have
the passion for this industryand that your goal, first and
foremost, is to put together ashow that people can come to and
get a lot out of and enjoy andhave fun and want to come back.
And at first, when you're newto it new to a lot of other
people, you're new to a lot of.
(30:28):
You know suppliers that havebeen doing this a long time.
You know there's you sort ofhave to have to show them.
You know that, that this issomething you're taking
seriously and that you're in itfor the good of the industry.
And I think one of the thingsthat restaurant events, from the
ownership the whole way down,has been able to do is put our
(30:51):
money where our mouth issometimes when it comes to that
sort of thing, and not only that, but just, you know, put our
time where our mouth is right,like, go the extra mile for
people.
I can't tell you how manystories we have from suppliers
where you know it's.
I'm not going to name names,but let's just say, like you
(31:12):
know, my entire booth got stolenfrom my car.
You know a real story we hadsomebody's whole booth get
hijacked from their vehicle.
Uh, and you know, we, we wereable to say you know what we're
gonna, we're gonna comp this onefor you.
You know, this year.
We understand, you know thatsort of thing and, um, you know
that's probably one of the moreextreme examples, but those are
(31:34):
the types of things that thiscompany does, you know, for our
vendors, and you know ourvendors are you know what.
What come first when it comes tobuilding a great event, right,
no, you know, no, no chef wantsto go walk around a trade show
that doesn't have any booths atit, and so, um, you know,
working with those guys andreally helping them create
exhibits that are great and youknow, navigate the landscape.
(31:58):
That is a public conventionvenue, you know, a show
contractor, an electrical union,whatever it is.
Material handling all of thatstuff, you know, is something
that we take a lot of pride inand you know, hopefully some of
our tips and tricks, you know,over the years have even helped
those suppliers at other eventsthat they do that we don't even
run.
So taking that approach is howwe overcame that challenge and I
(32:25):
would say the greatest thingabout that is it proved to us
that face-to-face interaction isalways going to be an important
part of this business, morethan more than most.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
I think a successful trade show.
Yes, you have all of yourevents and you know speakers and
whatnot.
The energy and the excitement,I feel, is where you win.
That's how you get people,exhibitors to come in and people
to walk the floor.
With that said, if you were togive advice to somebody you know
(33:04):
who attends shows and they feelthat energy and they're like,
man, I want to get into thisbusiness what advice would you
give to that person?
Speaker 1 (33:11):
That's a great question because you know and
it's not an easy one for mepersonally to answer, because,
while I had my sort ofinteresting path, my initial
jump into the trade show side ofthis was somewhat of an
unexpected thing I honestly justcalled up like a job listing,
(33:36):
not really knowing what I wasgetting into until I saw it, and
then I and I fell in love withit and I thought, hey, sports is
live events, this is liveevents too.
Let's see how it goes.
I almost feel unqualified toanswer the question, but I think
what I would say is is tofollow your passion and align
your career with that andcontinue to do so and it will
(33:59):
find you.
If cooking is what you'rereally, really into, you know go
go places and cook and you knowyou will.
You will find that if you justcontinue pursuing what you love,
it doesn't feel like work andthings tend to fall into the
right places.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
Paul, a few weeks ago you were here in Orlando.
Just explain to the guests theawesome reason why you were here
.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
We were nominated the Pizza Tomorrow Summit, the New
York restaurant show, theCalifornia restaurant show for
as one of the fastest 50 growingtrade shows in the country by
Trade Show Executive Magazine,which was pretty cool.
And the Pizza and Smart Summitactually won for the fastest
(34:48):
growing food show by blendedgrowth, according to Trade Show
Executive Magazine.
So we were in town for theawards.
It was a great time and TradeShow executives and their staff
did an incredible job with theevent.
You know, putting on an eventfor a bunch of events, people
I'm sure is not easy, but it wasreally good.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Paul, one of the most exciting partnerships that
we've entered into, uh, over thelast year, is with you guys,
with your New York, yourCalifornia, your Florida
restaurant shows pizza TomorrowSummit.
I can't explain to you howamazing it is to be a part of
what you guys are doing, you allas a team.
(35:28):
You know, from Glenn to Jerry,down to the sales team.
You guys are winning, you guysare doing the right work and
you're doing it with the rightpersonalities and you're doing
it with the right attitude.
So, number one, thank you.
Number two how do you see therelationship blossoming as we go
(35:49):
into these events this year?
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Well, first of all, you're too good to us.
I appreciate the kind words, wecouldn't be more excited.
I appreciate the kind words wecouldn't be more excited.
I mean, and for those peopleout there that don't know, I
mean what we put together is,you know, a really great
partnership.
Our Walk Talk has a presence onthe trade show floor.
They're out there doinginterviews and audio commercials
(36:13):
for some of our suppliers andtelling the story of the event
commercials for some of oursuppliers and telling the story
of the event.
I mean doing what Walk Talkdoes best and helping us get the
story out there.
And I think that what you guysbring to the trade show is just
a critical element that weabsolutely have to have where
(36:34):
we're capturing the energy wetalked about.
