Eating at a Meeting

Lindsey Ofcacek, alongside Chef Edward Lee, started The LEE Initiative in Louisville, KY, in 2018 when they saw how the #MeToo movement was bringing to light what women in the restaurant and food and beverage industry were experiencing. An acronym for Let's Empower Employment, The LEE Initiative is focused on offering innovative and impactful solutions and programs when they see a need for a more diverse, compassionate, sustainable, and equitable restaurant industry. Since 2018, the organization has received many accolades for its work, but more importantly, it has made a real difference in the lives of hundreds of next-generation restaurant industry professionals. Join Tracy and Lindsay for a special edition of #EatingAtAMeeting LIVE for Women's HERstory Month as they discuss how they lead with kindness, help workers in need, promote diversity and equity, and believe that the impossible is possible. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

When I posted on my Instagram account that I was searching for women to highlight for Women's HERstory month, Chef Nina Curtis was the first to reply with the name Chef Karla Ortiz. Then, OMG! The additional "votes" for Karla kept rolling in, and then someone submitted a nomination form for her. After reading that, the piece about her in Forbes and on PBS's My American story, I was convinced. Karla Ortiz is the Chef/Owner of Bo.ka.do, a vegan restaurant in Puerto Rico, located inside La Plaza del Mercado (a farmer's market). Twenty-five years after leaving Puerto Rico, where she was born, she returned with $500 in her pocket, the need to feed her kids, a culinary degree, and a dream. Her scratch kitchen restaurant uses the freshest of ingredients - those downstairs in the market - so that she can be as creative with food as possible, providing good food as well as educating people about mind, body, and soul. Join Tracy and Karla for a special edition of Eating at a Meeting LIVE for Women's HERstory month to talk about Karla's dream, how everyone ❤️s her food, and how she is using plant-based food to educate and empower others. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

Jen Gilhoi and Cate Faulkner are the Co-Founders of the Zero Proof Collective in Minneapolis, MN. Sharing the lived experience of sobriety, they are purpose-driven and focused on reframing the "mocktail" experience so guests have plenty of elevated non-alcoholic (NA) options to enjoy, and bars, restaurants, hotels, and beverage companies can increase revenue with the new, fast-growing market. Through bi-monthly events, consulting, crafting, and serving elevated zero-proof cocktails, Jen and Cate are gathering business leaders to learn, collaborate and collectively communicate with clarity. Join Tracy, Jen, and Cate as they discuss how they are making #HERstory helping evolve culture so NA options are served everywhere with acceptance and inclusivity to valued customers and guests. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

Wanting to honor the ancestry within her, Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH, Founder/CEO of WANDA (Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture), is addressing the challenges of our current food system with Sheros and advocating for a Food Bill of Rights. Tambra lost her grandparents in Oklahoma from diabetes, stroke, and heart disease due to diet and our food culture predicated by the policies set in our cities, states, and country. So she takes the issue of public health and food and nutrition policy personally. As a mom, she began thinking about what are we telling the next generation about food, nutrition, and the culture of food. Through WANDA and Sisterhood Suppers, she is bringing awareness to how food is connected to our health, economy, and environment. Join Tambra and Tracy on Eating at a Meeting LIVE for a Women's HERstory Month episode to discuss how she is revolutionizing our health and culture of food through the power of women and girls, amplifying the importance of a Food Bill of Rights, and why a Black Food Census is needed now as we prep for the Farm Bill. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

Randi Weinstein has been in the hospitality industry all her life, from being a host, bartender, and server to director of events for the Charleston Wine + Food Festival. In that last role, she noticed how many fewer female chefs there were than males, locally and nationally. It didn't make sense to her. Women — grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and others — have always been relied on worldwide to cook and make meals for others. But, they weren't represented in the hospitality industry. That is where and why Fab — Females and Business — came to be. This two-day workshop designed by women for women allows the attendees to connect, share and learn about the business of food and beverage. It's also about helping them move forward, stand up for themselves, and be "brave, baller, and badass." Since Randi is helping other women make HERstory in food and beverage, I wanted to talk to her during Women's History Month about how she herself is making HERstory and why Fab and being FAB are important. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

To kick off the 4th annual Women's HERstory Month (March) series and for Food Allergy Awareness/Celiac Disease Awareness Month (May), Tracy introduces you to Kayla King, founder and CEO of MyMeal, an app she created to help people with food restrictions find safe restaurant meals. Being diagnosed with celiac disease when she was 8, Kayla has grown up constantly thinking about food, but not in the way you might think. Instead of being able to walk down the street and pick any random restaurant to enjoy a meal, travel places without having a plan (or a safe snack in her pocket), or be in and out of a grocery store in 5 minutes, she has to read every ingredient label, call restaurants in advance, and plan trips around places that she could acquire food. This sparked her passion for building MyMeal, working directly with restaurants to help them become safe & accessible options for this underserved community. Join us at 12 PM Eastern to learn what else sparked her passion, and how she is and intends to Make HERstory helping others eat out safely. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

I first met Chef Stephanie Tyson and Vivián Joiner via a Zoom call for Les Dames d'Escoffier North Carolina Chapter during the middle of the pandemic. What I did not know about them, but have come to realize, is they are one of Winston-Salem's power couples. As the owners of Sweet Potatoes, (Well Shut My Mouth!) restaurant for 20 years, they have been using their 3+ decades of customer relations experience in food and retail, to build bridges in the community one dish at a time. Join our conversation on Tuesday — a special episode of Eating at a Meeting for Women's History Month — to learn how they have been making HERstory with food and beverage. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

Recorded on Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Christian season of Lent, a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, Tracy discusses what it and other religious practices mean for serving food and beverage in the office and at events being held over the next six weeks. Lent is a 40-day religious observance (not including Sundays), which ends three days before Easter Sunday on Thursday, April 6, 2023.

According to the CDC, "Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States killing 314,186 women in 2020—or about 1 in every 5 female deaths." That equates to one woman every 80 seconds. In this episode of Eating At A Meeting I talk with Wendy Freiwald-Kirkland, Global Director of Business Development, ExpoCAD about what it means to be heart healthy because if it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone. Wendy is a two-time survivor of heart attacks. While a #MeetingsProfs who works out and takes good care of herself, she also has a lot of stress in her life (event planners are known to have one of the top 5 most stressful jobs). Listen to how she tries to eat healthy on the road and works hard to do the right things for her health. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com

Food waste is estimated at 30-40 percent of the food supply in the US. In 2010, the USDA estimated that to be approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food. That equates to 218.9 pounds of food waste per person being sent for disposal, according to the EPA. In 2021, more than 42 MILLION AMERICANS — 12.6% — were estimated to be food insecure. That means you lack reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, which can result in poor productivity in both children and adults, and increase the risk of physical and mental illnesses. Victoria Zapata, National Site Manager for Food Rescue US talks with Tracy about how we — YOU — can be the rescue to fight hunger and help the planet. It is easier than you might think. We will also discuss why there is not more diverse representation in food recovery. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeeting thrivemeetings.com