“We are all faced with a series
of great opportunities
brilliantly disguised as
insoluble problems.”
John W. Gardner (1912–2002) American reformer and activist
+ + +
Recipe of the Month
This flavorful rice bake pairs well with any Mediterranean style chicken, fish or beef dish. Easy, easy.
2 1/2 cups cooked long grain brown rice- seasoned with saffron
1 cup roasted corn kernels
1/2 cup toasted pinon aka pine nuts
3 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped
12 halved artichoke hearts- ie Trader Joe's frozen, thawed
4 oz. chopped roasted green chiles or chopped jalapeños
3 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
Seasoning, to taste (ie cumin, Old Bay Seasoning, sea salt and ground pepper)
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed (about 4-5 tablespoons)
4 oz. feta or goat cheese, cubed (omit for vegan)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a medium sized casserole dish (preferably, one with a cover). In a large bowl, combine the cooked brown rice with the roasted corn, pinon, tomatoes, artichokes, green chiles, chopped garlic, and choice of seasoning. Drizzle with enough olive oil to moisten and lightly toss with a wooden spoon. Add in the cubes of feta or crumbles of goat cheese and stir gently, just enough to distribute. Spoon the rice mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes or so, until the rice is thoroughly heated. Serves 4 to 6.
It is hard to believe we are in the final month of Q1 - 2010 already. It seems amazing that time is our most valuable resource and we are often left unable to articulate exactly what we have done with it. I do know that I continue to find quicker and easier ways to promote my business and learn more about others' business through the social networking mediums.
As a nay-sayer towards anything that attracts me to a computer and away from a customer, I admittedly have been late jumping on the MySpace, Twitter and Facebook phenomenon. It is unbelievable that our clients and their guests often turn to inanimate communication BEFORE seeking the personal interaction; especially, after spending many years hearing about the personal touch necessary to endear a loyal customer.
Industry experts are saying that the number of touch points a client requires before making the decision to buy from you is increasing. As of today, the number of times a customer must receive your message before deciding to make their purchase has increased to 15-17 times. I don't know about the rest of you, but I certainly don't have the marketing budget to endure that request and that is only the prelude to the time commitment it would take to generate the creative details and production specifics to communicate just one initiative. Multiply all of that by a minimum of 3-4 initiatives in the year and you have the need for a full-time staffer.
At NACE Experience! 2009 in Philadelphia, PA, I decided to sit through a breakout session on utilizing social networking to better communicate with customers and expedite marketing initiatives. What an eye opener! I was amazed at the content, its presentation and purported results for the business model; however, I was still doubting the effect it could have on the businesses I am responsible for. To date - Gaylord Opryland Resort does not fully utilize the power of social networking to advance its business units, but we have put NACE - Nashville Chapter of Facebook and have over 100 fans already. Not only are our members finding a value, but we are able to better communicate smaller pieces of information on a much more frequent schedule than the monthly newsletter. Feel free to become a fan and look for the updates to automatically feed onto www.nashvillenace.com in the future.
Lastly, the power of social networking has intrigued our industry comrades as we have MPI chapters sending their communication representatives to both our website and our Facebook page as a role model for what they would like to have happen with their own chapters. Flattery comes in all forms and we will consider this copy-cat approach a pure and simple form of flattery.
If you are not currently using the social networking media to enhance your business, look for a local seminar, find a class or hire a millennial. I am sure any of these resources will be able to provide marketing and awareness results for you and your business within days.
Cheers! to spring,
Vince
Monthly News:
Are You a NACE Award Winner?
Submit for a NACE award on February 1 and Experience! industry recognition
Now more than ever, excellence in craftsmanship, artistry and talent in catering and event design is what defines the best of the best. And, recognition has never been more important. The National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) offers NACE members and chapters the opportunity to receive the highest levels of recognition through its national awards program. And this year is no exception.
Better known as the Oscars of the catering world, the NACE awards submission window is almost here:
February 1 - Submissions can be entered online.
May 14 - All award submissions are due.
July 28 - Winners will be revealed at the Experience!™ 2010 Awards Gala in Austin, TX.
NEW THIS YEAR!! - The Best Team Event of the Year Award
We know that great events are often the result of a tremendous team effort. That's why this year the awards committee wanted to make sure EVERYONE who created a fantastic event gets their due recognition. The NACE "Best Team Event of the Year" award recognizes outstanding achievement in the seamless team effort to execute the total event planning and production of a catered event by a group. Review the terms of eligibility to see if your team qualifies.
We hope you enjoy your submission experience and please contact Lauren Williams at lwilliams@nacenet.org or Kim Grimm at kgrimm@nacenet.org with any questions!
Thank you and good luck!
Last Month's Meeting:
February had many snowy days - including February 16th. Guests watched the snowflakes fall from a beautiful view - special event venue One Eleven.
Catering was provided by NACE member Jim Hagy and Chef's Market. Chef's Market Cafe and Take Away provided a delicious menu of Cornbread Panzanella Salad, French Braised Boneless Beef Ribs with a Jack Daniels Demi Glace, Roasted Chicken with Herbed Dumplings and Basil Pan Jus, Goat Cheese Grit Souffle, Turnip Greens with Shitake Mushrooms and Truffle Oil, Creamy Squash Casserole with Georgia Pecan Crumble, Baskets of Southern Spoon Bread and Mini Cupcakes -- WOW! Now are you hungry?
Don't forget - Nashville NACE annual fundraiser is this week! March 5 at The Factory.
Dear Fellow NACE Members:
Well it is that time of year again and we are excited to be embarking on our Annual Fundraiser, Ringside: A Fight for Kids. This year the event will be on Friday March 5th at 6:30pm and will be held at Liberty Hall at the Factory in Franklin, TN. We continue to be excited about our partnership with the Charley Foundation to make this event possible and to allow usnot only to be a valuable part ofmaking their event successful but allowing us to raise funds to further our chapter initiatives and educational goals.
Ringside: A Fight for Kids is Nashville's premier charity boxing event, benefiting multiple children's charities in the Nashville area through the Charley Foundation. Join us for an action-packed evening of gourmet dining, live national music performances, surprise celebrity guests and an exciting live and silent auction featuring various exclusive items. The highlight of the evening will be three professional boxing bouts sanctioned by the Tennessee Boxing Commission.
NACE has taken the responsibility of designing, installing and managing all aspects of this event in regards to Food, Beverage and Décor.We are proud that our members donate their time, goods and services in an effort to produce this one of a kind special event.This year we will continue with the Blues club theme and will need your help as members to make this event possible.
We will be setting up the event on the evening prior (March 4th starting at 4 pm) and will need a minimum of 15 volunteers. We will completely set the room for the event as well as putting finishing touches on décor and table favors to be at each and every seat.We enjoy using the favors as a way to market our NACE family and membership to all attendees of the event.We will also need 10 volunteers at the conclusion of the event to aid in the breakdown of the room. Please email Mary Steinkirchner msteinkirchner@gaylordhotels.com if you are able to help with our volunteer efforts at.
Table prices range from $2500 to $10,000 and individual tickets are available for $250.
You may also visit the Charley Foundation for additional information at
![\"\"](\"http://nashvillenace.com/Image/NACELogo2010_RGB.jpg\")