You mentioned the energy on thetrade show floor is one of the
things that's most important,and I think you're 100% right.
And I think that when we'reable to sort of recreate that
digitally and tell people thatstory of what took place over
(36:54):
the course of those three days,of what took place over the
course of those three days,there's certainly, you know, a
there's certainly not a bettergroup to do it justice than you
guys.
And B.
It's just something that youknow.
We almost owe it to theindustry right To have some of
that be captured and be put outthere and share some of the
stories and the connections thatwe make while we're down there.
(37:17):
So for me it's you know, it'sreally just about having this
great platform in the form ofthe partnership with you guys to
tell our story, just like youhave for so many of these chefs.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
Paul, well said.
Look at the end of the day,andrea, stephen, yourself, we
had some really great meetingsand the fact that we were able
to put this together.
There are no other scenarios inthe trade show world like what
we have.
I did so much research.
Yeah, there's other trade showsand they have podcasts, but
they're their own podcasts andthey're inherently run
(37:57):
differently.
This is a show, we have a show.
It's independent and weconnected and we're going to do
big things because of that,because we bring a different
audience to the trade show Notnecessarily a different audience
, but we bring it to them in adifferent vehicle, and I think
that's what makes the, that'swhat makes this special.
And I also want to say that youknow, if it weren't for Jerry,
(38:19):
jerry Gwynn put us together infront of you and Andrea and the
gang and you know she deserves ashout out for that you guys are
just a special bunch of peopleand we appreciate it.
Man Sincerely.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Thank you.
Yeah, jerry, andrea and Steven.
Honestly, those three deservemore credit than I do.
They're really brilliant.
That's our marketing team forthe show, and you're right, it's
, it's.
You know, it's the people, andyou guys are a great part of
that too, and I couldn't be moregrateful for you guys having me
on.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Paul man, you said it right.
We're looking forward to bigthings with you guys at these
events.
We're looking forward to bigthings with you guys at these
events.
It's gonna be great.
My man, chef kevin, today youbrought the heat, literally, man
.
The barbecue was spectacular.
How do people find you on thesocials?
Speaker 3 (39:08):
you can find me on instagram at mama jean seasoning
, facebook mama jean seasoning,or you can find me on linkedin
Kevin Raspberry.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Paul, sincerely appreciate you being on the
program today.
We're going to do more with you, maybe Glenn, a couple of the
others, and we're going toreally pump it and get it out
there.
How do people find you guys onthe socials?
Speaker 1 (39:32):
I'm Paul Pedro.
On LinkedIn, all of our showsare just
CaliforniaRestaurantShowcomNewYorkRestaurantShowcom, just
CaliforniaRestaurantShowcom.
Newyorkrestaurantshowcom.
FloridarestaurantshowcomPizzaTomorrowcom.
You can register to attend themon any of those websites and
all the events have their ownLinkedIn, facebook and Instagram
accounts.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
Excellent.
The next one is going to be inCalifornia in early August.
Check them out.
Hey, listen everybody.
Vote for Pedro and we are out.
And we're just so lucky in this industry that
we've got the passion and thebusiness side Like this is fun.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hello food fam.
This is the Walk Talk podcast,where you will find the perfect
blend of food fun and cookingknowledge.
I'm your host, carl Fiatini.
Welcome to the number one foodpodcast in the country and the
official podcast for the NewYork, california and Florida
restaurant shows, the PizzaTomorrow Summit and the US
Culinary Open at NAFM.
We're recording on-site at IbisImages Studios, where food
(00:40):
photography comes alive and Iget to eat it.
Email us to learn more info atthewalkintalkcom.
Today's guest, a dear friend.
The journey of today's guest,paul Pedros, started with a
pizza shop in Malvern,pennsylvania, winds through the
(01:00):
NFL with the Philadelphia Eaglesand takes off into the world of
international expos and tradeshows.
Whether he was deliveringpizzas, working at the office
for the Eagles, which I think ispretty cool, or running expos
for Informa and Clarion, paulfound one constant in all of it
the power of food to bringpeople together.
Now a key executive atRestaurant Events LLC, paul
(01:23):
helps lead the New York, floridaand California restaurant shows
.
That's right, you just heard mesay it.
This is a big deal.
As well as the Pizza TomorrowSummit, his love for food and
live experiences comes fullcircle, especially on Sundays,
where you'll still find himcooking up ribs and brisket in
D-Lot with his tailgate crewalso a studio today.
(01:44):
And, by the way, just forgiggles, everybody, we had
barbecue, oh my God.
Also in studio today, chefKevin Raspberry has grilled up
some summer fun on the barbecue,adding even more flavor to this
conversation, and I promise itdid.
And the photos?
Oh yeah, you know what I'mtalking about.
(02:05):
The photos, john, I do.
I hate giving you props, youknow.
I know you're too long to wantto, like you know, give you an
attaboy, but, bro, every weekyou just simply murder the
photography.
You do it great this off.
(02:26):
I want to do a quick shout outto our newest partner, the Burnt
Chef Project.
As we continue amplifyingmental health awareness in
hospitality through media andstorytelling, walk Talk is eager
to amplify the Burnt ChefProject message.
