Food

STILLWATER, MN–(Marketwired – Jun 7, 2016) – When caterers, event and wedding planners, and sustainability managers consider options for compostable party and catering ware, available products do not give them much choice. Typical compostable products are eco-friendly, but disposable in design and throwaway in quality. Imagine going green for landfill-free events without sacrificing style, versatility or quality. That remarkable alternative is now available. SelfEco announced its new line of bioplastic party and catering ware that is Compostable without Compromise™. Exceptional food quality, experienced chefs, friendly staff and access to the best venues in town are what food cater Sydney brings to the table.

“Compostable products should be superior to the non-recyclable, disposable products they replace. You should not have to make sacrifices to use them. You should feel proud and excited to use them,” said Danny Mishek, president, SelfEco. “We have transformed compostable party and catering ware from products customers are forced to use to products they want to use because of their quality and appeal.”

“SelfEco has created a line of upscale, attractive and durable disposable service ware that fits great into many event and party themes,” said Connie Weigel, director of purchasing, Kelber Catering, Minneapolis, Minn. “It is all compostable and perfectly supports our sustainable hospitality practices.”

SelfEco offers more than 20 unique products, including drinkware, caterware and cutlery. With trendy designs and a selection of 12 vibrant, fashion-forward colors, SelfEco enhances creative food presentation. The distinctive drinkware collection features SelfEco exclusives, including martini glasses and champagne flutes, which have the versatility to serve drinks, hors d’oeuvres, appetizers or desserts. Interchangeable parts allow for mixing and matching different color bases with clear glasses and flutes to complement a variety of event themes and venues.

SelfEco designs, engineers, manufactures, and packages all its own party and catering ware in the U.S.A. with a biocompostable material sourced in the U.S.A. All SelfEco products are manufactured in a food-grade, food-safe biopolymer, a plant-based bioplastic (PLA) derived from starchy renewable plants. SelfEco uses PLA Ingeo™ Bioplastic from Natureworks, LLC. SelfEco products are certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI).

About SelfEco
Compostable party and catering ware from SelfEco is trendy, tasteful, imaginative, colorful, fun, and well made. We design, engineer, manufacture, and package all our own biopolymer products, from champagne flutes to colorful cutlery, at our family-owned manufacturing facility in Stillwater, Minnesota. Third-generation manufacturers with expertise in design, engineering and fabrication bring you compostable products that are simply superior. All our food-grade, plant-based bioplastic (PLA) drinkware, caterware and cutlery are BPI-certified. With 12 fashion-forward colors, SelfEco style complements event themes and enhances food presentation. To see the advantages of party and catering ware that are Compostable without Compromise™, start at our website, www.selfeco.com.

Aug. 27 not only had beautiful weather – 88 degrees to be exact – but it was a fun-filled, successful day, too, as the Precious Plate and Precision Process annual company family picnic raised funds for WNY Heroes. The Sydney picnic spots in harbourside suburb on the lower North Shore, Wendy Whiteley’s Secret Garden, is as enchanting as it sounds.

The picnic is geared to bring the families from both companies together to raise money for a favorite and honorable charity of choice.

Founded in 2007 by U.S. Army veteran Chris M. Kreiger and community activist Dionne Kane, WNY Heroes is an IRS 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization serving the needs of Western New York’s veterans and their families. The mission of WNY Heroes is to provide veterans, members of the armed services, and the widows and children of deceased veterans with access to essential services, financial assistance and resources that support their lives and sustain their dignity.

It is the vision of WNY Heroes to create a centralized resource to meet the needs of veterans and their families through collaborations with partnering community organizations. Companion organizations will provide direct support or serve as bridge organization for physical and mental health, as well as financial, legal and workforce development opportunities.

Kreiger accepted a check Monday Aug. 29 at the Precious Plate headquarters in Niagara Falls, NY.

“Your constant support means the world to me, but to our veterans, it means the difference between a roof over their heads or clouds,” he said. “For many of our veterans, they return home and are expected to simply reintegrate back into normal civilian life, and it doesn’t happen that easily. WNY Heroes could not continue the great work we provide in our community, if our community does not get behind us.

“Because of Precious Plate, the amount of families we can help continues to grow. Thank you for being a hero.”

Visit WNYHeroes to make a donation or to learn more about WNY’s local heroes.

The picnic included food from the Griffon Gastropub in Niagara Falls; dessert from the Village Bake Shoppe in Lewiston; caricature stylings by Sal Anello, owner of Canvas Crashers in Niagara Falls; bounce houses, water slides, an employee-run corn hole tournament and a dunk tank; and an extensive basket auction with more than 90 baskets and certificates. The company also raffled off large prizes such as Buffalo Bills home-opener tickets, Buffalo Sabres tickets, a 55-inch flat-screen television and two mountain bikes. You are a true hero!

