Industry Leaders

Bill Hansen Unveils Innovative Catering Laboratory at 80th Birthday Bash

Miami caterer Bill Hansen—CEO of Hansen Group and Bill Hansen Catering—celebrated his 80th birthday on Aug. 16 with 300 guests at the Kovens Conference Center at Florida International University (FIU) in North Miami.

The event also marked the unveiling of the Bill Hansen Catering & Events Laboratory at FIU. The lab will provide students in FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management with hands-on training in event management.

Social Media Strategies

How much do people “like” you? Are engaged couples engaging with you online? Are you feeding customers who found you through your feed?

To learn more about how to increase interaction with potential clients through social media, CFE turned to two experts: Liese Gardner, a content strategy specialist who has advised hundreds of hospitality clients about their social media tactics since 2004; and Dora Fudali, marketing director for Bill Hansen Catering in Miami, who has organically grown the company’s social media follower count by about 10,000 since 2018. They shared some of their top strategies for creating powerful posts and expanding your virtual audience.

Feeding the Fans

From major golf tournaments to air shows to motorsports races, Proof of the Pudding knows how to keep sports fans well fed.

The Atlanta-based catering company is expanding its reach into major outdoor sporting events. A longtime partner of the PGA Tour, Proof recently added NASCAR races at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina and the Quad City Air Show in Davenport, Iowa, to its roster. That’s in addition to Proof’s many other large foodservice clients, including convention centers, sports and entertainment arenas, yachting shows and college stadiums.

What’s Hot in Hospitality

Caviar carts, sensorial cocktails and corporate events that emphasize flexibility.

Those are just a few of the 2025 industry trends identified by Elite Catering + Event Professionals (ECEP), a collaborative network of leaders from the world’s top catering and hospitality organizations. The organization released the ECEP 2025 Trends Report, compiled during this year’s ECEP Symposium in Napa, California.

What’s Next for Catering?

Signs point to a robust year for catering in 2025. That’s the consensus from three veteran caterers, who shared with CFE their outlook for the industry.

“It’s hard to believe that we are five years removed from the pandemic,” says Anthony Lambatos, owner and CEO of Footers Catering in Arvada, Colorado. “After the dramatic drop-off and then meteoric return of events, business has stabilized, and we are settling into an environment with a bit more predictability.”

Lambatos—along with Kevin Lacassin of Good Food Events + Catering in Tampa, Florida, and Robin Selden of Marcia Selden Catering in Stamford, Connecticut—pointed to six trends they see impacting their businesses going forward.

A Toast to Collaboration

When the leaders of Elite Catering + Event Professionals (ECEP) chose the location of the group’s recent annual meeting, they knew what would appeal to their audience. After all, what better place for a group of foodies to come together than a stunningly beautiful locale known for its fine wines and innovative culinary scene?

More attendees than ever convened at ECEP’s fifth annual Symposium, which took place March 9-13 at the Carneros Resort and Spa in Napa Valley, California. And while the picturesque surroundings and world-class dining added to the appeal, the 76 ECEP members and sponsors who attended also found sustenance in interesting discussions, dynamic speakers and plenty of bonding opportunities in the heart of wine country.

Advocating for Change

Change and upheaval can be powerful catalysts for action. This was precisely the case for the founding members of Elite Catering + Event Professionals (ECEP) as they faced the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, which brought a devastating ripple effect to their livelihoods. The catering industry came to a complete standstill, with no relief in sight.

The idea of forming a group with advocacy at its core quickly gained momentum. “Our industry was in dire need of advocacy, leadership and collaboration,” says Susan Lacz, a founding member of ECEP and its inaugural president.

Personalizing the Big Day

Creating weddings that capture a couple’s personalities is what it’s all about for event planner Brian Worley.

Based in Atlanta, Worley has produced and designed about 250 weddings in his career—including his own mother’s. CFE recently caught up with Worley to get his take on wedding design trends and to learn what inspires him when planning a couple’s big day.

Collective Wisdom for Catering Excellence

At the annual symposium for Elite Catering + Event Professionals (ECEP), top catering business owners come together with thought leaders to exchange ideas and best practices. From HR and operations to culinary, kitchen, sales and finance, the event is a dynamic gathering of collective hospitality wisdom. Attendees leave with actionable insights designed to elevate their business and further the relationships started that week.

As ECEP prepares for its 2025 Symposium in Napa Valley, California, we’ve summarized five of the most impactful sessions from previous symposiums, with actionable strategies to help any catering business grow and prosper.

Meet Maneet

At the Florida Restaurant Show in Orlando in November, Chef Maneet Chauhan shared this advice to attendees who gathered to watch her prepare Tandoori Shrimp & Grits: “Be as authentic as possible.”

It’s a maxim Chauhan has clearly followed herself as she’s charted a meteoric rise in the culinary world since arriving in the U.S. in 1999 to study at the famed Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York.

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