Man, these guys are greatmental health awareness
advocates.
They have all sorts ofresources and everything.
Go inside the description.
You'll find how to reach them.
Great folksris, tom colleen,all these, all these cats, chef,
(02:49):
talk to me.
The chef, kevin.
I told john last week.
I said dude, listen to me, beexcited, be very excited.
He's like what are you talkingabout, kevin?
And he looks at me.
He's like what do you meanbarbecue?
He's like oh, I get it, I getit, 100, man he so we've been
(03:12):
excited.
We were ready for this and youdid, you brought it.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I appreciate it can you talk about what you did
today.
So today I did the mesquitegrilled chicken with a pineapple
bourbon jam to go on top,smoked gouda mac and cheese,
grilled corn on a cob.
Also I prepared the grilledbarbecue ribs cowboy baked beans
pickled red onions.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I know you have some secret ingredients.
What's one of them?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
One of the secret ingredients I use for my own
seasoning company, mama JeanSeasoning.
I have a barbecue blend calledCactus Jack.
It is a mesquite barbecueseasoning.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, so I have like a truckload of that stuff at the
house.
It's legit, and I mean atruckload, like every time he
comes here he brings.
You're very gracious, by theway.
First of all, chef, you do.
You have a great product line.
I appreciate that Today therewas an additional special
ingredient.
What was that?
Tillman's barbecue.
Oh my god.
Tillman wins these barbecuecompetitions constantly.
(04:09):
He goes all over Florida,sometimes out of state.
He's got this.
It's a rig.
It's actually like a tour buswith the grill in tow behind it
stupid.
So what's going to happen?
He's going to to wrap the uh,the rig, not the, not the you
know the actual bus, but the rig, and it's going to be, you know
(04:30):
, uh, blended walk and talk withTillman's barbecue.
It's going to be so cool and uh, and we're going to be
basically representing at all ofthe barbecue competitions and
Tillman is going to be the uh,you will of Walk Talk at these
shows.
So I'm super stoked about that.
With that said, you used one ofhis products in the dish today
(04:53):
on both dishes, actually rightOn one of the dishes, on the
ribs.
Yes, oh gosh, man, I am soexcited this is really.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
It's a great day, and if I, if I might uh add
something, the chipotle applebarbecue sauce hands down the
best barbecue sauce I've everhad.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
You know what makes this really cool?
We get connected.
We have chefs elevated, youknow culinarians that come
through here.
We make friends.
We have brands that we'reconnected with.
We make, make friends.
All of a sudden, the brands,the chefs, all these everybody
kind of meets each other andworks with each other and it's
like this expanding pie ofawesomeness and I'm just really
(05:35):
I'm blessed, you know, to bearound the group of folks that
I'm around.
You know everyone here,included.
You know Kevin, john, you knowyou know Paul's in the green
room, him as well, I mean.
So it's this expandingenvironment of making things
happen and it's terrific.
So, kevin, I want to thank youfor all of your contributions
(05:57):
that we do here and it's greatlyappreciated, and you bring your
A-game every time you show upin the studio.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Thank you, I appreciate you, I appreciate you
, I appreciate John.
I mean, I'm forever gratefulfor the both of y'all.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Yeah, man, and I think the video today is going
to be pretty dope.
Yeah, we're up in the game withthe interviews, you know, mixed
into the B roll on the platingand the cooking.
So, yeah, all right, withoutfurther ado, let's usher in our
featured guest, paul.
Welcome to the program.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Hey, thanks for having me, carl Kevin, great to
be with you, jeff, likewise.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Paul we've been talking now for a good while and
the partnership that we puttogether between you, glenn, us
over here at Walk Talk.
It's super exciting and wereally haven't even gotten
started yet.
The first show is in Californiain August and you know we're
going to be there.
Are you stoked or what?
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Oh man, I can't wait.
I just think it's an incredibleway to tell an incredible story
.
I mean, you said it a minuteago with.
You know just the excitement inthis industry about the people,
and you know the shows bringall the people together in one
place for three days and youcan't help but be excited.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
We are excited.
Well, uh, you know we've gotpooch.
You know, john, we have ourextended team with uh, with
glenn and jordan, and there'sseveral others too that are
going to end up being involvedin what we're doing with you
guys.
I think it's going to be big.
It's big.
I have people constantly askingme now, you know side messages
(07:29):
and whatnot about, hey, what's,what's the story with the New
York show and the Florida show?
What is that?
So I think it's.
You know, we're going to end upbringing some new ears and eyes
to um, to this whole thing, and, and if we can create great
content in the interim man, Ithink it's a blessing for all.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I couldn't agree more and we're so grateful for you
guys.
You know you guys are doingamazing work in the industry and
you know we're trying to be apart of that as well and it's
just been great so far.
And so, yeah, we owe you guys abig thank you.
You guys do great work.
I think it goes both ways onthe thank yous, Paul.
(08:19):
Your career has woven togethersports, food and live events.
What was the spark, if you will?
As much as it was a culmination.
