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<\/a>Just one of the tasty treats I found at the Expo last year. Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the big one of the convention floor at the top of the page.<\/p><\/div>\n
The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo is back again, for three days beginning this Sunday. As a long-time restaurant critic and influencer, this is truly one of the events I look forward to all year. And now it\u2019s finally here!<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not open to the public, though. The Expo\u2019s purpose is to introduce industry peeps to all sorts of items and services that go into maximizing the dining experiences of their customers.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been attending it for a couple of decades now, in order to always keep up with all the restaurant and catering trends. And, since I bump into many restaurant owners and personnel with whom I\u2019ve been associating for all those years, it seems that it\u2019s the main<\/em> place for all of us in the industry, from administrators of the eateries to us media members, to meet up annually and discuss it all.<\/p>\n In case you haven\u2019t read my articles on the Expos of the past, the exhibitors have much more to offer than just food<\/em>. Their vendors also feature every kind of beverage imaginable, restaurant equipment, cutlery, all kinds of services, (such as payroll and cleaning,) even my<\/em> fave aspect–wardrobe<\/em>, and, of course, these days, much technology. I\u2019ve even purchased patio umbrellas and moving \u201cPizza\u201d signs there!<\/p>\n Curtis Stone at the 2017 Expo. Photo by Karen Salkin, although, apparently, she’s not the only one who was taking a snap of the cute chef.<\/p><\/div>\n And there are many educational seminars along the way, as well. Those are augmented with presentations of two important awards–the\u00a0Beacon and the Torch, (which gorgeous chef Curtis Stone won last year.) There are also many culinary demonstrations, (which, shockingly, no one has asked me<\/em> to do, even though I now feature recipes in this e-zine,) along with a New Product Showcase, and many international experiences.<\/p>\n Of course, me still being the pampered girl I am on occasion, I adore being invited into the California Restaurant Association\u2019s private lounge, which is right in the middle of the convention floor. \u00a0If SoCal restaurateurs don\u2019t know enough to be a member of that organization for sooo many other reasons, the perks of this on-site area–including snacks, gifts, and even chair massages\u2014should do the trick!<\/p>\n Some more of the 2017 Expo action. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n In the past few years, I\u2019ve been one of the judges of the \u201cPitch The Press\u201d competition, but I don\u2019t know if we\u2019re doing it again this year. No matter, though\u2014I\u2019m assuming that all<\/em> of you vendors will be pitching this<\/em> press (i.e. my INAM team) because you know that we\u2019re always happy to tell my readers about our fabulous finds there!<\/p>\n I hope to see all you pertinent<\/em> folks at this \u201cdon\u2019t miss\u201d event at the LA Convention Center downtown any time on August 19-21. And please come up and say hello. Just try to get me between bites!<\/p>\n For all the official<\/em> info on the Expo, please check-out their site, here: www.westernfoodexpo.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WESTERN FOODSERVICE & HOSPITALITY EXPO 2018 PREVIEW As many of you know by now, over the years Los Angeles and environs have become major players in the culinary game. And this coming week-end is one of the reasons why! The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo is back again, for three days beginning this Sunday. As<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>