Arizona Food Service Network

Game Plan- Arizona Food Service Network

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With my game plan in place, I got up in front of the attendees at the April ACFAZ meeting held at Metro Tech High School’s Culinary Arts dept. and shared my goals for the Arizona Food Service Network, how I was launching the newsletter, and moving forward with the website.

Shortly after that, remodeling and home maintenance hit and it was hard to manage both so a summer hold it was. Hard to complain as the extra time has given me an opportunity to start working with a marketing company for collaboration, and to really focus on delivering information you, the reader, wants to see and expects to see from Arizona’s largest food, food science, and food service online Business Directory and connection hub.

Thrilled to be behind my desk again, remodeling almost finished. There has been some great food shows and meetings recently and look forward to that follow up as well. With the summer over and the holiday’s insight, great time to launch the newsletter. More details to follow on that in another post.

Right now, I’m cleaning up the Business Directory and adding more keywords and structure for the search engines. I’m also doing the finishing touches on the website, I have a few changes to make.

Reaching out to the community is next, so much follow up to do. From total disruption to reigniting my passion for my purpose, here I am, and here we go.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Madonna Kash

Publisher of the Arizona Food Service Network

WordCamp 2019

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The 10th year reunion for WordCamp happened Feb. 15-17, 2019 downtown Phoenix which has provoked reflections and had hit the refresh button for me as well.

For those of you that don’t know, WordPress is a free and open-source software content management system for websites. Over 32% of the internet is using WordPress and so are many well knows brands are, here’s a list. In Phoenix metro, we have a tremendous WordPress and tech community here.

WordPress gave me the tools and resources to move into online marketing on my own without the need to pay someone to build or manage a website. So thankful for this. This meant I didn’t have to pay someone to manage my website, that was painful.

So, ten years later, what’s changed? Well, the biggest change has happened this past year with the new Gutenberg editor. I swear, I almost cried the first time I used it, it was that much of a welcomed change. An editor is what you use to publish your posts in WordPress and it’s really

The other notability take-a-ways from the weekend I’m still sorting through. Many good presentations with great information and because it’s WordCamp, they’ll post the videos and slides of the presentations online, which is something I’m looking forward to reviewing them all.

Happy to share this information as it comes in, and other events I attend to support our Arizona Food Service Network community with their marketing efforts. One of the best things to come out of this weekend was a reminder of my WHY for doing all of this in the first place.

One of my first steps moving forward is more automation and to refine the newsletter marketing. Will post what I did when I’m finished. Focusing on automation is something we all benefit from as it’s a time saver and a more efficient way to manage your marketing.

Two other commitments to come out of this is attending regular WordPress Meetup’s and listening to more podcasts from the WordPress community. For the Meetup events, go to Meetup.com and type in “WordPress” in the search bar to find a listing of events in your area. Make sure you choose events based on your skill sets and goals.

For Podcasting, here’s an article noting “16+ of the Best WordPress Podcasts to Listen to in 2019“. It’s as good as any place to start, something to needs to fit you, and your skills sets and goals.

More to share as it develops, much follow-up on my end for now. Highly recommend checking out the WPPhx schedule and making note of sessions you’re interested in listening to when released. I’ll revise this once they are.

Happy Marketing!

Madonna Kash

Welcoming the New Year

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The fourth quarter of 2018 brought some challenges in my personal and professional life, and a soy allergy. I took the opportunity to do a hard reboot and well, I’m back and welcoming 2019 with a plan and a fresh perspective.

In preparation for the new year, I’ve invested time in de-cluttering, re-organizing, and preparing myself for a positive 2019. Personal and professional mise en place, getting rid of what doesn’t serve me, and focus on what needs to be done.

The goal- get the newsletter going. Start date, January 28, 2019. Woohoo! The next steps, reconnect with a lot of industry people for networking, information sharing, and get some of these goals working.

My background is in food service sales and marketing which is one of the main reasons I started this. There is a need for an independent Arizona food service communication hub and I have the ability and opportunity to create one so I am.

The Arizona Food Service Business Directory has the largest public food service directory in Arizona with 168 different categories and over 1,600 listings. Great tools and resources for marketers.

The Events segment is pretty awesome as well. With the events aggregator feature, we can set it up to automatically sync up with your event once posted. Such a great time saver.

RSS Feeds are such a great way to share information. RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication, which is a quick way to share news and information and it’s easy to manage too! Another great tool for marketers.

ChefStudent Connect. I look forward to getting an event going. First the newsletter and then, add an event. 🙂 Love that site, and concept.

Last but not least, the Blog! Another feature to encourage community communication. We want to hear about your new product, rebate, company, and information about our industry. The Blog is a great way to share it. Once shared here, we can share it with social media, and in the newsletter.

Always supporting culinary education and networking, trade associations like the American Culinary Federation Chef’s Association of Arizona will be a priority in the newsletter and within the site, and with ChefStudent Connection.

The year in review- grateful to be here and healthy, time to move forward. Couple keys takeaways from 2018 are Anthony Bordin’s passing, and my soy allergy. Anthony’s voice was (is) a voice in my head that encouraged me to put my thoughts into writing. Translate my thoughts into words, be more descriptive in expressing them, and take these influences with me as I develop my own style.

