ifec newsletter
November 2019
President’s Letter
One month later, and I continue to see the cumulative benefits stemming from the recent Madison Annual Conference. While we were all “Mad for Madtown,” it really is a “Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” (I realize that I just dated myself a bit…).
Madison—and so much of the surrounding state of Wisconsin—has such a strong sense of craft-fueled terroir. Yes, it’s in the area’s abundant dairy, meats and libations, as we personally witnessed at nearly every stop along our conference journey. But it’s so much more. It’s a multifaceted culinary culture tracing traditions back into antiquity, intersecting with foodservice all along the way. Madison today boasts such strong ties between chefs and the agricultural pursuits fanning the city. The city is a beautiful culinary confluence of Old and New World traditions. For those of us who personally witnessed its charms last month, it will forever connect us to a deeper understanding of the wonderful foodsways at work in the city and across Wisconsin.
These strong sensibilities underpin many progressively emerging areas of food today—not just in the agriculturally focused Upper Midwest, but across our nation and abroad—and our experiences in Madison will undoubtedly reverberate into the future, helping shape our view. A big thank you and congratulations to Jen Mac Kay and her team for planning and executing such a wonderful event!
For those who were able to attend, we need to hear from you. Please take a few moments to provide feedback to IFEC leadership so we can forge a path of continuous improvement. Make your voice heard, and help IFEC grow into the future.
2019 Madison Conference Survey—Attendee
2019 Madison Conference Survey—Sponsor
Didn’t go Mad for Madtown? Sorry that we missed you this year—and please let us know why you couldn’t make it.
I Didn’t Attend the 2019 Madison Conference, and Here’s Why
As I write this note, it’s the day before Thanksgiving—one of my favorite days of the year. As we gather around comforting culinary classics—for many, foods with indelible memory links to childhood, forever made new with family and dear friends—we intersect with the past and present, celebrating old traditions and forging new memories.
In November 1858, Sarah J. Hale, editor of the influential Godey’s Lady’s Book and a tireless proponent of adopting a day of national thanksgiving as a holiday, wrote: “Let the people of all the States and Territories sit down together to the ‘feast of fat things’ and drink, in the sweet draught of joy and gratitude to the Divine giver of all our blessings, the pledge of renewed love to the Union, and to each other; and of peace and goodwill to all men.”
May you all find comfort in your feasts of fat things and sweet draughts of joy throughout the holiday season! I’m truly thankful for my entire IFEC family.
Douglas J. Peckenpaugh
President, IFEC
Group Editorial Director, BNP Media
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Madison Wrap up
Elected, Board of Directors
New members of the 2020 IFEC board of directors are Bob Garrison, Chief Editor, Prepared Foods magazine; who was elected after finishing a partial replacement term; Mike Kostyo, managing editor, Datassential; Avery Lewis, vice president, Linda Roth Associates; and Megan McKenna, Director of Foodservice & Marketing, National Watermelon Promotion Board.
New Officers for 2020:
President, Kelsey Casselbury, freelance writer/contributing editor to School Nutrition magazine
Vice President, Nicole Duncan, Editor of FSR magazine
Secretary Avery Lewis, Vice President, Linda Roth Associates
Treasurer Liz Anderson Slobodian, APR, Head of Public Relations, Firehouse Subs.
Mary Humann was selected by the former Betty winners to be the next Betty Advisor to the board, she will serve as board advisor for 2020 and 2021.
The board elections took place during IFEC’s 2019 conference, held in Madison, WI, in October and the officers were elected in early November.
The other directors are Greg Avdoian, vice president, Wilks Communications Group; Jamie Bowen, marketing manager, Idaho Potato Commission; Peggy Castaldi, Director of Marketing, SupHerb Farms; Amelia Levin, contributing editor for Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, and Restaurant Development + Design magazines; and Rochelle Rizzi, principal, Le Vrai Nord.
By-Laws Amendment
The following amendment was passed at the annual meeting on October 30, 2019.
Article IV
Board of Directors
Sec. 4. Directors shall serve three-year terms that commence the calendar year after their election or until their successors are elected and qualified.
