Eating at a Meeting

Imagine a menu where every cocktail has a zero-proof twin, every allergy is anticipated, and nothing—even the juice from a can of chickpeas—goes to waste. This episode is all about pushing past the 'Shirley Temple standard' and building truly inclusive and sustainable food & beverage experiences, one thoughtful pivot at a time."

From batch-prepping for reduced waste to designing mocktails that rival their spirited s...

If your food pantry's shelves don't reflect the needs of 21 million gluten-free Americans—or you assume guests will 'just figure it out'—it's time for a reality check. This episode reveals why transparency, education, and intentional sourcing are the keys to serving every member of your community safely and affordably.

Carla Carter, Director of Education & Programs at the National Celiac Association, shares practica...

Here's the truth most event professionals don't want to say out loud: we often treat food allergy requests as a nuisance instead of a responsibility.

This week — Food Allergy Awareness Week — I'm bringing a conversation to Eating at a Meeting LIVE that I believe every meeting planner, caterer, hotel F&B team, and event organizer needs to hear.

I'm sitting down with Karen O'Connor, Executive Chef at Toronto's renowne...

Food allergies aren't just a dietary preference. For millions of people, they are a daily negotiation with risk, anxiety, and belonging.

This week is Food Allergy Awareness Week, and for Day 3 of Eating at a Meeting LIVE, I'm sitting down with someone who has been in the trenches of this conversation for years — Lindiwe Lewis, allergy advocate and host of the Behind the Allergy podcast.

Lindi has lived with severe, anaphylact...

A label on a buffet card is not a safety plan. And if you're relying on one to protect your guests with food allergies, this episode is for you.

For Day 2 of Food Allergy Awareness Week, I'm bringing Executive Chef Jay Varga of The JDK Group Catering & Events on Eating at a Meeting LIVE — and we are getting into what food allergy safety actually requires in an off-premise catering environment.

Jay is the 2022 ICA Chef of ...

Here's something that doesn't get said enough: the biggest food allergy risk at your event doesn't start in the kitchen. It starts the moment your registration form goes live.

To kick off Food Allergy Awareness Week, I'm getting into exactly that — and I've got the right people at the table.

The UK events industry just launched something the sector has needed for a long time: the ABPCO Managing Dietary Requirements at Events ...

May is extra special for me—it's not only Food Allergy Awareness Month and Celiac Disease Awareness Month, but it also marks the 16th anniversary of thrive! meetings & events and the start of Eating at a Meeting's seventh year! This episode is a solo one, and I'm taking the mic to reflect on why I started my business and this show: making safe, inclusive dining part of every event experience.

In this heartfelt discussion,...

If you think serving one gluten-free vegan dish covers all your guests' needs—or that "nut-free" labeling is enough to keep diners safe—think again. This episode dives deep into the most persistent myths and mistakes surrounding event food and beverage, from confusing labels and registration oversights to the real cost of ignoring dietary needs. Host Speaker A shares hard-earned lessons from 30+ years in the industry, i...

What does it really mean to source "Pacific salmon"?

Kim Brigham-Campbell and Terrie Brigham are sisters, members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and co-owners of Brigham Fish Market—a Native-owned, family-run business on the banks of the Columbia River in Cascade Locks, Oregon. Since 2014, they've been catching wild Columbia River salmon, sturgeon, and steelhead from the same tribal fishing pla...

Anamaria Gutiérrez is 23 seasons into running Este Garden, a women-powered, one-third-acre urban farm in East Austin growing vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and fruit and nut trees for four restaurants: Suerte, Este, Bar Toti, and Nixta Taqueria. Her path to the garden ran through a UT Austin business degree, a farmers market coordinator role, a farm fellowship, her own market food business, and a direct pitch to restaurant owne...

It started as a kitchen garden. Nine acres. A favor from her husband.

Today, Green Door Gourmet is 350 acres of certified organic farmland on the Cumberland River — one of the largest organic operations in Tennessee — growing 80 kinds of fruits and vegetables, 80 flower varieties, and 25 specialty herbs, including Southern heirloom varieties that most event menus have never seen. Sylvia Harrelson Ganier is its President...

What does it actually take to grow the food that ends up on a hotel banquet table or a farm-to-table dinner menu? Lauren Palmer has spent 17 years answering that question one harvest at a time.

Lauren is the owner and farmer behind Bloomsbury Farm, a USDA Certified Organic operation on more than 400 acres outside Nashville, Tennessee. She grows vegetables, fruits, sprouts, microgreens, mushrooms, edible flowers, herbs, and wheatgra...

What if the most interesting ingredient at your next event was already growing just outside the venue?

I've been thinking about this lately — and then Lotta Giesenfeld Boman introduced me to Lisen Sundgren, and honestly, she made it impossible to think about anything else.

Lisen is my guest this week on Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE — and she is the perfect person to kick off Women's HERstory Month as our very first ...

What if your event menu was the most powerful branding tool your destination has?

In this episode, Tracy is joined by Erik Wolf, Founder and Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association and the pioneer behind the global "Taste of Place" movement.

We talk about why food and beverage should no longer be treated as a banquet line item—but as the way destinations, hotels, and convention centers express identity, protec...

What does it mean to truly belong at the table — as a guest and as the one designing the experience?

This Black History Month, I'm hosting an Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE conversation with two extraordinary Black women leaders in the events industry: Zoe Moore (Grow with Zomo) and Diane R. Brown, MBA (Derby Brown Productions). We'll explore how to design events that honor Black history, culture, and community—not ju...

Dry January always gets me thinking about how poorly the event industry still does when it comes to inclusive beverage experiences.

At one event where I was speaking about inclusive dining, everyone at the table was served sake at dinner that night. One guest quietly pulled me aside and said, "This is exactly what you were talking about." He doesn't drink. Neither do I. And in that moment, we were both left out of the toast.

The sa...

If your event bar still treats non-alcoholic drinks as an afterthought, we need to talk.

I'm sitting down LIVE with Kevin Morgan, Global Head of Tempo by Hilton and a 24-year hospitality veteran who has worked his way through Hilton from front desk agent to brand leadership. Kevin also helped lead Hilton's global CleanStay response—so when he talks about safety, execution, and systems, he's lived it at scale.

We're talking ab...

When you're in Philly for PCMA Convening Leaders, you don't just grab a cheesesteak and call it a day. You pay attention to the food culture, the people behind it, and the stories that shape the city. And I couldn't leave town without sitting down with one of the catering chefs doing exactly that.

This week on Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE, I'm talking with Chef Adam DeLosso, Executive Chef and COO of 12th Street Catering—...

Imagine sitting down at an event, ready to enjoy dessert… and realizing the kitchen can't tell you what's in it.

Tracy is joined by internationally recognized vegan pastry chef, cookbook author, and culinary educator Fran Costigan to talk about what should be one of the easiest wins in event food and beverage: designing menus that respect both people and ingredients.

Fran has spent decades teaching chefs—many of them i...