Episodes

Feb. 14, 2023

177: Mindful Mixology

I stopped drinking alcohol in 2019. It was a CHOICE I made because I no longer wanted to experience the after-effects of drinking too much, spending the money, or consuming the calories associated with it. Since then my drink of choice has been a club soda with lime or water with lemon. I've tri…

Listen to the Episode
Feb. 7, 2023

176: Living with a Meat Allergy

The number of confirmed cases of meat allergy — Alpha Gal Syndrome — has risen from only 12 in 2009 to 34,000 in 2019. Unlike other food allergies, alpha-gal symptoms can occur HOURS after eating meat, making the diagnosis a very tedious and long...

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 31, 2023

175: Celebrating the Season of Faith, Food & Freedom

’Tis the season to be jolly. It's also the time that many of us celebrate and observe religions and cultures. While there will be many Christmas parties to attend (and Hallmark movies to watch), we must remember that Hanukkah, Yule, and Kwanzaa are...

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 24, 2023

174: How to Expand Your Food Choices When Living With Diabetes

Do you ever feel deprived about food? With a chronic disease such as diabetes, you have to avoid specific foods to avoid reactions. While that may seem simple, there is nothing simple about it. It takes a lot of diligence to watch everything you eat...

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 17, 2023

173: Addressing Food Waste in Hospitality and Food Service

As the Senior Program Officer for World Wildlife Fund’s Global Food Waste Team, Samantha Kenny works with hospitality and food service businesses to change the standard ways of doing business when planning events (like forecasting) to right-size...

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 10, 2023

172: Lobbying for Systemic Change in Food Service

Elise Buellesbach was on stage at the 2022 FARE Food Allergy Summit when Tracy first heard her speak. She was getting the first-ever Young Leader Award for her work as a college student with food allergies and celiac disease to lobby and fight for...

Listen to the Episode
Jan. 3, 2023

171: Food Rescue: How & Why its Necessary

Event Professionals from across the country have told me on many occasions — and I've personally experienced it — that event venues refuse to donate leftover, untouched food due to concerns about food safety. One planner even shared that a hotel...

Listen to the Episode
Dec. 27, 2022

170: An Acre Farm on Top of a Convention Center

In late October Tracy visited the Javits Center in New York City to tour their rooftop farm and learn how they are using their harvest to feed employees and event goers. In two different interviews, Tracy chats with the Executive Chef Niko Marinos for...

Listen to the Episode
Dec. 20, 2022

169: Climate Change, Sustainability & Events

What do climate change, sustainability, and events have to do with each other? A LOT! Two weeks ago in one of my education sessions at IMEX — an events industry convention that has won awards for its sustainability efforts — I was surprised that...

Listen to the Episode
Dec. 13, 2022

168: Live from IMEX - Day 3

Recorded on Day 3 of IMEX America 2022. Tracy is joined by Katie Kulp, a meeting planner whose niche is planning events for groups who have disabilities. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeetin om

Listen to the Episode
Dec. 6, 2022

167: Increasing ROI by Increasing Wellness

Recorded on Day 2 of IMEX America 2022. Tracy is joined by David Stevens who is a director of field marketing and global events who talks about how to create more healthful events by focusing on three M words — movement, mindfulness, and meals....

Listen to the Episode
Nov. 29, 2022

166: Live from IMEX - Day 1

This episode of Eating at a Meeting was recorded live on day 1 of IMEX America 2022. Tracy sat down with Ruud Janssen of the Event Design Collective who designs award-winning corporate events and gatherings. Listen as they chat about how, when, and...

Listen to the Episode
Nov. 22, 2022

165: A Conversation with Visit Scotland & Scottish Event Campus on Su…

In this episode, Tracy sits down with Stephanie Beatie of Scottish Event Campus and Rory Archibald of Visit Scotland to talk about food and beverage and how to create safe, sustainable, and inclusive events in Scotland and in general. Listen to get...

Listen to the Episode
Nov. 15, 2022

164: Young Professionals Managing Food Allergy

October was National Disability Employment Awareness Month To bring more awareness to how food allergies (and other medically-necessary dietary needs) are disabilities that impact productivity, engagement, and inclusion in the workplace, I'm chatting...

Listen to the Episode
Nov. 8, 2022

163: The Importance of Indigenous Food Traditions

Monday, October 10, 2022 is Indigenous Peoples Day. To celebrate Native peoples throughout the US., Tracy chats with Chef Sean Sherman, co-owner of the restaurant Owamni (Minneapolis, MN) and founder of "The Sioux Chef", a company dedicated to...

Listen to the Episode
Nov. 1, 2022

162: The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health

On this episode, Tracy and Erin Malawar of Allergy Strong recap The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. This is the first conference of its kind in more than 50 years. The first and only other one was held in 1969. The...

Listen to the Episode
Oct. 25, 2022

161: Food Safety: A Caterer's Perspective

Megan Walker, Owner and Executive of Made by Meg had me at “health inspection score.” She was teaching an educational session at The Special Event back in 2017 on what food safety means and what planners need to know/ask of their caterers. Yes!...

Listen to the Episode
Oct. 18, 2022

160: Catering...What the $@?^%

Tracy has known Chef Todd Annis of Cru Catering for ~20 years when we were both in Atlanta - as a caterer and a corporate event planner. When I randomly found his podcast "Catering...WTF", I laughed, was amazed, and immediately reached out because the...

Listen to the Episode
Oct. 11, 2022

159: The Importance of Shared Meals at Events

On this episode of Eating at a Meeting, Tracy chats with Jennifer Squeglia CMP, principle at RLC Events, Inc. about what silver linings she sees that came from the pandemic throwing the industry in a tailspin. One of those is the value of sharing a...

Listen to the Episode
Oct. 4, 2022

158: Finding Herself on the Personal Side of the Dietary Needs Regist…

Have you ever witnessed someone having an anaphylactic reaction? It is pretty scary. Tune into the next episode of Eating at a Meeting LIVE to learn what my good friend and event planner Heather Herrig, CMP recently experienced to put her on the...

Listen to the Episode
Sept. 27, 2022

157: Saving Lives, Implementing Change, & Creating a New Standard for…

Meet the young entrepreneur — Zak Marks — who has lived with a severe nut allergy his whole life (24 years) and has created a company and product — Kitt Medical — "to save lives, implement change, and create a new standard for allergy care."...

Listen to the Episode
Sept. 20, 2022

156: Event Safety: How it Relates to Food & Beverage

With airline medical kits not being fully stocked being in the news lately and it being Medic Alert Awareness Month, I wanted to talk event safety expert Alan Kleinfeld about what hashtag#MeetingProfs need to know. From hashtag#epinephrine to...

Listen to the Episode
Sept. 13, 2022

155: Food Trends, Emerging Brands & Disruptive Innovation

Do you believe your food and beverage purchases have an impact on the environment? Do you follow a diet or eating pattern (clean, plant-based, mindful, calorie-counting)? Do you seek out “natural” foods to avoid artificial ingredients? Do you...

Listen to the Episode
Sept. 6, 2022

154: Chatting About Food and Beverage with Eating at a Meeting Members

In this episode Tracy opens up the podcast to Eating at a Meeting followers to come on the show to chat about food and beverage. Nancy Sutta Burns and Lynne Wellish join her. Connect with Tracy: facebook.com/groups/EatingataMeetin om

Listen to the Episode