Press Releases
January 2013
New for Immediate Release
Contact: Carol Lally 845-229-6973 ifec@aol.com
IFEC Elects Officers and Board Members; Names Portland, Oregon its 2013 Conference Site
Hyde Park, NY - New officers were elected by the Board of Directors of the International Foodservice Editorial Conference (IFEC) during the association's annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee, November 5-7. Officers serve one-year terms. They are President Jeffrey Yarbrough, who is the CEO of Big Ink PR in Dallas, Texas; Vice President Alexei Rudolf, principal of Foodservice Connections, LLC, in Oakland, California; Secretary Jody Shee, a freelance writer in Olathe, Kansas, and Treasurer John Scroggins, vice president for NOBLE in Springfield, Missouri. Immediate Past President is Megan McKenna, who is director of marketing for National Mango Board in Orlando, Florida.
Newly-elected members of the board are Pat Cobe, senior editor for Restaurant Business magazine, New York City; Sherise Jones, marketing director for USA Onions in Parma, Idaho; Sam Oches, managing editor for QSR magazine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Rachel Tracy, account executive, Olson Communications, Chicago.
The other directors are Gail Bellamy, executive food editor for Restaurant Hospitality magazine in Cleveland, Ohio; Amelia Levin, a freelance writer in Chicago; Kelly Ruschman, vice president for Scott Advertising of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Barry Shuster, editor-in-chief for Restaurant Startup & Growth magazine in Cary, North Carolina. Directors serve three-year terms. Linda Funk, president of Flavorful Insight in Ankeny, Iowa, is advisor to the board.
News for Immediate Release
Contact: Carol Lally 845-229-6973 ifec@aol.com
IFEC Conference Attracts Unique Food & Beverage Products
Hyde Park, NY – Major suppliers to the foodservice industry showcased their products to nearly 200 industry media and public relations leaders attending the annual conference of the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) at the Washington Plaza Hotel, Washington, D.C., November 7-10, 2011. Attendees cast their votes for the foods and beverages they liked best in a number of categories, from “Most Delicious,” and “Best for Kids’ Menus” to “Greenest.” The top vote-getters across all categories were California Endive and Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine. Close seconds were California cow’s-milk cheeses and Kronos Foods’ Flatbread.
Editors find fare for food columns
“This is the first time we’ve asked attendees to vote for their favorites, although product showcases are always an important element of our annual conference,” says IFEC Executive Director Carol Lally. “Public relations members use them to introduce new products, new menu applications and recipes. For our foodservice editor members, they are a rare ‘one-stop’ opportunity to sample a great variety of products and get ideas for their columns.”
Venues include meals, a tasting event by local celebrity chefs, cocktail receptions, classroom demonstrations and others. More than 70 food and beverage products were featured during the Washington, D.C. meeting, from a refrigerated soup to USA-grown peanuts to lots of items in between, including mushrooms and mangos, California avocados and raisins, American lamb, cheeses from Wisconsin, and branded ice creams, coffees and teas.
Storied grains
“Our menus read like a who’s who in foodservice supply and they reflect emerging trends,” Lally notes. “For instance, this year we organized a ‘mindful’ lunch that featured healthy and/or sustainable foods. Indian Harvest contributed a delicious vegetarian meatball recipe using its Greenwheat ™ Freekeh, an ancient grain the company was just introducing to U.S. foodservice. Cocktails made with moonshine, also a grain product new to foodservice yet old as the hills, were served on other occasions. The brand, Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine, was introduced by the grandson of one of the distillery founders.
Lally says that given the caliber of the attendees, serving products at the conference provides a real marketing advantage. Participation in the tasting event starring the host city’s leading chefs gets the product into the hands of culinary trendsetters, while the classroom sessions are a great way to educate the editors and other communicators who will be passing information on to foodservice operators.
The Bests & Mosts
The following products received the highest number of votes in the categories specified.