You know, I started off thelowest level employee in high
school at a pizza shop and sawthe back end of their operation
and it was probably you know,I'm probably not giving them
(08:40):
enough credit it was an Italianrestaurant as well, and just
seeing all of the hard work thatwent into that early on as a
young kid, and then experiencingdifferent establishments,
cultures and then eventually,separately, the sports and live
events industry, but food nevernot being a part of that it kind
(09:01):
of culminated into this moment.
I guess if you were to pinpointthe spark, it would be some of
the first shows that we ran, orthe first show that we ran as
Restaurant Events LLC, where Igot to see that come together
for the first time I got to seethe business of food kind of
connect with my passion for foodand my passion for putting on a
(09:22):
great event.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
In your history, paul , you've had a front row seat to
how food actually brings peopletogether.
You talked about, you know,from tailgates to trade shows.
That's pretty broad right.
I mean the fact that youactually worked for the
Philadelphia Eagles in anycapacity, I think is pretty,
damn amazing.
Can you, before we go further,can you kind of explain what you
(09:45):
did over there?
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Yeah, so that was my first job right out of college
as a, as a summer intern,selling season tickets for the
Philadelphia Eagles.
And, by the way, when you getto do this, you get to work in
the practice facilityside-by-side with the players
who are there working outpracticing.
And for all the food people outthere, every one of these
sports organizations has apretty incredible kitchen.
(10:07):
So I will never forget thelunches at the Novocare Complex
by the Philadelphia Eagles chefsShout out to them.
But yeah, it started as a summerinternship just doing season
ticket sales and blossomed intoa year-long internship
throughout the season and wewere not very good that year,
but it was incredibly fun and Imade some really great
(10:29):
connections and that was sort ofmy first introduction to live
events and I got to go to everygame.
I've been going to every gamesince and part of the reason for
that the food and the fun waspart of it.
I joke around.
I don't think I could work inthat industry anymore because I
like enjoying it too much, so Ihad to leave eventually, but
(10:52):
maybe the food drove me away andit's the way that it blended
with sports.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
What you're saying is you're a Dallas Cowboys fan.
Not at all, no, no.
I'm a champion.
Not at all, no, no, okay, I'm achampion, I'm a champion.
I think food has a uniqueability to build community.
You were in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia has a prettyunique food scene in and of
(11:18):
itself.
Working with the Eagles, lovingfood and being in that
community.
I want to talk about theplayers, because you got to meet
these guys.
You said, right, like you werelike with them.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
Yeah, yeah, I did, I did.
We uh, so they had a.
Basically, if you're anemployee of the Eagles, it's uh,
everybody eats from the samecafeteria, so it's $4 lunches
for everybody and they've got,like you know, five-star chefs
doing these things and, um, youknow, I don't know if that's
every team in the league.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
What kind of conversations like how did they
treat you?
How did they embrace?
Speaker 1 (11:53):
you.
Oh man, they were incredible.
I mean the friendliest guysyou'll ever meet.
You would never think you knowyour players just like anything
else.
They tended to stick together alittle bit.
But you know I had lots ofgreat conversations.
I remember eating breakfastwith Jason Peters a few times.
It was.
(12:13):
It was definitely an experiencethat and you know the staff the
current staff for that teamprobably still enjoys.
And you know it's funny whenyou look at the organizations in
the NFL, whether you're a fanor not, when you evaluate the
culture that the PhiladelphiaEagles built in their building.
(12:33):
There's no question thatbuilding of community is a focus
.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
There's no question that building of community is a
focus, and so it's reallytelling that they have that
style of cafeteria whereeverybody eats together.
That's a huge piece ofexperience, because when you're
bringing people together at atrade show or an expo, it's a
similar sort of build out, isn'tit?
There are definitely someparallels.
Yes, what year were you over?
Speaker 1 (12:58):
there.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Who were the star players when you were an intern?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Oh man.
So this is the.
This is the sad part.
I was part of the infamousVince Young dream team year.
So, 2012, 2013 season, whereyou had the signing of of Ny
asamoah to the eagles and vinceyoung, um, a couple other guys
back then it was deshaun jackson, jeremy macklin, washawn mccoy,
uh, as your star players and,um, it was an interesting.
(13:32):
It was interesting year thatdid not go the way they had
hoped.
Uh, andy reed was the coach atthe time and you know not only
did they all eat together in acafeteria, but you know there
were playground build projectsand you know charity fundraisers
and you know events outside ofjust the football games were a
huge part of that too.
And food and you know,experiencing of food was
(13:56):
interwoven throughout that.
In the entire time I was thereand I'm sure still is.
Just from what I see in thetailgate lots, you know that's a
whole nother version of thathappening amongst the fans.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Paul, I put together a list of questions and this
what I'm learning from you aboutyour time with the Eagles, I
think is fascinating.
Time with the Eagles, I thinkis fascinating, and I have to
believe that there is more thanjust small parallels between
between what you did with themcommunity service, charities,
(14:27):
working with people you know,working with these superstars
and it's all based onentertainment, food and bringing
people together.
Between that and yourexperiences at Informa and
Clarion that set the stage foryou to be who you are at
restaurant events right now.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Oh, I think that's definitely accurate.
