“Pennsylvania Home Grown”
2nd Annual Joint Food & Beverage Conference

The PA Tourism & Lodging Association and the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association have partnered again to host the Second Annual Food & Beverage Conference on Tuesday, February 26, through Thursday, February 28, 2008, at the Hilton Harrisburg, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The Conference theme “Pennsylvania Home Grown” will provide professional resources for all levels of culinary and food & beverage professionals. This Conference will feature three days of outstanding events.

In all, twenty-two expert chefs and culinary professionals will offer the educational presentations at the Conference. The event will close on Thursday, February 28, with an Iron Chef Competition with some of the most noted chef's in Pennsylvania competing.

For more information visit www.patourism.org/fb or call the PA Tourism & Lodging Association at (717) 232-8880 or the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association at (800) 345-5353 or (717) 232-4433.

The fourth set of breakout workshops will offer a fine selection of topics and speakers:

Local, Fresh, Organic
	Chef Michael Adams, The Farmhouse Restaurant, Emmaus and Jeffery Frank, Liberty Gardens, Coopersburg Chef Michael Adams of the Farmhouse Restaurant in Emmaus, PA, and Farmer Jeffrey Frank of Liberty Gardens in Coopersburg, PA, will discuss the opportunities and challenges of sourcing and serving local, organic food. What does it take to keep your menu seasonal? How do you find quality local producers? What are patrons willing to accept in the name of regional food? How do you stay on the cutting edge of creative cuisine while remaining true to organic farming practices? Why go to the effort of finding local producers? Bio of Michael Adams Bio of Jeffery Frank
World Food Trends
	Richard J. George, Ph.D, Saint Joseph’s University The world and food marketing environments are changing rapidly. As the saying goes, “We cannot change the wind, but we can adjust our sails.” This presentation will highlight three emerging food trends: time starved consumers, health and wellness issues, and the fact that everybody is selling food. This interactive session will discuss in detail these trends and will identify real opportunities for attendees to take advantage of these changes. Catch the next big wave and enjoy the thrill of the ride.
Service That Sells
	Jason Neff, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort The art of creating “service that sells.” Service is originated in the interview process. One must ask themselves, do I have the right person in the right job? Do their goals, likes and dislikes reflect those of my target guests? We will discuss this further, giving examples of the right person and the wrong person for a variety of F&B jobs and how it affects the guest experience. Does the style of service we offer match our atmosphere, cuisine, theme, etc.? “Service from the front door to the back.” Bio of Jason Neff