Most delicious
First place: Tacos de Carnitas featuring Kikkoman Lime Ponzu Citrus Seasoned Dressing & Sauce (recipe from Kikkoman)
Runner up: Mushroom and Goat Cheese Flatbread with Pesto Drizzle featuring Thin Flats from Kronos Foods, Inc., and Imported Olive Oil from North American Olive Oil Association (recipe by Washington Plaza chef Jeremy Sandoz)
Most nutritious
First place: California Endive as featured in an instructional demonstration by California Endive Company President/Founder Rich Collins, Marketing Consultant Rodger Helwig and chefs Kathleen Kenny Sanderson and Blake Swihart
Tied for Runner up:
Butternut Squash and Broccolini® Salad (vegetables and recipe from Mann Packing Company, Inc.);
Greek Yogurt from two suppliers: Kronos Foods, Inc., and Yoplait®, General Mills Foodservice
Greenest
Tied for first place:
California Endive as featured in an instructional demonstration by California Endive Company President/Founder Rich Collins, Marketing Consultant Rodger Helwig and chefs Kathleen Kenny Sanderson and Blake Swihart; and Willow’s Chickpea Fries with Orange Preserved Lemon Dipping Sauce and Red Lentil Crusted Goat Cheese with Three Lentil Salad and Ruby Red Grapefruit Vinaigrette by Tracy O’Grady, executive chef, Willow restaurant, Washington, D.C., featuring lentils and chickpeas provided by USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council
Runner up:
Re-source band mineral water in recycled bottles from Nestle Waters
Most Instructive
First place: California Endive as featured in an instructional demonstration by California Endive Company President/Founder Rich Collins, Marketing Consultant Rodger Helwig and chefs Kathleen Kenny Sanderson and Blake Swihart
Runner up: Real California cow’s- milk cheeses as featured in a cheese and beer pairing by James Beard Award-winning chef Eric Ziebold of City Zen, Washington, D.C. and sponsored by California Milk Advisory Board
Best for Kids Menus
Tied for first place: Waffles from two suppliers: Pillsbury® Mini Waffles from General Mills Foodservice and Smucker’s® Snack’N Waffles™ Maple Pre-Sweetened Waffle from Smucker Foodservice
Tied for runner up: ConAgra Mills Ultragrain® pasta as featured in an instructional demonstration by Ashley Kleckner of Ketchum; and Mushroom and Goat Cheese Flatbread with Pesto Drizzle featuring Thin Flats from Kronos Foods, Inc., and Imported Olive Oil from North American Olive Oil Association (recipe by Washington Plaza chef Jeremy Sandoz)
Most Fun
First place: Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine cocktails (recipes from Ole Smoky)
Runner up: Real California cow’s-milk cheeses as featured in a cheese and beer pairing by James Beard Award-winning chef Eric Ziebold of City Zen, Washington, D.C. and sponsored by California Milk Advisory Board
Best All Around:
First place: Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine cocktails
Runner up: Real California cow’s-milk cheeses as featured in a cheese and beer pairing by James Beard Award-winning chef Eric Ziebold of City Zen, Washington, D.C. and sponsored by California Milk Advisory Board
Best of Chefs’ Tastings Event
First place: Virtual Fried Rice and Idaho Potato Grits by Michel Richard, chef/owner of Citronelle, Washington, D.C., featuring Idaho Potatoes provided by Idaho Potato Commission
IFEC is a membership association founded in 1956 to provide networking and professional development opportunities for communication professionals working in and with the foodservice media. Its 250-plus members include writers and editors for foodservice publications as well as public relations practitioners representing food and beverage suppliers, restaurants, food management companies and other organizations in foodservice. IFEC's mission is to advance the industry through encouraging excellence in business-to-business communication. It offers both a student scholarship program and financial assistance to qualifying members to pursue professional development activities.
IFEC’s 2012 conference is set for November 5 – 7, at the Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee. For information about food and beverage showcases and other conference activities, please contact Carol Lally, IFEC executive director at ifec@aol.com, 845-229-6973, or visit www.ifeconline.com.
Note: Digital images and recipes for some of the “Bests & Mosts” are available on request. –end-
News for Immediate Release
Contact: Carol Lally, executive director
845-229-6973, ifec@aol.com
IFEC Elects 2012 Officers, Names Nashville its 2012 Conference Site
Hyde Park, NY – New officers were elected by the Board of Directors of the International Foodservice Editorial Conference (IFEC) during the association’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., November 7 – 10. Officers serve one-year terms. They are: President Megan McKenna, who is marketing manager for the National Mango Board, Orlando, Florida; Vice President Jeffrey Yarbrough, CEO of Big Ink PR, Dallas, Texas; Secretary Amelia Levin, a freelance writer in Chicago, Illinois; and Treasurer John Scroggins, director of integrated communications for NOBLE in Springfield, Missouri. Immediate past president is Jason Stemm, Associate Vice President for Lewis & Neale, Inc., New York, New York.
Newly-elected Directors are: Alexei Rudolf, principal of Foodservice Connections, LLC, in Oakland, California; Kelly Ruschman, vice president for Scott Advertising of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Jody Shee a freelance writer in Olathe, Kansas; and Barry Shuster, editor-in-chief for Restaurant Startup & Growth magazine in Cary, North Carolina. Directors serve three-year terms.
The other directors are Gail Bellamy, executive food editor for Restaurant Hospitality magazine in Cleveland, Ohio; Liz Grossman, managing editor of Plate magazine in Chicago, Illinois; Blair Chancey, editorial director, Food News Media, Washington, D.C., and Chris Koetke, dean of the School of Culinary Arts of Kendall College, Chicago, Illinois.
IFEC's 2012 annual conference is set for Nashville, Tennessee, November 5 – 8. The program will feature top local chefs using sponsors’ ingredients in a “Taste of Nashville” food-sampling event, tours of food producers and related sites, educational sessions exploring issues and best practices in both communications and foodservice, as well as venues for showcasing new food and beverage products. The conference is open to IFEC members and their guests.
Founded in 1956, IFEC is an individual-membership networking association of communication professionals working in the foodservice industry. Its 250-plus members include writers and editors for for foodservice publications well as public relations practitioners representing food and beverage suppliers, restaurateurs, food management companies and other organizations in foodservice. IFEC's mission is to advance the industry through encouraging excellence in business-to-business communication. It offers both a student scholarship program and financial assistance to qualifying members to pursue professional development activities.