Yeah, I mean, the experiencesare everything.
I think it was Anthony Bourdainthat said food is everything we
are.
It's an extension of anationalist feeling.
Your personal history, yourprovince, your tribe, your
grandma, something like that,and so, yeah, that's mine.
(15:10):
Working in trade shows thatweren't necessarily food
industry focused gave meincredible experiences all over
the world and enabled me totravel at a young age when I
otherwise would have had zerochance of affording to be able
to travel to certain places andexperience certain things.
(15:30):
And I'm very grateful for bothof those jobs and how they kind
of set me up to sort of be ableto jump at an opportunity that
brought it all together.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Restaurant events has grown super fast under your
leadership.
What do you think sets yourshows apart from others in the
industry?
Speaker 1 (15:49):
It starts with a passion.
I think everybody that worksfor restaurant events has a true
passion for the restaurant andfood service industry and for
putting on good events and forthe events industry.
A lot of people don't realizejust how much goes into the
organization of these events,especially at, you know, large,
(16:10):
publicly run convention centers,and it really I'm going to draw
another parallel.
Unfortunately I hate to do itto you guys again, but you know
it really an events teamfunctions much like a football
team where you know the synergyand everybody doing their job is
very necessary for team success.
And one of the things that wehave at restaurant events is I
(16:34):
an unmatched synergy acrossdepartments.
You have people who are focusedon getting the show marketed to
chefs and restaurant owners andoperators and to make sure that
side of the industry comes.
You have people who are focusedon bringing the companies and
the suppliers in.
You have people who are focusedon developing the content and
(16:56):
creating the sessions, suppliersin.
You have people who are focusedon developing the content and
creating the sessions and youknow one hand feeds the other in
a more dramatic way than Ithink a lot of people realize
and a lot of the focus that weput into our efforts at
restaurant events is oncommunication.
You know internally and I'vebeen around the block you know
it's not the easiest thing toachieve.
(17:18):
You can say it.
You know until you're blue inthe face that we want to be good
communicators.
But you know, one of the bigdifferences, I think, at
restaurant events is that I canpick up the phone and have a
conversation with any member ofmy team at any level, at any
time, and you know we justtackle issues, you know, through
that direct, quickcommunication and I think it
(17:42):
sets us up to be reallysuccessful.
The last and final piece of thattoo, I think, is just veteran
experience.
You know, in the industry wehave four or five salespeople
that work for me and everysingle one of them can answer
99% of the detailed, you knowoperational craziness that gets
(18:03):
thrown at us, because we allknow that one of the most fun
parts of a trade show is whatclients do in their booth and we
.
So we get some crazy stuff andit can be a lot, a lot easier to
make things happen when theperson that you're dealing with
directly has all the answers foryou.
So we try to make sure that ourstaff has that.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Most of the people in our audience will probably
understand the idea of a tradeshow and how large they are.
If you have three, four, 500exhibitors at a trade show,
there's a lot of work, a lot ofbackstory, a lot of things
happening that nobody's aware of, what goes on behind the scenes
(18:46):
that the average personwouldn't have any idea about,
probably the easiest answer tothat would be the operational
cost factor, becauseeverything's happening inside a
public convention venue.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
There's a vendor for everything who has exclusive
rights over that venue, and alot of our suppliers at
restaurant and food serviceshows actually work.
Those catering companies are agreat example of that your
Aramarks and Sodexo's and so alot of people don't realize that
all of the suppliers at thevenue are navigating.
(19:22):
You know the safety regulations, the health guidelines, all of
the things that are put in placeby that venue, and so it's very
much.
You know.
I come from the school oftailgating, as we talked about,
where you can roll in with yourtrailer and you can have an open
fire, and you're doing it inthe parking lot.
(19:44):
And, by the way, chef, kevin,carl, that rig that you guys are
working on, you ever want tobring that up to an Eagles game?
I'll get the tickets, so youjust let me know, but
unfortunately that's a littlebit harder to pull off inside a
convention center, right?
So what a lot of peopleprobably don't realize is just
that there's so much that goesinto it in the way of
(20:05):
documentation, safety, approvalsand collaboration amongst
different vendors andcontractors.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Well said what I'm going to do right now, Kevin.
Yes, You've not been to doright now, Kevin.
Yes, You've not been to a foodshow, trade show, Never.
Okay.
I want you to jump in with hey,Paul, it's Kevin.
And I want you to ask say, I'ma chef, In fact, you can even
say that you got your promotion.
(20:35):
Don't say that you just gotyour promotion.
Just say that, hey, I'm kind ofoverseeing multiple units.
I've never been to a trade show.
What good is it for me to goLike?
What is it for a guy like me,you know, with my position to to
go to a show Like what is,what's the benefit?
Speaker 3 (20:49):
Okay, right.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Gotcha, you can, you can jump in right now.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
All right, paul, I have a question for someone of
my stature that's 22 years inthe industry and that's
overseeing, that's assistingwith multiple communities.
What did, what did they talkabout at the trade shows?
What's the experience like?
What can I look forward to whenI go to my first trade show?