Officers
Sec. 2. Said officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors by a majority vote and shall hold office for one year, to commence the calendar year following the election of such officers and until their successors are elected and qualified.
Betty and TerrIFECer Awards
Doug Peckenpaugh was the 2019 Betty Award recipient and Nicole Duncan received the 2019 TerrIFECer. Doug is the 30th recipient of the Betty Award (it was started in 1991, with 2 awards given out in 2000 for Millennium Betty) and Nicole is the 8th recipient of the TerrIFECer award. Congratulations to both of these women whose contributions to IFEC have be extraordinary.
Meet the Press
The 2019 Meet the Press Deck is available in the Member Toolkit section of the Member Center of the website. Thanks to Meet the Press Chair Kelsey Casselbury for gathering all the information
Conference Photos
The conference photos are in! For those who were at the conference, see how many you are in (they have also been uploaded to the IFEC Facebook page – tag away!) and for those who could not be with us go see what you missed without consuming any calories.
The professional photos are from Buzz Orr, the same photographer who most of the members have met at the IFEC Bubble party the last few years. To access the photos log-in to your Member Center and go to the red tile called Photo Galleries. The 2019 conference is divided into 3 different folders, by day. These are low-res images for web use and are licensed to IFEC, any use of the images should be credited with IFEC Photo by Buzz Orr. For hi-res images or use of the images outside of IFEC related activities please email jen@ifeconline.com. Use of the images in client reports is considered an IFEC related activity. If you have any questions about the photos – please ask.
Post Conference To-do list
· Complete the attendee survey
· Sign up for a committee for next year (a separate email with available committees went out)
· Mark your calendars for Santa Barbara, CA, November 2-4 at the beautiful oceanfront Hyatt Centric.
· Pay for your auction item and bid on the remaining ones – list of available items sent in a separate email
· While the conference is still fresh in your mind, do you have ideas for how to improve next year? We want to hear them!
· For publicists: follow up with the editors you met with during office hours
· For editors: send your 2020 calendar if you have not already and make sure your Fact File is up to date
Food for Good Award
The IFEC Food for Good Awards program, sponsored by The J.M. Smucker Company’s Away From Home division, was designed to shine light on non-profit organizations whose work with food is making significant contributions to improving lives in the communities they serve. Thank you to chair Amber Hensley for coordinating this and committee member Mary Humann for presenting the award.
This year’s recipient was REAP Food Group. Since its founding in 1997, REAP Food Group has been working throughout Southern Wisconsin to build and sustain a local food system that supports small family farms and locally owned businesses, promotes sustainable agricultural practices, and provides access to fresh, healthy food for the entire community. REAP Food Group received a $1,000 donation from The J.M. Smucker Company’s Away From Home division.
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Scouting for IFEC 2022
The board of directors has reviewed proposals from Boise, Sacramento and Kansas City. The IFEC office is in the process of vetting those city’s hotels and evaluating available incentives. Suggestions for other locations (keeping the next locations in mind Santa Barbara, CA 2020 and Annapolis, MD 2021) are welcome, email Jen Mac Kay at ifec@ifeconline.com. Members do not need to live in the city they suggest, but contacts and direct experience are helpful.
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New members
We’re happy to welcome these newly-minted IFECers:
Leslie Byxbee
Revelry Group
45 Ruane Street
Fairfield, CT 06824
Lbyxbee@revelrygroup.com
Hannalea Resnik
Porter Novelli
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
hannalea.resnik@porternovelli.com
IFEC CALENDAR
May 18, 2020 Board of Directors Meeting, Chicago
May 18, 2020 Bubble Party at the Hotel Palomar during the NRA Show/Chicago
November 2-4, 2020 Annual Conference in Santa Barbara, CA
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Remember to send you news for the next newsletter to Jen Mac Kay, jen@ifeconline.com. Keeping your name and your business activities on your colleagues’ radar is an easy way to network.
Cheers,
Jen Mac Kay
Executive Director/Newsletter Editor
ifec@ifeconline.com / www.ifeconline.com
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