Over the years, I’ve made it a point not to be a name-dropper in my publisher’s letter. In general, it’s of little interest to you the audience and only serves to make me sound important by virtue of mere association. This month is an exception to that rule in order to tell you about the SHFM WISE Experience, a fantastic event that I had the good fortune to attend earlier this year. 

SHFM, as you may know, is the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management and WISE stands for Women, Inspiration, Support & Excellence, and I could not be more proud to have been invited to participate with this group of amazing women assembled for this first-time conference.

WISE is the brainchild of Raquel Weiss Fusco, vice president, operations and client relations, elite|studio e and current president of SHFM. This event featured notable attendees like Ellyn Elson, CEO of Coloring Concepts; Helene Kennan founder of Kennan Food Strategies and Shirley J. Everett, Ed.D., MBA, senior associate vice provost for residential and dining enterprises at Stanford University. They joined me on stage for an enlightening From left to right: Maureen Slocum, Helene Kennan, Ellyn Elson, and Shirley J. Everett.discussion around the challenges and opportunities for women in foodservice. Their careers are both inspiring and instructive for the next generation of women who are sure to play an even greater role in the industry based in no small part on the contributions of the incredible women who preceded them. 

As one of the few female-owned publications out there, not only in foodservice, but in publishing period, it was a proud moment for me to be a part of such a strong program and event.

Speaking of strong events, we are getting excited about hosting our annual Dealer of the Year and All-Industry Awards Gala, which takes place May 18 at the Four Seasons Chicago. We have an amazing slate of award winners to recognize this year and we can’t wait to celebrate in style!

All the best,

Maureen