Of course, we know he committed suicide. My personal connection with that is, my adoptive mother committed suicide did too when I was 8 years old. My thoughts are with his daughter, Ariane, as from what I’ve learned from losing a parent to suicide at a young age is grief hits you at different stages in life like a car accident.

The most recent hit for me was last quarter when looking through photos and keepsakes I haven’t seen in over 20 years, some I’ve never seen. This mixed with my step-mother’s passing in October and the holidays, it’s been a lot to process. The new year could not have come at a better time.

The soy allergy brought a new perspective on eating, holy. I feel like I’ll be able to give a TED Talk one day on “how my soy allergy saved my life”. Soy is in so many foods, it’s been a learning curve, and at times, hard to accept. I have to read every label or ask if there’s soy in everything I eat and to be honest, it can really suck.

Now from a food service perspective, the allergy opens up new experiences operators. Learning how operators treat allergies has been an awakening, and sometimes a rude. Thankful the allergy isn’t at anaphylaxis level as the learning curve would have killed me by now.

Welcome 2019; here comes the food service sales and marketing vegetarian foodie with a soy allergy and a blog!! Game on!


Method+Madness AIGA Arizona Phoenix Design Week

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******EARLY BIRD TICKETS NOW ON SALE*****

Every year, Phoenix Design Week brings together hundreds of creative professionals and students from across Arizona for a week-long celebration of design—a series of presentations, workshops and events, all curated to inspire and strengthen the Arizona design community.

The highlight of Phoenix Design Week is the Method + Madness Conference, a two-day conference organized by AIGA Arizona and dedicated community volunteers that features world-class speakers and local experts imparting actionable insights, hands-on education and a fiery passion for their craft.

Restaurant Prosperity Workshop – Fairfield, NJ

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Learn more here: http://bit.ly/2daOOBi

Attend this full-day workshop to learn how to:

– Easily make more money with the menu and staff you already have

– Add 3-5% to your bottom line overnight and be on your way to 15–20% profits on a monthly basis

– Stop the bleeding of your bank account while empowering management to order and schedule following simple fool-proof systems ensure you’re on budget week in and week out

Most independent restaurant owners use their “gut” to run their restaurants instead of the real numbers. You might as well gamble for a living. This approach risks your restaurant’s success, your employees’ stability and your own family’s livelihood. Instead, learn how to manage and control two of your biggest expenses in your restaurant next to an empty chair — food and labor costs — to predict your profits with accuracy.

The day is broken up into three sections that help you run a more profitable restaurant:

1. The one system your restaurant must have to survive and determining where YOUR numbers need to be
2. Paint-by-number food and labor controls for maximum profitability
3. The secrets to holding your management team accountable and getting more done

Learn more and register: http://bit.ly/2daOOBi

LFA Business Seminar: Lifecycle Marketing to Grow Your Sales, May 25

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[Webinar] – Lifecycle Marketing is a simple framework that small businesses can use to attract customers, grow sales and deliver a wowing customer experience.

This webinar will cover:

  • Attract more customers to your business
  • Grow your business sales
  • Deliver a customer experience that will keep them coming back

Cost of the event- $2o

Register Here.  (Sustaining members email Kendall@localfirstaz.com to register)

Social Marketing Master Class – Drive True ROI with Social Media

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Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat! Social media marketing is changing so rapidly that most businesses can’t keep up. Learn how to drive ROI and elevate your company’s brand with this in-depth training session.

Hear from PR and marketing veteran Jackie Wright, who founded Rainmaker Integrated – a boutique marketing firm dedicated to building brands.

Mindshare: Social Media Trends 2017

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Even if you know social media can help you grow your business, how do you know where to start? Join marketing guru, Ron Cates, to learn the trends, tactics, and strategies that will allow you to cut through the clutter to improve your social media marketing in 2017 and beyond.

*Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
*Light breakfast will be provided
*Seating is limited!

What is Mindshare – Coaching From the Classroom?
Delivered via a series of educational classroom style sessions, Mindshare – Coaching From the Classroom seeks to provide small business owners with the opportunity to learn from experts in a variety of areas pertaining to business and personal development.

Meet the Instructor!
One of the world’s leading experts on email marketing, social media marketing and more, Ron is an incredibly entertaining and knowledgeable presenter. He is passionate about small business and nonprofits and will provide takeaways that will empower you immediately.

Social Media Marketing 101

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Never before in the history of the Internet has the average business owner had so much control over their marketing – and it can be overwhelming! This class will help you see how it all works and what you need to learn to make it happen for your business. There are dozens of free tools to help you promote your business and get your message out. $25

Wake Up Chandler

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Wake-Up Chandler is a great way to start off the morning by networking with other businesses. Bring your business cards and brochures, and be prepared to give a 30 second commercial about your business. Enjoy the food and take advantage of the opportunity to promote your business. Door Prizes are Welcome!
*Advanced registration for mixers is required. Admission at the door without registration is $10. Registration admission is non-refundable.