Podcast
Eating at a Meeting
Hosted by Tracy Stuckrath, CFPM, CMM, CSEP, CHC · EN
Eating at a Meeting explores a variety of topics on food and beverage (F&B) and how they impact individual experience and inclusion, sustainability, culture, community, health and wellness, laws and more.
The mission of Eating at a Meeting is to share authentic stories that illustrate the financial, social, emotional, and mental impact food and beverage have on individuals, organizations, and the earth. I see it being threefold:
● Help individuals and organizations understand how F&B
impacts employee, customer and guest experience, the
planet and the bottom line.
● Help those growing, producing, preparing, and serving
F&B understand the duty of care they hold in food safety
and inclusion as well as the opportunity they have to
create experiences that are safe and inclusive.
● Support those with dietary needs by gathering their
insight on eating at a meeting with dietary needs,
helping them better advocate for themselves and
educating them on the processes found on the other
side of the kitchen door.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Fishing for Heritage: How Two Sisters Keep Tradition Alive
Apr 2100:57:05Tap to summarizeWhat does it really mean to source "Pacific salmon"? Kim Brigham-Campbell and Terrie Brigham are sisters, members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and co-owners of Brigham Fish Market—a Native-owned, family-run business on the banks of the Columbia River in Cascade Locks, Oregon. Since 2014, they've been catching wild Columbia River salmon, sturgeon, and steelhead from the same tribal fishing platforms their family has used for generations, then smoking, filleting, and cooking it into the chowders, fish-and-chips, and barbecue-ready fillets that define destination dining in the Pacific Northwest. Their work is at the intersection of Indigenous food sovereignty, sustainable fisheries, and a food tourism economy that doesn't always name the people behind the fish. In this episode, Kim and Terrie talk about what treaty fishing rights look like in practice, how event planners and caterers can source seafood that honors Indigenous producers, and what it means to be women of the working waterfront in 2026. If you've ever put salmon on a banquet menu, this conversation will change how you think about where it came from—and who deserves credit for getting it there.
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How an Austin Woman Farman is Reshaping the Hospitality Food Supply
Apr 1400:51:50Tap to summarizeAnamaria Gutiérrez is 23 seasons into running Este Garden, a women-powered, one-third-acre urban farm in East Austin growing vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and fruit and nut trees for four restaurants: Suerte, Este, Bar Toti, and Nixta Taqueria. Her path to the garden ran through a UT Austin business degree, a farmers market coordinator role, a farm fellowship, her own market food business, and a direct pitch to restaurant owners to let her build edible gardens on their properties. In this episode, Tracy talks with Anamaria about what it means to grow culturally significant food for chefs who care — going to pre-shift to discuss seeds and taste-test new harvests, running a volunteer program that passes farming knowledge forward, and keeping urban green space open and accessible to the whole community. They also get into the harder questions: what it takes for women and young farmers to access land, what cooperative models can do for food system resilience, and what event and hospitality professionals genuinely misunderstand about the people who grow their food. Farmers and event pros have more in common than most people think — long days on their feet, weather upending months of planning, needing a village to make it work. This conversation is a reminder that the best food experiences start with knowing who grew what's on the plate.
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Local Ingredients Matter: Journey of Food from Farm to Event Buffet
Apr 700:57:51Tap to summarizeIt started as a kitchen garden. Nine acres. A favor from her husband. Today, Green Door Gourmet is 350 acres of certified organic farmland on the Cumberland River — one of the largest organic operations in Tennessee — growing 80 kinds of fruits and vegetables, 80 flower varieties, and 25 specialty herbs, including Southern heirloom varieties that most event menus have never seen. Sylvia Harrelson Ganier is its President, and Chief Farm Operator (CFO). She is also the former chef and owner of CIBO, a Nashville restaurant she built before she ever picked up a trowel. She knows both sides of the table. On this episode of Eating at a Meeting LIVE, Sylvia talks about what it takes to feed a city — and what the meetings and events industry gets wrong about food sourcing. She is a past President of Les Dames d'Escoffier International's Nashville Chapter, a member of the James Beard Foundation, Chair of the Davidson County Agricultural Extension Board, and a speaker at the USDA Women in Agriculture convening. Her farm welcomes 85,000 visitors a year, including 5,000 school children who pick strawberries for the first time. The food on your event menu has a story. This episode is where it starts.