Speaker 1 (21:14):
That's a great question and there's so much
really to be excited about.
So I'll try to try and not gettoo detailed on you and break it
into a few, a few categories.
The first one's the networking.
You've been in the industry for22 years.
There's going to be a lot ofpeople just like you walking
around this event and attendingvarious sessions, you walking
(21:40):
around this event and attendingvarious sessions.
There's a lot of folks who arestarting new, but also a ton of
folks who have been doing thiseven longer than that, and those
people are up on stages talkingabout their businesses and
where they've had success, wherethey've had failures.
There's also any chef.
I would say probably thecoolest part is just seeing the
chef competitions and the demosfrom the other chefs, which we
(22:03):
always get some big names to theshow to come do something, and
you can always, you know, takesomething away for your own
repertoire, and that's a bigpart of it.
You know the education and thenetworking.
And then, obviously, thesupplier.
You know interfacing, right?
I think one of the beautifulthings about the restaurant
industry and food is that we'realways innovating.
(22:24):
You know, I used to think for awhile that that was, you know,
purely consumer driven, right.
You know thinking about it fromtoo much of a business sense,
but you know.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Ifeel like every chef actually
just has that as an innatedesire.
You know within them to makenew, cool stuff Right,
absolutely.
So.
This is where you find all thesupplies to do it.
Man, you can talk to them faceto face, learn a little bit more
(22:47):
about you, know how things areused, and most of these
suppliers, now you know, havehave in-house chefs who are real
experts on it, and I think oneof the biggest advantages is if
they're looking for a newingredient, a piece of equipment
, even a piece of technology oranything to help run an
establishment.
It's always nice to talkface-to-face with an expert and
(23:10):
to see, touch, feel, taste whatit is that you might be looking
at incorporating into yourrepertoire.
Chef Kevin, we've got to getyou down to the Florida
restaurant show.
We've got, we've got a stagethere for you.
We may, we may need to see ademo of this deliciousness that
you're cooking up down there.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I can give you multiple demos, that's not a
problem.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Well, it's even more than that, guys, because here's
the thing we're going to haveour whole video crew there.
So you know Chef Kevin is youdon't know this, paul, but you
know Chef Kevin is actually.
You know a walk and talk, callit personality so you know him
(23:52):
being there and our video crewbeing there as well.
You know there's some magicthat's going to happen.
I don't know if it's going tobe barbecue or not, but you know
it's going to be somethingdelicious, kevin.
It's going to be at the OrangeCounty Convention Center and
you're definitely going to bethere.
You got to get the time off orwhatever, and let's make this
happen.
Speaker 3 (24:05):
Time's already off right now.
That's not a problem.
I'm definitely looking forwardto it.
You're going to be out there.
I'm going to be out there.
We're going to have a good time.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Paul, there's so many trade shows out there and
they're gigantic.
The competition is fierce.
How are you keeping restaurantevent trade shows fresh?
Speaker 1 (24:30):
How are you keeping them ahead of the curve?
You know there's definitely alot of them out there and I
think it's almost the same waythat our chefs and their
restaurants stay ahead of thecurve and stay relevant, and I
(24:52):
think it's part staying true toyourself and it's part
continuing to innovate.
So what we do is we try toreally really know and
understand who we are and ourevents from a size standpoint.
You know we aren't the.
We're not as big as some shows.
We're very regionally focused,but we're large within the
(25:22):
region.
It's the perfect balance forsuppliers and end users to come
together, because foodultimately is a regional
business for the most part, justin the nature of freshness,
right, um, and when you are ableto to get the majority of the
of the players you know within aspace together under one roof
from a supplier standpoint,that's what is going to bring
(25:43):
new and exciting innovations inthe industry.
For us, it's really aboutstaying true to who we are from
a size and scope perspective,while also continuing to
innovate.
So we're regional events, butwe're large regional events, so
we're really good.
For example, florida RestaurantShow getting the whole Southeast
(26:05):
market together under one rooffrom both a supplier side and a
owner operator, chef side ofthings.
And the innovation piece iswe're really lucky that we have
so many great people andpartners really to lean on.
When it comes to the innovationpiece, I think what we're doing
(26:27):
together with Walk Talk is agreat example, you know, of one
of those things right, and whenI say we're lucky, the other
piece of that is that you knowfolks like Chef Kevin and some
of your other guests that you'vehad on the show.
I know a few who actually maybe a few others who might be
speaking at the event.
They're always, you know, doingnew and interesting things to
(26:51):
stay fresh, and we're just solucky in this industry that
we've got the passion.
And the business side Like thisis fun.
You know there's a huge part ofthis that is just fun.
And when you're able toinnovate, fun and also educate
from a business perspective, itcreates every reason in the
world for people to come backevery year.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Your approach to this , I think, is fantastic.
Your frame of mind, becausethat trickles down to the rest
of the team, I have to believethe logistics in putting
together a mix of vendors andspeakers and different
experiences when you're at atrade show that's probably the
voodoo math, the hard, that'sthe hard.
Planning right.
Is that the hardest part ofthis, or is there something else
(27:33):
?
