Current Newsletter

Hello, IFEC-ers! president's message
Admit it - now all of you who were able to attend this year's conference understand why we wanted to go to Cleveland, don't you? It's been so wonderful hearing all the positive feedback from this year's events; I'm glad to hear that so many of you found the conference as fun, interesting and productive as I did.

For those who weren't able to get to Cleveland this year, never fear! Remember that the value of IFEC goes well past our annual meeting and extends all year round. If you didn't get a chance to connect with the editors or publicists you wanted to meet, look them up in the IFEC directory at www.ifeconline.com  and give them a call or drop them an email (that goes for those of you who didn't get in all the meetings you wanted in Cleveland, too).

Thanks to our current and outgoing IFEC board members - along with fearless leader Carol Lally - for putting on a great show once again this year. For those who aren't aware, joining the board for 2009 will be Abbie (Jarman) Westra of FARE, Jason Stemm of Lewis & Neale, Rachel Hermansader of Ketchum and Liz Barrett of PMQ's Pizza Magazine. And (drum roll, please) your slate of executive officers is Tia Woodward of Ketchum as president, Donna Hood Crecca of Nightclub & Bar as vice president, Tom O'Brien of O'Brien Culinary Communications as secretary and Consultant Patty Johnson as treasurer.

As for me, it's been a wonderful experience working with the board and all the other eager IFEC volunteers over the past year. I look forward to continuing in an active role but am excited to hand over the leadership baton to Tia. Good luck, Tia!

All the best to you and yours this holiday season!

Allison Perlik
Senior Food Editor, Restaurants & Institutions

cleveland rocked and rolled out the red carpet
If you're like the majority of IFECers who attended the conference, you were wowed by the warmth and hospitality of the staff at the Renaissance Cleveland, by the folks who greeted us at the tour sites and by pretty much everyone you met. Not to mention the showcase chefs, who treated us to some of the best food in recent memory.

Many thanks and congratulations to Allison Perlik, the board and all those who helped make the conference such a huge success - and there were a lot of you! If you haven't yet returned the conference survey please do it today. Your comments will help guide the planning for next year's meeting in San Diego, October 12 - 15, 2009. For a survey, please go to www.ifeconline.com and log in to the member page (your password is shown below), click on "IFEC Documents," and scroll down to "Misc IFEC Documents."

the betty went home with o'brien
Congratulations to the man in the yellow shirt! Tom O'Brien of O'Brien Culinary Communications is the winner of The Betty Bastion Outstanding Service Award for 2008. The Betty is bestowed annually on one member who has contributed in an extraordinary way to IFEC and the foodservice communications field.

An enthusiastic IFEC member for 11 years, Tom has done just about everything a volunteer can, including serving on both the Scholarship and Product Presentation committees, chairing Meet The Press, running the Scholarship Auction two years in a row (he and his team raised a record-breaking $40,000+ in 2006) and managing the reception at the NRA Show last year. In addition, Tom was just elected Secretary and appointed chairman of the 2009 Professional Development Awards committee. This is his second time on the board; the last time was in 2002-2003. When he's not on assignment writing equipment features for Restaurant Business or managing client projects, Tom teaches foodservice communications at Chicago's Kendall College and coaches his cats in fetching and boxing. 

first-ever ifec institute exceeds expectations
Ninety-four of you attended "Social Media for Foodservice Communications," the inaugural program of the IFEC Institute (we projected more like 60). From all accounts, the program hit a nerve, drawing both novices and the savvy and stimulating plenty of chatter and fresh ideas. A big round of applause is due to Institute Chair and Founder Mary Petersen, of Cafe; moderator and committee member Ed Hoffman of NRN and members Kim Kurata, Kurata Communications; Ann Segerstrom, Segerstrom Communications and Donna Skidmore, Dole Food Company

If you have not returned your Institute evaluation, please do it now. The Institute committee is looking for feedback, especially suggestions for topics for future programs. You can find the form at www.ifeconline.com . Log on to the member page, click "IFEC Documents" and then scroll down to "Misc IFEC Documents."

about people
Hooray for John Lawn, editor-in-chief of Food Management magazine! John received The President's Award for 2008 from the National Society for Healthcare Foodservice Management. The President's Award is given each year to the HFM member who has gone above and beyond in their volunteer efforts.

Here's news from Rita Nolan: "After six years with the award-winning communications team at the School Nutrition Association, I have moved on to a new organization. I'm serving as the new Editorial Associate for Friends of the World Food Program. World Food Program is a United Nations organization that provides food for up to 90 million hungry people worldwide every year, responds to manmade and natural disasters, and helps nations form sustainable solutions to hunger. It is funded entirely by donations from around the world. Founded in 1995, Friends of WFP supports WFP with funding, advocacy, education, and outreach across the United States. I will serve as managing editor of Food for Thought, an electronic newsletter from Friends of WFP. I also will be writing and editing a variety of materials, from the annual report to executive speeches to web content." Rita would love to stay in touch with friends and former colleagues. You may contact her at rnolan@friendsofwfp.org  and 202-530-1694.

Kudos to Barry Shuster, editor of Restaurant Startup & Growth and SYSCO Restaurant Growth magazines. Barry recently earned the Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) designation from the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute. In addition to his publishing role, Barry is an adjunct faculty member in the hospitality management programs at both North Carolina Central University and East Carolina University.

The November 17 issue of The Packer carried a nice article by Jody Shee about the sustainability issues addressed during the conference. Jody focused on the green panel and Steve Schimoler's role in developing an online farmers market in collaboration with Sysco Cleveland, as well as The Chef's Garden efforts.

Best wishes to all for a Happy Thanksgiving!
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edited by Carol Lally, Executive Director