Transcribe →How a FarmHER Feeds Music City: Bloomsbury Farm's Impact on Nashville Conferences & Catering
Mar 3100:44:54Tap to summarizeWhat does it actually take to grow the food that ends up on a hotel banquet table or a farm-to-table dinner menu? Lauren Palmer has spent 17 years answering that question one harvest at a time. Lauren is the owner and farmer behind Bloomsbury Farm, a USDA Certified Organic operation on more than 400 acres outside Nashville, Tennessee. She grows vegetables, fruits, sprouts, microgreens, mushrooms, edible flowers, herbs, and wheatgrass — and she supplies it all to local restaurants, grocers, CSA subscribers, and guests at the farm's own events and private dinners. In this episode, Tracy sits down with Lauren to talk about the real supply chain behind event menus: what organic certification means in practice, how seasonality shapes what's actually available to caterers and chefs, why regenerative agriculture is the next frontier, and what it means to run both a working farm and a hospitality venue under one roof. Lauren also shares her philosophy on community, food transparency, and why she believes the best thing a planner or chef can do is get to know their farmer personally. If you're designing menus, sourcing ingredients, or telling the food story of your destination — this episode is your invitation to start at the source.
Transcribe →Why Sustainable Event Menu Design Starts Outside the Kitchen
Mar 2400:52:39Tap to summarizeWhat if the most interesting ingredient at your next event was already growing just outside the venue? I've been thinking about this lately — and then Lotta Giesenfeld Boman introduced me to Lisen Sundgren, and honestly, she made it impossible to think about anything else. Lisen is my guest this week on Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE — and she is the perfect person to kick off Women's HERstory Month as our very first honoree. She is a Swedish herbalist, forager, and author based in Stockholm, but joining me from Nepal. She has spent more than 30 years teaching chefs, curious eaters, and anyone who will listen about wild edible plants — the ones that have shaped human diets forever and that most of us walk past every single day without a second glance. She has foraged for some of Stockholm's most celebrated restaurants and worked with Sigtunahöjden Hotel & Conference to weave local wild plants right into their menus. Not as a gimmick. As a genuine expression of place. And that is exactly what so many of us are chasing when we plan events, right? A menu that actually means something. Food that tells guests where they are. Lisen also leads foraging walks and forest baths as part of conferences and retreats. Fun! There is real responsibility here, too. Safe identification, sustainable harvesting, knowing what you are serving and why — Lisen takes all of that seriously, and we are going to talk about it. I promise this one will change how you look at the landscape around your next venue. 🌿
Transcribe →Taste of Place: How to Use Event F&B to Celebrate Local Culture
Mar 1700:53:36Tap to summarizeWhat if your event menu was the most powerful branding tool your destination has? In this episode, Tracy is joined by Erik Wolf, Founder and Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association and the pioneer behind the global "Taste of Place" movement. We talk about why food and beverage should no longer be treated as a banquet line item—but as the way destinations, hotels, and convention centers express identity, protect culture, and drive measurable economic impact. Erik shares insights from the 2026 Taste of Place Report and explains how culinary heritage, terroir, ethical eating, and storytelling are reshaping tourism—and what that means for meetings and events. If you're a: • Destination marketing organization trying to differentiate your city • Hotel or convention center leader looking to move beyond generic banquet menus • Event planner wanting your program to actually reflect where it's hosted This conversation will challenge how you think about menu design, sourcing, storytelling, and guest engagement. Because when attendees travel for a conference, they don't just want to learn. They want to understand where they are. And sometimes, the fastest way to create a sense of place… is through what's on the plate.
Transcribe →Black History Month 2026: Designing Events That Honor Culture & Community
Mar 1000:36:21Tap to summarizeWhat does it mean to truly belong at the table — as a guest and as the one designing the experience? This Black History Month, I'm hosting an Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE conversation with two extraordinary Black women leaders in the events industry: Zoe Moore (Grow with Zomo) and Diane R. Brown, MBA (Derby Brown Productions). We'll explore how to design events that honor Black history, culture, and community—not just in February, but every time we gather. We'll cover: • What Black History Month means in 2026 for event pros. • The real state of equity and belonging in events and hospitality. • How food, beverage, and supplier choices can either reinforce or repair harm. • Practical ways to source and support Black‑owned caterers, restaurants, and suppliers. Food is culture. Gathering is community. Honoring both isn't a checkbox — it's a practice you can design for.
