343: Rethinking Event Menus: From Buffets to Culinary Experiences that Celebrate Culture
Release Date: 12/25/2025
353: Turning Surplus Prepared Food From Events Into Safe, Shared Meals
Eating at a Meeting
Last year, Les Dames NC selected Food Connection as one of three beneficiaries of our annual holiday cookie saleâand this conversation is exactly why. This is the third interview in my series spotlighting organizations that are feeding our communities with food that already exists⌠including food coming straight from events, catering kitchens, and conference centers. Iâm sitting down with Marisha MacMorran, Executive Director of Food Connection, an Asheville-based nonprofit that rescues surplus prepared food and redistributes it to neighbors across Western North Carolina. This isnât...
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352: How Event Food Can Feed Communities: The Javits Center Model
Eating at a Meeting
When I first toured the Javits Center rooftop farm back in October 2022, I walked past rows of lettuce, herbs, and apple trees on top of a convention center, tasted apples the chef had just brought down from the orchard, and went home with honey from the hives above the show floor. That visit completely changed how I think about what event food can do. Now Iâll be talking with Yashi Dadhich, Director of Energy & Sustainability at the Javits Center, about how a convention center best known for massive trade shows is also growing tens of thousands of pounds of produce on its roofâusing...
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351: Anaphylaxis And Events: Why Allergy Safety Canât Be An Afterthought
Eating at a Meeting
When Kerry Washington recently shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live that she often eats in bathrooms at high-profile events because her food allergies arenât taken seriously, the allergy community felt it. And when FARE posted that clip, Jo Frost â who lives with life-threatening anaphylaxis herself â commented, âhear you and see you @kerrywashington DITTO.â That one word â DITTO â carried decades of lived experience. In this episode of Eating at a Meeting LIVE, Jo and I talk about what it really means to navigate everyday life â restaurants, airplanes, school cafeterias, and event...
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350: How Mobile Food Rescue Teams Are Saving Communities From Hunger
Eating at a Meeting
As 2025 closed, Tracy dedicated three episodes to something that matters deeply: the organizations feeding people who need it most. And weâre starting with one thatâs rewriting what community feeding can look like in Florida. When the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL shared that one of the larger food donation charities they work with was The Freedom Tour, I knew the story would be powerful. What I didnât expect was just how vital their work is to Polk County families. Back in 2016, when The Freedom Tour began, more than 100,000 county residents â including nearly one in...
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349: Allergy Safety at Events: Why âI Donât Think Soâ Isnât an Acceptable Answer
Eating at a Meeting
When your food allergy becomes the reason you have to walk out of your own professional presentation, something is deeply broken. Thatâs exactly what happened to Christina LiPuma, MPH, RDN, CDCES, when she had a severe allergic reaction at a national nutrition conference. The culprit? A mislabeled âcurry bowlâ and a series of âI donât think soâ answers that should never have been good enough. You ask if a dish contains peanuts. âI donât think so,â says one staffer. âPretty sure it doesnât,â says another. Minutes later, your throat tingles, your heart racesâand you...
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348: The Transparency Movement: Why Menus are Becoming the Frontier Guest Safety
Eating at a Meeting
Imagine a world where every guest at your eventâor every diner at a restaurantâcan open a menu and instantly see whatâs safe for them to eat. No guessing. No anxiety. No risk. Thatâs the world Dylan McDonnell, founder and CEO of Foodini , is helping to build. Diagnosed with celiac disease at age 10, Dylan knows firsthand what it feels like to sit at a table and wonder if whatâs being served will make you sick. That experience inspired him to launch Foodini, a dietary-intelligence platform using AI and dietitian-led data to make ingredient transparency effortlessâfor both guests and...
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347: Nifty Method Marketing + Events
Eating at a Meeting
What happens when hospitality stops being about serviceâand starts being about care? Thatâs the question Iâm exploring this week on Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE with Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey, CMP, CEO of Nifty Method Marketing + Events and longtime event strategist, chef, and hashtag#eventprof whoâs worn just about every hat in the business. From executive kitchens to corporate boardrooms, Lindsay knows the difference between a meal thatâs memorable and one thatâs merely managed. To her, safe, sustainable, and inclusive food and beverage experiences arenât separate...
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346: Behavioral Science Meets the Buffet: How to Nudge Event Menus Toward Sustainable Choices
Eating at a Meeting
What if one simple shift could make your event meals more inclusive, sustainable, and even more crave-worthy? This week on Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE, Iâm talking with Chef Kent Buell , Culinary Director, and Taylor Flores , Corporate Engagement Manager at Greener by Default â a nonprofit that helps organizations make plant-based meals the default while still preserving dinersâ freedom to choose meat or dairy. From behavioral science to buffet design, Kent and Taylor are redefining what âsustainable diningâ looks (and tastes) like. Their approach shows that changing how food is...
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345: Eat, Meet, Celebrate: What #EventProfs Can Learn from Scotlandâs Food Culture
Eating at a Meeting
In this episode, Tracy chats with Flora Munro, Head of Events, Scotland at 2B UK, live from the IMEX America show floor to explore how Scotlandâs hospitality, food, and culture create unforgettable event experiences. From castle-sourced venison and hand-dived scallops cooked straight from the sea to whisky tastings (and a spirited debate about haggis and HP âbrownâ sauce), Flora shares how Scottish culinary traditions are being reimagined for modern meetings and incentives. They also discuss how Scotland leads with inclusionâwhere accommodating dietary needs is second natureâand...
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344: How New Zealand Is Redefining Event Menus Through Culture and Sustainability
Eating at a Meeting
Recorded live from the 100% Pure New Zealand booth at IMEX America, this episode of Eating at a Meeting explores how Aotearoa is redefining event dining through connection, culture, and conscious hospitality. Host Tracy Stuckrath sits down with Lauren Blakey from the New Zealand International Convention Centre and Natalie Fulton, CMP from Tourism New Zealand to uncover how MÄori traditions of kai and kĹrero (food and conversation) are inspiring authentic event experiences rooted in wellness, sustainability, and inclusion. From carbon net-zero venues and reusable cup programs to zero-proof...
info_outlineAt IMEX, I sat down with Catherine Chaulet, CEO of Global DMC Partners, to explore how food and beverage trends are transforming incentive travel and global meetings.
From Paris to Portugal to Maryland crab cakes đŚ, our conversation revealed how food connects people to place â and how rising costs, changing expectations, and sustainability goals are reshaping whatâs on the menu.
Key takeaways:
đĄ Budget realities: Food and beverage inflation continues to outpace other event costs. Building strong relationships with chefs helps planners stretch dollars while delivering quality experiences.
đš Less alcohol, more inclusion: The mocktail movement is growing, proving that connection doesnât require cocktails â just creativity.
đ Food as culture: From harvesting honey to cooking couscous in Morocco, attendees want interactive, meaningful dining experiences that celebrate local traditions and stories.
Catherine said it best: âEvery meal should connect you to appreciate a culture.â