The Hospitality Buzz is BACK and our most recent episode features our own Jeanine Cosgrove-Albert speaking with four leaders in the hospitality and food service industry on the experience of women in the workplace both before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The panelists discuss the importance of supporting other women in the workplace while also acknowledging the unfair factors that contribute to some women’s inability to advance their careers regardless of such support. Drawing from their personal experiences at Pepsico, Ecolab, GrubHub and Zee the Cook, our panel’s reflection on what it means to be a women in leadership throughout both their careers and in the pandemic specifically was eye opening and a must watch.

Check out each of our panelists below and make sure you’re following us on social media so you can see clips from the latest episode in the coming weeks and stay tuned for the full episode to be posted soon!

Sumi DeBenedittis: Director of Food Service Development and Communications at PepsiCo Sumi has been part of PepsiCo’s Foodservice division for 20 years. She is currently part of the National Foodservice sales team managing sales and industry communications, activities that promote and enhance the most important topics for our customers and efforts to elevate our Foodservice associates and partners.

Sumi came to PepsiCo in 2001, after spending four years in advertising at Saatchi & Saatchi and Wrenchead.com. Her roles at PepsiCo have included Customer Marketing, Industry Relations, Sales Chief of Staff, Equipment Innovation and Foodservice Communications. She is also President of Valor, PepsiCo’s employee resource group for the veteran community and Business Development lead for PAN, PepsiCo’s group for Asian employees.

Sumi has served in a variety of roles with our key industry partners. She is currently the Diversity & Inclusion Council Chair for the Society for Hospitality & Foodservice Management (SHFM) and previously served on its Board of Directors, as National Conference Chair and Marketing Committee Chair. She has also volunteered for committees with the Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF), the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA) and the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA). Among the recognitions she has received are two PepsiCo Chairman’s Awards for Pepsi Spire and Hello Goodness Vending, the SHFM Spirit Award, SHFM’s Robert Pacifico Leadership Award, the SHFM Leadership Award, and Total Foodservice’s Top Women in Metro New York for Foodservice & Hospitality.

Sumi grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and graduated from Bryn Mawr College with an AB in Growth & Structure of Cities and has an MA from New York University in Studio Arts/Photography. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Mike and six-year old twins, Max & Luca.

Barbara Kane: Former Vice President of Industry Relations at Ecolab Barbara Kane recently retired as the Vice President of Industry Relations for Ecolab Inc., the world’s leading provider of cleaning, food safety and health protection products and services.

Barbara Kane has over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Most recently she held the position on Vice President Industry Relations at Ecolab, where she represented Ecolab cross divisionally with all trade associations in the areas of foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, government, education, and manufacturing. Previously she held the role of AVP Global Accounts at Ecolab and was a corporate account manager with Sara Lee Coffee and Tea.

Kane serves on many Industry Association Board of Directors, and also serves on advisory boards for University of Nevada Las Vegas and San Diego State University. Kane frequently keynotes to Associations and Corporations on topics ranging from food safety to women in business.

Kane graduated with honors and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from University of Arizona. She currently resides in the New York City area.

Zee Shami: Culinarian and Owner of Zee the Cook Zee Shami is the Owner of ZeeTheCook Culinary Studio in Metro Detroit, a school offering cooking and baking instruction to kids, teens and adults. Zee and her team host in-person and virtual Corporate Team-Building Workshops, Private Cooking Parties, and other Recreational Life-Skills Services.

ZeeTheCook is also a licensed Vocational School in the State of Michigan offering Certifications in Hospitality Management, Culinary Fundamentals, and NRF Customer Service + Sales. Zee is nationally recognized as a Rising Star through the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management and the proud recipient of the 2020 Director's Award for Community Service, as well as the recipient of the Woman in Business Award (Henry Ford College) and Start up Business/Entrepreneur of The Year Award through the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce.

Shayla Martin: Senior Sales Executive with GrubHub Shayla is a Sr. Sales Executive at GrubHub on their Campus Team. She attended Auburn University and received her Bachelor of Art in Psychology. In 2011 she received her MBA in Sustainability from Valparaiso University. Shayla is a breast cancer survivor and the journey taught her all the life lessons we’ve all heard about. This led her to join the Leadership Council for The Pink Agenda, a Breast Cancer Research Foundation organization dedicated to raising money for research. Life has taken her to many cities, but she calls New York City home.

The Buzz is a video and podcast thought leadership series. Follow the podcast below to get notified when the full episode releases and make sure to keep up with us on social media for exclusive clips leading up to release day!

