International Caterers Association


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Welcome to the International Caterers Association
The International Caterers Association (ICA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education, mentoring and service for professional caterers and promoting the profession of catering to clients, industry members, vendors and the public.

catersource alliance

In 2004 the ICA formed an Alliance with catersource, to work together to educate caterers on a grand scale. We produce our yearly educational conference and trade show with catersource’s annual January conference, providing our traditional outstanding seminars, the CATIE Awards Celebration, Owner’s Forum, and Member-Only activities including the Resource Room and Club ICA.

2008 catersource Conference & Tradeshow and Event Solutions Idea Factory with the International Caterers Association

February 24—28, 2008
Las Vegas Hilton & Convention Center

Make plans now to attend the most extensive catering educational conference offered. Exciting new speakers, more recognized industry leaders and expanded learning and networking opportunities will give you more ways to make the most of the 2008 Conference than ever before.

Education

During these three-plus days of catering education, workshops, hands-on experiences, live demos, special events and networking opportunities you will:

  • see the latest catering trends revealed
  • find new products and services at the largest Tradeshow specifically for catering
  • take home practical advice from industry leaders for every aspect of your business
  • sharpen your culinary skills and learn new tips and techniques at live demos
  • experience new ideas by attending events that inspire
  • get effective and strategic business tools for the success of your business
  • gain insight by meeting and sharing ideas with those in similar catering operations

More Information

 

President’s Letter

Dear Friends,

I know you expect the President’s Letter to be filled with pearls of business wisdom — new ideas, current trends and partial blueprints on how to grow and make your business more successful. And I’m sure that in the future, this one will be all that.

However, I have recently returned home from six months in New Orleans doing restoration catering and have found that my life has changed in every aspect. The experience made me come to terms with a question I’d been struggling with: What is happiness, and how do I define it for myself?

Recently, A friend of mine sent me an article about a new and very popular course at Harvard University that “teaches” happiness. I found it funny that people thought they could be taught happiness, and then it occurred to me that we are always being “taught” happiness in one way or another. My experience in New Orleans was a lesson in the simple truth that life is sweet, and that instead of our day–to–day complaining, we should be relishing our successes, large and small; accepting our mistakes (large and small); and taking responsibility for our personal actions, as well as those of our companies.

We can’t “learn” happiness unless we can recognize it and then act on it, even though our first reaction to it might be fear of the unknown. The time in New Orleans taught me that great love and achievement involve great risk, and that there is no risk greater than no risk at all.

 

Mara Routh
ICA President
MOE Restoration Catering, Michael’s Gourmet Group,
Sarasota Florida