San Diego Chapter National Association of Catering Executives SDNACE.ORG San Diego

November 2005

President's Message
Fall 2005
by Tracey Amernick, CPCE

Greetings Members,
It's hard to believe the summer is gone and we are in the final quarter of 2005.

It's been a wonderful year so far for our Chapter and we have accomplished many of our Goals. We have streamlined the registration process with our new CVENT reservation system and introduced a new Web site with a brand new look! We've gone "paperless" with our newsletter, saving chapter $$$, which we now use toward funding scholarships for members to attend our National Leadership, Educational and Regional Conferences, or apply towards the cost of attaining your CPCE Certifications. We have addressed concerns about the timelines of our meetings, and continue to end at 8:30pm or sooner. Our recent "Industry Sail Night" was a joint effort with our fellow partners, CONVIS, MPI, HSMAI, ISES, the ABC and the NSA. It was a first time event and a huge success; we will be planning more programs together in the future. Our membership base continues to grow. San Diego is ranked nationally as one of the top Chapters in the Country. <more...>

Fall Membership Drive

Here's a good reason to renew your membership before the year ends:

If you are a first year member, you're happy with NACE, and intend to rejoin, you can really do your chapter a favor, by renewing your membership before December 31. We can receive a cash reward from NATIONAL for maintaining a high level of first year renewals, which we will ultimately apply toward scholarships and other member benefits.

Read the TOP 10 REASONS THAT NACE BENEFITS YOU AS A MEMBER

Welcome to our Chapter, Kristin Griffin-San Diego Marriott, La Jolla

If you have any questions, please call or email your Membership Chairpeople.
Duffy Fainer or Sandy Maurin.

Our November Meeting
by Chris Agrippe, CPCE

Click for pictures

Our November dinner meeting was held at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center downtown across from the Convention Center on Tuesday, November 8 th . The Wine & Culinary Center is beautifully designed. The setting is reminiscent of a Private Wine Cellar done in muted tones and softly lit. Inside is a state-of-the-art kitchen which allows for exhibition cooking and produced a wonderful meal that evening The walls are adorned with kegs and corks, and the patio offers lots of opportunity for people watching as the trolley passes by. The beautiful monochromatic velvety-soft rose centerpieces were provided by Patrick Higgins of Artistic Florals.

Our host and speaker for the evening was co-owner John Alonge who set out a casual meal with a Tuscan Pasta Bar and several assortments of Antipasto. His presentation was fast-paced and entertaining, as he took an honest and refreshing look at how and why we enjoy wines. Some points John made:

Ignore the ratings! Just because a wine isn't rated by the Wine Spectator doesn't mean it can't be fabulous.
Forget the jargon! Don't rush to be a member of the Special Word Club when discussing wines. "When was the last time you had a swarthy and ill-tempered wine?"
Get past the fear factor when experimenting with new wines... BUT, don't send it back just because you don't like the taste. There are only two reasons to send wine back... because it tastes like cork or smells like vinegar.
Match the wine to the moment. He suggested someday having great champagne with a couple of hamburgers while wearing jeans...
Use fine glassware and decant wines (even inexpensive ones) more often. Set the mood for enjoying wines with expectations for the total experience.
Don't smell the cork when the wine is brought to your table. It will only smell like a cork, and tells you nothing about the wine itself. The cork should be moist, so squeezing it is acceptable. Sniffing it however, is a dead giveaway that you know little about wine.
His closing remarks were "If you haven't had a San Diego wine, sleep with one tonight..."

It should be noted that John and his team went to great lengths to insure that our members enjoyed themselves; in particular because we had approximately 20 members arrive without RSVP. In our business, we all know how important an accurate guarantee is to the success of an event. The only people who suffer are the guests and the caterer when faced with a situation such as this, and John and his crew went above and beyond to insure that everyone was fed.

From the Board: For those of you who RSVP, Thank You.

For those who don't, please be sure to RSVP in a timely manner!

Affiliate's Corner
by Merrylin Brichmann
Artistic Productions
SD NACE Affiliate Representative

Affiliate Showcase-November 2005

Florist Patrick Higgins was born in New York City where he and his twin brother, Tim, lived until they were six. The family moved to Grahamsville, NY—a small town (population 1,000) in the Catskill Mountains—where his family lived in an 80-year-old log cabin.

PATRICK HIGGINS

In 1984 his family moved to San Diego. That's when the flower bug bit him! In 1985, in the quiet neighborhood of the Gaslamp (there were only two other businesses in the area, The Old Spaghetti Factory and Goodwill), the family opened Artistic Florals. Through the years his family has either retired or moved on to other enterprises. Five years ago Pat purchased a 105-year-old historic building at 836 E. Washington Street in Hillcrest, moved Artistic Florals there and is continuing his devotion to the floral business.

Pat feels it is essential to match the flowers to the feel and theme of the event. For example, he chose red roses to match the red tablecloths, red wine and decor. The arrangements were beautiful, simple and very elegant: a round vase filled with rose petals, topped with 15 red roses and more petals around the vases. He gave away the arrangements as raffle prizes...lucky winners!

The reasons for his success: he believes flowers should be part of the table and not overwhelm the setting. He is relaxed and easy going because he truly enjoys what he is doing and is doing what he loves to do! Please visit Patrick Higgins at www.artisticflorals.com or call him 619-220-8884 for all your floral or plant needs.

Community Service Update 2005
by Geneene Thornton

DECEMBER
Holiday Party-Toy Drive
December 6, 2005
Joint holiday party with ISES
Humphreys Half Moon Inn
Bring an unwrapped gift for a needy child - all aged gifts are welcomed (don't forget the teenagers)

For more details contact Geneene
(619) 287-6133

Raffle Kudos
by MaryAnn Quinto

A special thank you to all those of you who donated to the November meeting:

A beautiful gift basket from Merrilyn Brichmann from Artistic Productions
7 gorgeous center piece bouquets from Patrick Higgins @ Artistic Florals & Plants
Family portrait from Dennis Way @ ABI Photography
2 gift cards to Gordon Biersch from Perfect Wedding Guide of San Diego
Bahia Belle passes from Tracey Amernick @ Bahia Resort Hotels

If you would like to make a raffle donation, contact MaryAnn Quinto, 619-252-7874

New Members in 2005

Cade Fulton-Centerplate