John Crisafulli—ECEP founding member, and president and CEO of Behind the Scenes (BTS) Catering in San Diego—has produced food at 13 Olympic Games. He’s seen it all, from Covid restrictions to frustrating red tape to perhaps the most exciting challenge—preparing a culinary experience in Paris, the city that sets culinary standards.
With his 15th cookbook, “Everyday Delicious,” Rocco DiSpirito celebrates what inspired him during the pandemic-induced time at home—a renewed appreciation for “what the core of cooking is all about, which is really taking some ingredients, transforming them, and creating a moment around the table.”
Weeks after opening his newest restaurant in the Hamptons—Il Pellicano Southampton, serving coastal-inspired Italian cuisine—DiSpirito spoke with CFE about the cookbook, food TV, the challenges of catering and his upcoming appearance at the California Restaurant Show in Los Angeles on Aug. 26.
While a kitchen renovation may be high on the wish list, it often gets relegated to the backburner due to cost, disruption and the time you know it will take. And yet, it’s often a major key to growth.
Consider the stories of Ridgewells Catering in Washington, D.C., and 24 Carrots Catering & Events in Costa Mesa, California, two of the largest caterers in the country. The first stands on the precipice of a significant renovation. The latter has been basking in the success of its extensive renovation since 2018. Both owners understand that while kitchen rehauls present many challenges, the investment will pay off for years to come.
A new catering industry group, Elite Catering + Event Professionals (ECEP), is harnessing the power of the master mind for the benefit of its members.
The group got its start in 2021, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, when executives from four companies came together to elevate the battered catering and events industry through innovation, education and advocacy.
Pauline Parry, the award-winning founder and CEO of Good Gracious! Events, shares recipes and memories in “My Culinary Love Story.”
Lucky for me, I grew up in a family where food was an expression of love. My Cuban grandmother affectionally referred to us as “Cubish” (Cuban and Jewish), which meant that we had some serious food coming across our dinner table, combining the flavors of Latin and Jewish/Russian/American cuisine, depending on who was cooking.
Chris Tucker worked as a hair stylist for nearly a decade before pivoting to a baking career, drawing on a love instilled in him as a child by his Southern grandmother. A turn as a contestant on ABC’s “The Great American Baking Show” led him to opening Betta With Butta, a Los Angeles-based bakery.
With roots on the Greek island of Ikaria, Diane Kochilas knows first-hand the health benefits of a Greek diet.
2020 wasn’t supposed to be this way. The COVID-19 crisis and the resulting devastation in the industry have waylaid all the plans catering companies may have had for the
2020 wasn’t supposed to be this way. The COVID-19 crisis and the resulting devastation in the industry have waylaid all the plans catering companies may have had for the year. Yet even while they’ve had to make tough, emotional decisions, caterers are responding to the times with characteristic grit and optimism.
