Denver 2010
July 29 - August 1
- Denver,
- Denver,
United States Personal Chef Association 2003 Conference
Kansas City, MO
August 8 - 11
Those "in the know" knew we’d have a great time in Kansas City. USPCA members who attended Conference 2003 have some mighty nice things to say about this middle-of-America city.
Conference sessions and hosted meals were arranged to give Personal Chefs time to explore Kansas City’s many shopping and dining opportunities.
The Westin Crown Center Hotel got high marks for the heavenly beds that featured high-quality sheets, feather pillows and down comforters. It was great to quickly fall asleep after long and busy days.
The entire hotel staff gave attentive and efficient service. The hotel chef and his staff prepared and served some beautifully presented and tasty meals.
Networking at its best!
Opportunities to have one-on-one time with a variety of Personal Chefs continue to be a highlight of conferences. Friendships are renewed and new ones are formed. Everyone is so willing to exchange ideas and information. Many PCs said they were heading home with renewed enthusiasm and plenty of ideas to implement.
When it comes to the value of conference networking, rookie Glenn Lyman said it well. He wrote on the message board, "As a rookie, I really felt welcomed. I don’t know what was better, hearing the success stories of ‘old timers,’ or meeting with other ‘newcomers’ with the same hopes, fears and excitement that I have."
Senior Chef Day – organized in order to show appreciation for their years of contributions to the USPCA – kicked off Conference 2003. They graciously spend hours helping the USPCA be the best association. They diligently teach, mentor, write, answer Internet messages, lead committees and chapters, and share advice and experiences with newer personal chefs.
About 50 Senior Chefs spent Friday morning at the Culinary Center of Kansas City. Chef McPeake, who is passionate about barbecue, taught about "Kansas City style smoking." The afternoon was spent in roundtable discussions on a variety of topics.
Gala Dinner Dance was the conference finale. After a sumptuous dinner, Personal Chefs danced the night away to the music of Neon Blue.
Alton Brown was definitely the highlight of Conference 2003 special events. Imagine our surprise and pleasure when he told us that he has been aware of the Personal Chef industry for a number of years. He said that if his Good Eats program on FoodTV hadn’t become successful, his fallback plan was to become a Personal Chef!
As the speaker at Saturday’s luncheon, Alton said that people are becoming increasingly concerned with better nutrition and eating healthy foods but they are short on time. People are eating out less, and when they do it is for the experience. They are often choosing home meal replacements from the grocery store – not because they taste good or are healthy, but because they are convenient.
Besides amazing us at lunch, Alton spent countless hours posing for pictures, signing his recipe books, and mingling during the get-acquainted events.