Category — Published Articles

June 2011 morsel                                                                                                                                                    

 It is very rare that I write my column based on meeting someone, but I came across such a “find” while working the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. I was so blown away by Ashley Hall and her extensive wine knowledge that it would be wrong of me not to share both with you, my dear readers. [Read more →]

While working in Nevada last week, I went to the final meeting with the off-premise catering company who was catering my client’s customer appreciation event. This party was being held at a museum, and the caterer was from a chain of locally owned restaurants that recently started an off-premise catering division. Their first big contract was with this museum where my client’s event was to be held. [Read more →]

…I went back and said we wanted four chefs. She said no — their standard is only two for the amount ordered.
This was weird to me. If I am paying for the chefs and if I want enough chefs to cook the food that I am paying for then what’s the problem?…

Click here to read full article by Claire Gould, “You Do The Math”

November’s Monthly Morsel

…I designed the menu on the heavier side, so it would stretch. I directed the catering company very specifically to not fret when the food ran out. I purposely had this conversation on food replacements a second time in front of the client and the catering director, to reiterate our stand on food replenishments.

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October’s Monthly Morsel

Here is the deal: When we, as planners, give a third party company or facility a budget number, this is what the appropriate vendor needs to do … RESPECT IT!

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September’s Monthly Morsel

Last week I was working for a client, hosting a Friday night reception at a charming wine store owned by a husband and wife. The wine store is in a very sweet and intimate setting that accommodates up to 50 people. During the event, I had a couple of situations happen that I wasn’t so thrilled about, so I feel I need to give a word of warning to meeting planners renting store fronts.

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June’s Monthly Morsel

Recently, I went to a party to celebrate the opening of a “new rooftop event space” at an Atlanta office building along with many other event planners and vendors. Atlanta doesn’t have much of a skyline, but that wasn’t what bothered me. What bothered me is that they wanted people to experience their space, atmosphere, food and drink. Well … they had three out of four, but they were missing the fourth: THE FOOD.

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Ground transportation is a very tricky part of the event planning industry because if done right no one really thinks to thank you. How hard is it to order a car/bus and driver? Here is the answer: harder than you think.

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July’s Monthly Morsel

As I am spending the month in Kittanning, Pa., working my father’s estate, I can’t help but drift back to the roots of this small town: farming. Since it is July and we are in the midst of “corn growing season,” I thought it would be appropriate to give you some insight on how to best incorporate corn into your banquet menus.

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May’s Monthly Morsel

I was in Indianapolis working an intense food weekend at the NCAA Final Four and I had something interesting occur that rarely happens. What, you ask? I met a chef. Well, that’s not the interesting part because it is only natural that I would be dealing a chef. But this wasn’t any executive chef; it was a female executive chef — at the Conrad Hotel, no less.

Now I know I have my dear readers confused, thinking, “What is the big deal about this?” Well it is a big deal for a lot of reasons.

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