Carl?
Speaker 1 (27:34):
you know it's staying ahead of the curve and not
losing a boatload of money atthe same time.
The reality is that the biggestchallenge is staying ahead of
the curve while navigating therules, the restrictions and the
costs of everything it would be.
(27:55):
I can't tell you how many timesI've had this incredible grand
idea.
That's just a little bit tooout there and it's not feasible
within the context of a tradeshow floor, especially as a
tailgate guy.
Right, I got all sorts ofvisions of flames and things,
(28:16):
fireworks going off and stufflike that, and if I could do it,
I would.
I would, but there's a there'sa lot to navigate when it comes
to, you know, the business sideof it and the venues themselves
and all that.
So that that's probably thebiggest challenge is making all
that work and still producingstuff that's just new and cool
(28:37):
and, you know, makes people'sjaw drop a little bit, paul
spaceships.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
You need spaceships.
I mean, I think let's get withelon, let's figure something out
.
Um, is that grandiose?
Speaker 1 (28:50):
no, it's not grandiose I can only imagine
that email to the Orange CountyConvention Center is is the roof
retractable, first and foremost?
Speaker 2 (29:04):
We're going to go to Dallas Stadium.
No, we'll do it there.
No, too soon, too soon.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
All right, so you were talking about.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
you know how do you make it happen without you know
burning the house down, spendingall the money?
How do you make it happenwithout you know burning the
house down, spending all themoney?
What's a challenge that thathas taught you the most about
this business and how did youovercome it?
Speaker 1 (29:24):
The biggest challenge was the pandemic in this
industry.
Everybody felt it and I cameinto this industry.
As we were coming out of it, Iinherited some of these shows at
a point where they were attheir lowest just full
disclosure.
It was probably the biggestchallenge of my career and I
(29:46):
would just be completely remissif I didn't say that I just have
a lot of people to thank forhelping us rebuild and get out
of there and get to the pointthat we're at now.
Us rebuild and get out of thereand get to the point that we're
at now, and I think it's therelationships, cultivating those
(30:07):
relationships and showingpeople sometimes that you have
the passion for this industryand that your goal, first and
foremost, is to put together ashow that people can come to and
get a lot out of and enjoy andhave fun and want to come back.
And at first, when you're newto it new to a lot of other
people, you're new to a lot of.
(30:28):
You know suppliers that havebeen doing this a long time.
You know there's you sort ofhave to have to show them.
You know that, that this issomething you're taking
seriously and that you're in itfor the good of the industry.
And I think one of the thingsthat restaurant events, from the
ownership the whole way down,has been able to do is put our
(30:51):
money where our mouth issometimes when it comes to that
sort of thing, and not only that, but just, you know, put our
time where our mouth is right,like, go the extra mile for
people.
I can't tell you how manystories we have from suppliers
where you know it's.
I'm not going to name names,but let's just say, like you
(31:12):
know, my entire booth got stolenfrom my car.
You know a real story we hadsomebody's whole booth get
hijacked from their vehicle.
Uh, and you know, we, we wereable to say you know what we're
gonna, we're gonna comp this onefor you.
You know, this year.
We understand, you know thatsort of thing and, um, you know
that's probably one of the moreextreme examples, but those are
(31:34):
the types of things that thiscompany does, you know, for our
vendors, and you know ourvendors are you know what.
What come first when it comes tobuilding a great event, right,
no, you know, no, no chef wantsto go walk around a trade show
that doesn't have any booths atit, and so, um, you know,
working with those guys andreally helping them create
exhibits that are great and youknow, navigate the landscape.
(31:58):
That is a public conventionvenue, you know, a show
contractor, an electrical union,whatever it is.
Material handling all of thatstuff, you know, is something
that we take a lot of pride inand you know, hopefully some of
our tips and tricks, you know,over the years have even helped
those suppliers at other eventsthat they do that we don't even
run.
So taking that approach is howwe overcame that challenge and I
(32:25):
would say the greatest thingabout that is it proved to us
that face-to-face interaction isalways going to be an important
part of this business, morethan more than most.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
I think a successful trade show.
Yes, you have all of yourevents and you know speakers and
whatnot.
The energy and the excitement,I feel, is where you win.
That's how you get people,exhibitors to come in and people
to walk the floor.
With that said, if you were togive advice to somebody you know
(33:04):
who attends shows and they feelthat energy and they're like,
man, I want to get into thisbusiness what advice would you
give to that person?
Speaker 1 (33:11):
That's a great question because you know and
it's not an easy one for mepersonally to answer, because,
while I had my sort ofinteresting path, my initial
jump into the trade show side ofthis was somewhat of an
unexpected thing I honestly justcalled up like a job listing,
(33:36):
not really knowing what I wasgetting into until I saw it, and
then I and I fell in love withit and I thought, hey, sports is
live events, this is liveevents too.
Let's see how it goes.
I almost feel unqualified toanswer the question, but I think
what I would say is is tofollow your passion and align
your career with that andcontinue to do so and it will
(33:59):
find you.
If cooking is what you'rereally, really into, you know go
go places and cook and you knowyou will.