Students are eager to return to normal life on campus, but what does normal look like in 2021? With all we've experienced during the pandemic, will all the trappings of traditional campus life ever return at all or will the student and administrative experience be forever shaped by what we learned in 2020? We sat down with professionals from NYU, MIT and Harvard Law School to discuss what's next for higher-ed food service and hospitality.

Check out each of our panelists below and make sure you’re following us on social media so you can see clips from the latest episode in the coming weeks and stay tuned for the full episode to be posted soon!

Sunita Devi, Director of the Kimmel Center for University Life at NYU

Lauren N. Williams, General Manager at Harvard Law School

Brian Rice, General Manager at Samberg Conference Center – MIT

UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL RESOURCE; https://plateonline.com/heres-how-hospitality-workers-can-access-relief-funds-and-other-resources

With the second wave of the pandemic impacting our industry, small businesses and individuals across the country, we have pulled together another list of resources for those in need of food and rent assistance. Stay safe, wear a mask and know we are thinking about you all during these trying times.

The Hospitality Buzz is BACK! With vaccines expected to be ready by year’s end, all eyes are on mid-2021 for a return to normalcy. But coming out of a global pandemic, what does normal look like and how are hospitality and food service managers preparing for it? We invited four young professionals from Compass Group, Nestlé USA and Aramark/Lifeworks to get together and answer these questions for us!

Check out each of our panelists below and make sure you’re following us on social media so you can see clips from the latest episode in the coming weeks and stay tuned for the full episode to be posted after Thanksgiving!

Justin Drew, Previously Served As Director, Business Development for Compass Group (top left): Justin brings over 12 years of experience in Business Development, Operations, and Sales Leadership within Contract Management for Corporations, Healthcare and Higher Education industries. Exceptionally talented, firm, fair, with a laser focus on customer experience, growth and retention, Justin is an expert at producing strong results for clients and providing the best overall solution. Most recently Justin served as North America Director, Business Development for Compass Group’s Unidine Sector. Justin currently sits on the Board of Directors as President for the FBI Philadelphia Citizens Academy Alumni Association which is a Community Outreach program and ambassador leadership program to support local field offices. Justin is a second year rising star within SHFM (Society for Hospitality and Food Management), he is the co-chair for the Philadelphia local committee and is on the 2020 conference planning committee. Justin enjoys networking and cultivating meaningful relationships and you will always see him with a big smile on this face.

Jenna Calhoun, National Account Manager at Nestlé (top right): Jenna is a creative, enthusiastic, driven sales leader with 12+ years of experience in CPG and beverage industries with some of the biggest brands in the world. Now a National Account Manager at Nestlé, Jenna began her career in retail and more recently, foodservice, leading national accounts, recreation, and workplace. She is passionate about relationships, strategy, business development, leadership, and networking. A Strong communicator, story-teller, and organizationally savvy, Jenna is Chicago and Northern California raised. She currently resides in Richmond, VA. A University of California grad, Davis (go Aggies), Jenna is results focused and competitive, with a personal commitment to continuous self-improvement and the bettering of others.

Brisbane Vaillancourt, Vice President Operations at LifeWorks Restaurant Group (bottom left): Brisbane Vaillancourt is the Vice President of Operations with Lifeworks Restaurant Group, a premium brand within Aramark. She has an extensive background in operations, training, openings, marketing, change management, growth and innovation. Brisbane has proven herself to be a forward thinking innovator who implements structures and processes to secure long term prosperity. Brisbane began her hospitality career with Margaritas Management Group, a privately owned, twenty-eight unit restaurant chain for twelve years. In 2016, Brisbane began working with Aramark as a District Manager, leading ten corporate dining clients and $38M annualized revenue. In 2018, Brisbane was the recipient of the Aramark Star of Excellence Award and is now a three-year recipient of the SHFM Rising Star award (2018-2021). In February 2019, she was promoted to Vice President of Operations for Lifeworks Restaurant Group.

Katie DeSimone, National Director of Catering and Conference Services, Compass Group, Bank of America (bottom right): Originally from Newtown Connecticut, Katie studied culinary arts at Newtown High School, achieved an Associates in Baking & Pastry and a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Service Management from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. Her career with Compass Group started in 2010. She spent time working her way up in corporate catering positions before becoming the National Director of Catering & Customer Experience. Katie spent almost 6 years traveling the country every week, working with different teams, guests and clients before settling into her role as National Director, Catering & Conference Services with Compass Group at Bank of America.

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