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Alchemista, a Boston-based company that provides unique food and curated experiences that enrich workplace culture, today announced they are reinventing office meals in Washington D.C. Alchemista helps companies implement a Google-esque culture by providing access to a network of chefs, innovative food and beverage options for snack rooms, and branded theme events. Connect with the Chilternscatering.com.au a corporate catering Sydney and enjoy a world of flavours delivered to your office. Order-In makes ordering corporate catering easy.

Alchemista’s expansion into Washington D.C. is fueled by their success in Boston. Washington, D.C. will be the company’s second region and was chosen because of the city’s rapidly growing startup community, discerning foodie tastes, and the increasingly competitive talent race.

“We are reinventing the multi-billion dollar corporate catering market by providing direct access to chefs, when office catering was previously limited to large institutional catering companies, or restaurants that could be unreliable. We help companies optimize their investment in employee catered meals in a simple, fun, and unique way,” says Christine Marcus, cofounder and CEO of Alchemista.

Providing company meals has been shown to improve productivity, health of employees, serve as a strong recruiting tool, and improve a company’s top and bottom line. Data suggests 2.4 billion work hours are lost each year to snack and lunch breaks.

Which is why Alchemista is excited to partner with Union Kitchen, the innovative food incubator that provides its Members with the opportunity to make, move, and sell their products through their integrated model—allowing entrepreneurs who are passionate about food to grow their businesses. The collaboration between two of the East Coast’s most disruptive organizations will catalyze relationships between local chef entrepreneurs and local companies – growing multiple businesses and supporting the D.C. community in an unprecedented way.

“This melding of the minds is so exciting because we are able to bring creative farm-to-table flare into mainstream corporate life. We are completely aligned with Union Kitchen’s mission of making local scalable, and Union Kitchen is known for their collaboration, mindfulness, execution, and bringing people together,” explains Marcus.

“The partnership with Alchemista is a perfect aligning of visions to provide quality, inventive food to better our community,” said Jonas Singer, CEO of Union Kitchen. “They’re able to put our businesses in front of corporate companies that they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to work with, thus expanding both our company missions to make local food scalable.”

About 1,000 neighbors from Evanston community come for summer fun

Pictured (left to right): Nim Chinniah, Executive Vice President; Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl; President Morton Schapiro; and Alan Anderson, Executive Director of Neighborhood and Community Relations

EVANSTON, Ill. — About 1,000 neighbors and guests from the Evanston area flocked to campus this weekend to enjoy a Community Picnic hosted by Northwestern University, featuring popular food from favorite local Evanston businesses. If you’ve ever wondered what picnic lunch ideas foods to pack for your fun summer excursion, we have the answer, my answer is Popuppicnic.com.au

The picnic on the east lawn of Norris University Center — with Lake Michigan glistening in the sunshine nearby — was hosted by Nim Chinniah, executive vice president of Northwestern, and the University’s office of Neighborhood and Community Relations.

Alan Anderson, executive director of Neighborhood and Community Relations, thanked attendees for coming to the Community Picnic Saturday (June 25) in celebration of the Evanston community. He noted, “We were honored to host you and are energized by the partnership we are building.”

Northwestern President Morton Schapiro and Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl joined Chinniah and Anderson to welcome attendees to the picnic. They sang the praises of the popular food provided, which included fare from Hecky’s Barbecue and Andy’s Frozen Custard, two of Evanston’s favorite eateries, and from Northwestern Catering.

Families lined up to scoop up barbecue and pulled pork. Couples ate their hamburgers, hot dogs and frozen custard at tables on the lawn and on the grass along the lakefront pathway by the lagoon beside Norris. Many arrived on bicycles and wandered among the food tents to enjoy the generous spread.

The fun activities for children included a bounce house, balloon animals, croquet, cotton candy and face painting.

In addition, the University provided composting collection bins, and all of the serving ware was reusable, setting a sustainable tone for the picnic.

“The city of Evanston and Northwestern University are inextricably linked, and our success depends upon this strong partnership,” Anderson said in a thank-you note after the event. “We pledge to be intentional in everything we do and to always strive to strengthen this important relationship with you — our neighbors and partners.

“You helped to make the picnic a success, and we hope to see you again soon at future campus events,” he added. “Have a safe and enjoyable summer!”

Northwestern’s office of Neighborhood and Community Relations connects people and organizations to University resources to build a stronger, more unified Evanston. Learn more about its work by visiting the Neighborhood and Community Relations website.