You will find that if you justcontinue pursuing what you love,
it doesn't feel like work andthings tend to fall into the
right places.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
Paul, a few weeks ago you were here in Orlando.
Just explain to the guests theawesome reason why you were here
.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
We were nominated the Pizza Tomorrow Summit, the New
York restaurant show, theCalifornia restaurant show for
as one of the fastest 50 growingtrade shows in the country by
Trade Show Executive Magazine,which was pretty cool.
And the Pizza and Smart Summitactually won for the fastest
(34:48):
growing food show by blendedgrowth, according to Trade Show
Executive Magazine.
So we were in town for theawards.
It was a great time and TradeShow executives and their staff
did an incredible job with theevent.
You know, putting on an eventfor a bunch of events, people
I'm sure is not easy, but it wasreally good.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Paul, one of the most exciting partnerships that
we've entered into, uh, over thelast year, is with you guys,
with your New York, yourCalifornia, your Florida
restaurant shows pizza TomorrowSummit.
I can't explain to you howamazing it is to be a part of
what you guys are doing, you allas a team.
(35:28):
You know, from Glenn to Jerry,down to the sales team.
You guys are winning, you guysare doing the right work and
you're doing it with the rightpersonalities and you're doing
it with the right attitude.
So, number one, thank you.
Number two how do you see therelationship blossoming as we go
(35:49):
into these events this year?
Speaker 1 (35:51):
Well, first of all, you're too good to us.
I appreciate the kind words, wecouldn't be more excited.
I appreciate the kind words wecouldn't be more excited.
I mean, and for those peopleout there that don't know, I
mean what we put together is,you know, a really great
partnership.
Our Walk Talk has a presence onthe trade show floor.
They're out there doinginterviews and audio commercials
(36:13):
for some of our suppliers andtelling the story of the event
commercials for some of oursuppliers and telling the story
of the event.
I mean doing what Walk Talkdoes best and helping us get the
story out there.
And I think that what you guysbring to the trade show is just
a critical element that weabsolutely have to have where
(36:34):
we're capturing the energy wetalked about.
You mentioned the energy on thetrade show floor is one of the
things that's most important,and I think you're 100% right.
And I think that when we'reable to sort of recreate that
digitally and tell people thatstory of what took place over
(36:54):
the course of those three days,of what took place over the
course of those three days,there's certainly, you know, a
there's certainly not a bettergroup to do it justice than you
guys.
And B.
It's just something that youknow.
We almost owe it to theindustry right To have some of
that be captured and be put outthere and share some of the
stories and the connections thatwe make while we're down there.
(37:17):
So for me it's you know, it'sreally just about having this
great platform in the form ofthe partnership with you guys to
tell our story, just like youhave for so many of these chefs.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
Paul, well said.
Look at the end of the day,andrea, stephen, yourself, we
had some really great meetingsand the fact that we were able
to put this together.
There are no other scenarios inthe trade show world like what
we have.
I did so much research.
Yeah, there's other trade showsand they have podcasts, but
they're their own podcasts andthey're inherently run
(37:57):
differently.
This is a show, we have a show.
It's independent and weconnected and we're going to do
big things because of that,because we bring a different
audience to the trade show Notnecessarily a different audience
, but we bring it to them in adifferent vehicle, and I think
that's what makes the, that'swhat makes this special.
And I also want to say that youknow, if it weren't for Jerry,
(38:19):
jerry Gwynn put us together infront of you and Andrea and the
gang and you know she deserves ashout out for that you guys are
just a special bunch of peopleand we appreciate it.
Man Sincerely.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
Thank you.
Yeah, jerry, andrea and Steven.
Honestly, those three deservemore credit than I do.
They're really brilliant.
That's our marketing team forthe show, and you're right, it's
, it's.
You know, it's the people, andyou guys are a great part of
that too, and I couldn't be moregrateful for you guys having me
on.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
Paul man, you said it right.
We're looking forward to bigthings with you guys at these
events.
We're looking forward to bigthings with you guys at these
events.
It's gonna be great.
My man, chef kevin, today youbrought the heat, literally, man
.
The barbecue was spectacular.
How do people find you on thesocials?
Speaker 3 (39:08):
you can find me on instagram at mama jean seasoning
, facebook mama jean seasoning,or you can find me on linkedin
Kevin Raspberry.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Paul, sincerely appreciate you being on the
program today.
We're going to do more with you, maybe Glenn, a couple of the
others, and we're going toreally pump it and get it out
there.
How do people find you guys onthe socials?
Speaker 1 (39:32):
I'm Paul Pedro.
On LinkedIn, all of our showsare just
CaliforniaRestaurantShowcomNewYorkRestaurantShowcom, just
CaliforniaRestaurantShowcom.
Newyorkrestaurantshowcom.
FloridarestaurantshowcomPizzaTomorrowcom.
You can register to attend themon any of those websites and
all the events have their ownLinkedIn, facebook and Instagram
accounts.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
Excellent.
The next one is going to be inCalifornia in early August.
Check them out.
Hey, listen everybody.
Vote for Pedro and we are out.
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