One Stop Shopping

Hotel Lumiere was hosting the Performance Food Group show in downtown St. Louis this past week. This is an opportunity for all the local purveyors and vendors to gather in one place. A chance for everyone from aspiring Chefs to big name restaurant owners to see and sample their wares. My culinary class had the pleasure of enjoying this as a field trip. We were given two hours to wander around, sample the food, and talk with the vendors. I could have spent the whole day doing this. This was a great opportunity to get a peek behind the curtain. To really see where the food products in the restaurant comes from. Everything from packaging, processing, and storage of food, to the food itself was available to see and sample. Bookkeeping programs, human resource classes to point of sale systems were there for our perusal. Any item that caught your attention was guaranteed to lead into a productive conversation. I met individuals there that are able and more than willing to help further my career. The atmosphere was like a family gathering instead of a vendors show. I have not been to many food events, but if this is the normal attitude, well then sign me up!