Get Fresh: An invitation to "just dinner," a big award and an opinion poll!

Issue 11

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
Vegas isn't the only home of the big winner! Catersource took top honors in the Best Online Community and Best Website categories at the annual SISO (Society for Independent Show Organizers) Executive Conference in Atlanta in early August. The Second annual Tradeshow Web Site Awards, which were created by SISO, The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI), and Tradeshow Week, were judged on ease of navigation, best use of technology and best design.

This is the second time the Catersource website and forum have been considered for this award and the first time we've walked away the winner - thanks and congratulations to our dedicated site users that made this victory possible!

If you have not yet taken part in the Catersource Forum, what are you waiting for? This is the BEST place on the internet to ask for advice on anything catering related, network with other caterers or to just vent!

Current discussions on the Catersource forum include:
· Off-Site Catering Contract Template
· How to handle service charge/gratuity
· How to respond to a customer complaint
· Menu ideas for a White Party
· How much can a customer eat?
· Money Saving Menu Ideas

Visit today, click here.

It's never "just dinner"
Especially when the Feastivities Events team is involved! One of the most eagerly anticipated events for the Catersource team while attending the NACE Conference in Philadelphia in August, was an invitation to what Feastivities billed as "just dinner" at their facility. Meryl and Andy Snow were generous enough to take this opportunity to put together a dinner party for the Catersource team and some members of the ICA board. Since we usually only see each other face to face at the Catersource Conference every year, this was a chance to spend quality time together at a more relaxed pace.

The evening started with a limo sent to pick us up, stocked with Perrier and splits of champagne and looping a video highlighting our host city. We arrived at Feastivities' and started the evening with a tour of the facility, followed by wine and hor's doevres before we were whisked back to the kitchen for dinner. There was a lovely table set with napkins with our initials monogrammed on them to indicate our seats as well as flowers hanging from the ceiling.

Meryl, Andy and their team of chefs, planners and servers treated us to a truely over-the-top evening that we will never forget. We thank them again for their hospitality, and we're thrilled to be able to share that experience with you here - click on the image for a video of our evening, the menu and more!

Meryl, Andy and the Feastivities team will be teaching courses at the upcoming 2009 Conference & Tradeshow.

Kermit In the words of one famous frog...
"It's not easy being green"...or is it? Either way, there's no denying it - GREEN is BIG! The November issue of Catersource magazine will focus on many green-related topics that affect caterers in this ever-growing environmental landscape. And starting in January, we'll introduce a new column to run every issue titled "Simply Green."

Help get us started! Tell us what YOU think about the green issues in your community and in the food service industry. How far are you willing to go? What drives you, what holds you back? What are the benefits and/or challenges you see? Submit your comments, questions, ideas and opinions to our editor and stay tuned to see where Green is going to take us next! Click here to email our editor.