Don't Get Mad, Get FAB: Limited Tickets Remain For Hospitality Workshop Created For Women By Women
First things first, FAB is an acronym for Females Are Badass. FAB is a 2-day Workshop created for women by women designed to address all levels within the hospitality industry. Based in Charleston, South Carolina, FAB is the place to learn, connect and feel like you're not the only person in the world [or in your industry] who "has to deal with this shit". But mostly, it's a lot of education, and described by founder, Randi Weinstein as a place to "strengthen your backbone".
Tickets are on sale for the 2nd annual FAB Conference June 10-12, 2018. There are two tracks: 101 & 202. Track 202 geared towards business owners is sold out. Limited tickets are still available for Track 101, for any other hospitality pros looking to level up in their badassery, oh and in their field, of course. No boys allowed! Sorry, it's the rules.
See thisisfab.com for full lineup of FAB Speakers. Like Barbara Lynch, regarded as one of the world's best chefs and restaurateurs making TIME Mag's top 100 list in 2017 as one of the most influential people in the world. Also in attendance for year two will be Dana Cowin, best known for her two decades as the Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine Magazine as well as Leslie Ferrier, Vice President of Human Resources (Momofuku) AKA VP of everything you didn't know you needed to know.
If you're wondering if you're going to get out of it what you hope, check out this interview with FAB's founder, Randi Weinstein and see more #thisisfab conversation at @thisisfabchs on Instagram and Facebook for more details as the workshop nears.
The Daily Meal: Who is Randi and what did she do before FAB?
Randi Weinstein: Who is Randi. Randi took a while to find out exactly who she is. Randi marched to beat of her own drum probably her whole life. I always just tried to do things that interested me instead of what I had to do and it has taken me through life. If I'm passionate about something and have a vision, I know that I can make it happen. Before I started with FAB, I used to have a business in New York, and then I moved to Charleston in 1988. I had a variety of different things during that time, but I had gotten divorced, and my son was young, so I really had to do whatever I could do that fascinated me and interested me to make money. But I started getting into the food scene in Charleston when I moved here and at that time there wasn't a food scene. I started working with the chronic mentally ill in a non-profit organization and they hired me to create all these educational recreational activities for schizophrenic or bipolar adults. I had to fund my position, so I did it through coordinating events. I started coordinating all of these community events to bring awareness and I ended up really connecting with people in the hospitality industry. Fast-forward some years and I applied to work with the Charleston Food + Wine Festival. I had gone to the festival the first year and thought it was a really cool thing that we were going to have in Charleston. So year two, I sent an e-mail to the founder wanting to work with her. She hired me for a contract position and essentially the contract position turned into a full time gig. I became the director of events, so I was responsible for bringing the festival to life every year, coming up with events, coordinating all of them, and everything else that goes into it. I had done that prior for 7 years and developed really deep relationships with people in the industry locally and nationally. Fast-forward again, I started putting together this group called Bad Bitches. It was a volunteer type of deal between myself and two other women. With six events, we raised fifty-five thousand dollars for scholarships for women and it was just incredible. It was actually kind of cult-ish (laughs) but like any good thing sometimes the band breaks up. We rewarded women money to be able to propel themselves forward in their career, but what they should really be learning is the foundation. And not just the foundation, also what it takes to continue. And that's how FAB was born.
What drove you to envision, organize, and execute FAB Workshop for Women?
I did it for people to be armed with the tools they need. That's why I did it. I'm passionate in making sure you have the tools you need to succeed.
What made you decide this would be for females only?
I really felt that it's so much easier for men to have these conversations so casually. For females, these types of conversations just don't happen like they do for men. I really did it for women to create the mentorship, which is really why I wanted to have FAB Speakers. I was so pleased with the amount of time that the Speakers actually engaged with all the attendees.
Are you planning any FAB Workshops outside of Charleston?
Yes. We are planning pop ups in different cities that are direct fly markets. We haven't necessary picked those yet. Direct markets like Nashville, Denver, Seattle, Chicago, and Boston for example have a lot of opportunity to be able to do that. We are also hoping to do one more drive market pop up. For some of them it might be New York. We did a pop up in New York last year, an hour and a half event. A breakfast, it was great. Even there, it broke down any barriers and women were very honest. It creates a very safe environment for women to really share. I think that that's something FAB has going for it. People were willing to share because they felt like it was the right place to be able to do that, because the content is almost business neutral, and certainly gender neutral.
What was the feedback from FAB Speakers?
You just gave me the chills I have to say because the Speakers not only walked away with that summer camp "everyone is like me here" feeling, they also felt sturdier. FAB strengthened everyone's backbone. The Speakers loved being able to see a sea of hungry people of the future wanting to be there to nourish themselves and better themselves, and they loved the connectivity. Not one Speaker walked away disappointed. Speakers saw each other in a different light too. Like the speakers from New York, there were 17 of them and they all had a reunion dinner which is so cool. And Speakers began doing business together. Like Nancy Cushman [Cushman Concepts Restaurant Group] is using product from White Moustache [Handmade yogurts], and connecting with Alice from Culinary Agents. As for the attendees, I know a lot of people were unsure because they didn't know who these women were. [Speakers] There's not the most name recognition. There were some Speakers at FAB whose name you'd recognize. But then all of a sudden, people don't realize that there are a lot of layers in hospitality, like in any business, and there can't be missing puzzle pieces in business.
What does the future for Fab look like?
I don't want to grow it too much. Tweak and create more diversity in the tracks for sure, but I never want to be over 300 people because that's when you start losing it. My goal for this is not a moneymaking opportunity. FAB is going to provide more scholarships to be able to provide opportunities for women whether it be micro loans or again a different type of scholarship /applicationship!
With the first ever Fab all said and done, what was an unexpected takeaway you had from the experience?
That despite all the shit going on in my life, I actually pulled it off exactly how I envisioned it. When I started putting it together, I reached out to probably 50 different people male and female, nationally. Because I just didn't want the opinion of people in Charleston. I had toyed with do I keep it Southern based, do I do this Nationally, can I even get that kind of exposure, am I crazy for wanting to put this women's event together and is that going to hurt me by cutting off half of the people that can attend [male sector]. I just felt really passionate. 49 out of 50 people, male and female were like, do this, this will be awesome. And when I would explain the workshop in a public setting, dudes would be like, can I go to this and I'd be like no, sorry!
What do you personally love and admire about the hospitality industry?
(Answers without hesitation) Hard work. Nobody realizes how difficult this industry is. It doesn't matter the level that you are at. It could be fast casual, or it could be fast food or it could be middle of the road or super high end. You're not just dealing with staff in this industry. You have to make sure your business is right on so many levels because you are providing hospitality. People think because you are only open for dinner, for example, that all of a sudden dinner magically appears. They have no idea that there is an AM porter that is accepting farmer's produce, fish or any of your items that are coming in the door. The hours that go into hospitality from industry folks it's sheer passion and dedication.