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357: Why Non-Alcoholic Wine Matters For Inclusive Event Experiences
Mar 300:39:34Tap to summarizeDry January always gets me thinking about how poorly the event industry still does when it comes to inclusive beverage experiences. At one event where I was speaking about inclusive dining, everyone at the table was served sake at dinner that night. One guest quietly pulled me aside and said, "This is exactly what you were talking about." He doesn't drink. Neither do I. And in that moment, we were both left out of the toast. The same thing happens when wine is part of the experience. So the question becomes: what happens when a guest isn't drinking alcohol? This week on Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE, I'm joined by Rachel M., a second-generation wine producer and the co-founder and author of AFNA Wine Certified™—the world's first professional certification dedicated to alcohol-free and non-alcoholic wine. Rachel brings more than 20 years of experience spanning vineyard development, winemaking, distribution, hospitality, and education. She's also the Founder & CEO of Oceano Wines | Oceano Zero and its luxury non-alcoholic line—showing that non-alcoholic wine can (and should) be treated with the same care, intention, and credibility as traditional wine. We're talking about what safe, sustainable, and inclusive beverage programs really look like in hotels, convention centers, restaurants, and even meetings and events—especially when alcohol isn't a given. We'll cover: ▶ Why non-alcoholic wine is often misunderstood or mis-served ▶ How labeling, alcohol transparency, and staff education directly impact guest safety ▶ What it looks like when NA wine is integrated into pairings, receptions, and banquet programs—without feeling like an afterthought ▶ Why this conversation isn't about removing alcohol, but expanding choice, loyalty, and revenue If you're planning events, managing beverage programs, or serving guests during Dry January (and beyond), this conversation will change how you think about what's in the glass. Join us LIVE. Bring your questions. Share what you're seeing in your own programs. Let's raise the bar—without needing alcohol to do it.
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How Inclusive Bar Design Improves Guest Experience and Event Revenue
Feb 2400:57:37Tap to summarizeIf your event bar still treats non-alcoholic drinks as an afterthought, we need to talk. I'm sitting down LIVE with Kevin Morgan, Global Head of Tempo by Hilton and a 24-year hospitality veteran who has worked his way through Hilton from front desk agent to brand leadership. Kevin also helped lead Hilton's global CleanStay response—so when he talks about safety, execution, and systems, he's lived it at scale. We're talking about Tempo's Free-Spirited beverage program—a non-alcoholic strategy that gives NA cocktails equal billing, thoughtful design, and operational clarity. Not a mocktail menu. Not a compromise. A deliberate approach to inclusion, guest experience, and risk management. Here's why this matters for planners and suppliers: ▶︎ Bars are social hubs at events—but alcohol-centric design excludes more guests than you think ▶︎ Inclusive beverage programs reduce pressure, improve guest confidence, and expand revenue opportunities ▶︎ Small operational details (like how drinks are marked and served) can prevent costly mistakes ▶︎ Fresh ingredients, reduced waste, and intentional partnerships can support sustainability without adding complexity Kevin will share how guest data—not personal preference—drives brand decisions, why inclusion is a baseline expectation, and how Tempo's beverage strategy connects safety, sustainability, and belonging in real, executable ways for hotels, venues, and events. If you plan events, design menus, manage food & beverage, or work with hospitality brands, this conversation will change how you think about what's in the glass—and who feels welcome holding it.
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355: When Event Catering Becomes Community Care: Food that Connects & Gives Back
Feb 1700:53:34Tap to summarizeWhen you're in Philly for PCMA Convening Leaders, you don't just grab a cheesesteak and call it a day. You pay attention to the food culture, the people behind it, and the stories that shape the city. And I couldn't leave town without sitting down with one of the catering chefs doing exactly that. This week on Eating at a Meeting Podcast LIVE, I'm talking with Chef Adam DeLosso, Executive Chef and COO of 12th Street Catering—and this conversation goes far beyond what's on the plate. Adam and the team at 12th Street believe great event food is about connection just as much as cuisine. Designing menus where every guest feels welcome without extra effort isn't a "nice to have" for him—it's the standard. That mindset shows up everywhere: how his team supports guests with complex dietary needs, how they approach staff training and labeling, and how they think about sustainability and responsibility. We talk about what it really means to build safe, sustainable, and inclusive food experiences into events so seamlessly that guests simply feel cared for. Adam shares the story of creating a carbon-neutral menu before the industry was ready—and why that moment still shapes how he approaches innovation today. We also dig into 12th Street's Meals With a Mission philosophy and partnerships with Trellis for Tomorrow and Philabundance, showing how catering can nourish communities, not just attendees. If you plan events, this matters. Food is where trust, risk, inclusion, and brand values all collide—and Adam offers a real-world look at how thoughtful leadership turns those moments into WOW experiences. Because when food is done with care and creativity, it doesn't just feed people. It brings them together. What does "every guest feels welcome" look like at your events?
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