This issue of Served is all about First Taste TV. We'll be highlighting brands like Titan - a LINQ solution, Eaton Marketing, AmTab, PepsiCo, and the Mushroom Council.
Issue No. 7 July 2021
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Teamwork.
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| Sarah@NxtGenNetwork.com | Digital Editor Sarah Kolcheck
| Amanda@NxtGenNetwork.com | Co-Creator Co-Editor Amanda Venezia
| Marlon@NxtGenNetwork.com | Co-Creator Co-Editor Marlon Gordon
| Melissa@NxtGenNetwork.com | Co-Creator Creative Director Melissa Mayer
| Breanna@NxtGenNetwork.com | Assistant Editor Breanna Gustafson
Executive Assistant: Jennifer Savasta First Taste TV Season Two Film Crew: Matt Mayer, Mike Mang, Nathan Johnson Special thanks to Eaton Marketing, Season Two Episode Host.
& ServedDigizine.com NxtGenNetwork.com Contact: Articles & News: info@ServedDigizine.com Ads: sales@ServedDigizine.com Parent Company: info@NxtGenNetwork.com
Served Digizine™ is a publication of First Taste TV and NxtGen Network. Served Digizine™ is releasedmonthly for a total of 12 issues annually. This publication is free of charge to our subscribers and can be opted-out at anytime. Copyright 2021 Served Digizine™, First Taste TV, and NxtGen Network. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph, or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Opinions and advertisements in themagazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent management views. The digizine is not responsible for unsolicitedmanuscripts and photographs, or any errors or omissions that might occur.
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@firsttastetv
firsttastetv
@firsttastetv
First Taste TV
First Taste TV
Co-Creators & Co-Editors Amanda & Marlon Say
First Taste TV ™ , let’s talk about it. Imagine if Food Network and QVC got married and had a baby. And that baby loved Child Nutrition and was passionate about serving in innovative ways and pushing boundaries. Yes, that’s what First Taste TV ™ is.
Since this issue of Served is dedicated to First Taste TV™, I see it fitting to talk about how FTTV came to be.
marketing genius we needed to get things going. In the world of Child Nutrition social media Brea was, and still is, the best. It’s interesting writing this editorial and taking the time to reflect on how we all came to be. People always assume I’m the “idea guy” and the “team builder” of the group. And let’s be real, I am, lol. But at the beginning Amanda saw the problem, had the idea, and built the team. One thing I can say about our partnership is we are always what the other isn’t at the right time. And I think that is important when collaborating and working with others. So we have this idea, and we want to make a TV show, bold right? Not to us. But it was definitely innovative and something that would confuse, excite, and even scare many people.
It’s not uncommon knowledge that Child Nutrition is a few years behind the times. And this simple fact baffles me, we serve children and children are the future. Shouldn’t we always strive to be more futuristic? One of the things we say is NxtGen Network lives in the future so others can thrive in the present. But I digress. Marketing, advertising, and relationship building have been done the same way for too long with little or no results. We experienced, watched, and heard the dissatisfaction of industry members who were losing the opportunity to engage with operators. They feared that they would have even less time to connect and share now that conferences were going to be canceled.
I’d like to give a huge shout out to Travis Just, our tour driver and RV provider; Eaton Marketing Group for providing their awesome new test kitchen to us for filming as well as for partnering with us on an
It was March of 2020 and Amanda called me with a “brilliant idea,” which wasn’t uncommon. This was also the time when our relationship began to flourish. We’d worked on a project together months
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episode; and LINQ, the Mushroom Council, PepsiCo, and AmTab for their episode partnerships. I’d also like to give a special thanks to all of the Food Service Directors who traveled across the country to make Season 2 a success. Last but definitely not least I’d like to thank my team. This started with Amanda, Brea, and I, but none of this would have been possible if it were not for Melissa Mayer, Matt Mayer, Mike Mang, Sarah Kolcheck, Nathan Johnson, and Jennifer Savasta.
prior that gave us both confidence in ourselves and in each other. Amanda is the type of person that’s always looking for ways to serve and support others. Being the fresh entrepreneur I was, with the inability to see limits and a healthy/unhealthy appetite for doing the things people think aren’t possible, she called me with something crazy. What if a recorded production could be used to unite industry and operators in an uncertain time where face to face interaction wasn’t possible? Amanda’s crazy matches my crazy and she knew I was the only person capable of pulling off this seemingly impossible concept.
We saw an opportunity where others didn’t and created a solution, First Taste TV™.
Who were we to have the audacity to take the existing trade show concept (that had been repeated over and over again for decades) and say we can do it differently and maybe... even better?
I wasn’t the only one she called though.
It only took us four months to build the partnerships, market, plan, and produce our dream child that would yield over 850,000 engagements in our first year. Well, now it’s time for year two and things have changed. We are more focused on our customers. We’ve listened to the feedback of viewers and our partners. I am happy to welcome you to this issue of Served Digizine™ which will act as our platform of choice for Season 2 of First Taste TV™.
I mean we’re just three young professionals with a quarter of the experience of our predecessors. But what we lack in experience we made up with grit, the ability to listen to others, and the strength of our relationships.
Breanna made the list and was essential in making FTTV a success. Brea was the social media and
We are NxtGen Network, and You’ve Been “Served” First Taste TV™ Season 2!
- Marlon -
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Reading & experiencing content with Served Digizine is an all-new experience! For a quick tutorial on how to get the most out of each Served Digizine edition watch this quick video with Breanna.
Food Service and Impact of Leadership 23 min
Join Sally Nicholson, Food Service Director from Lexington One Food Service and Nutrition and Christine Clarahan, Food Service Director from School City of Hammond, as they discuss the perils of mental health as it relates to leadership and their tips to help overcome self-doubt. For our first episode of the #LINQDUP Podcast, we’re broadcasting live from the LINQ’D UP event where we honor Lunchroom Rockstars across the nation.
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STEFANIE GIANNINI MA, SNS
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CAROLE ERB/ JOSE QUINONES
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Episode release: June 29
Titan Episode
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TITAN – A LINQ Solution provides the industry’s only real-time, 100% cloud-based solutions, fully integrated all under one roof to help districts reduce costs, save time, and focus on what’s important. But don’t take it from us, hear from TITAN user and school foodservice Director Lauren Jones on this episode of First Taste TV!
Click here to connect with TITAN!
Episode release: July 6
Eaton Episode
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Have you seen the new Eaton Marketing facility? Come along with the First Taste TV crew for this exclusive tour! Eaton Marketing has been delivering commercial kitchen solutions for over 30 years and we are so excited to share all that they are doing with you! Fun Fact: Did you know that the first half of the 2021 First Taste TV Tour was shot at Eaton Marketing? Thank you to the entire Eaton staff for your hospitality!
Click here to connect with Eaton Marketing!
Episode release: July 13
AmTab Episode
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AmTab returns to First Taste TV for Season Two but this time, we’re in their house! Join us for a tour of the AmTab Manufacturing facility in Chicago! This episode is special because we had Directors join us from near and far for the tour. Wait until you see AmTab’s trendy designs that will make your cafeteria the place to be. Special thanks to: Michael Gasper, SNS; Aaron Smith; Joyce Gaulke; Erin Coleman, RD, CPT; Valerie Patterson Weivoda; Callie Neumann, RDN; Marcus Shelton; Stefanie Giannini; Kim Minestra, SNS; Tracie Suter, SNS; Shan Burkhardt, SNS; Scott Anderson; Karen Kemp; Jessica Murray
Click here to connect with AmTab!
Episode release: July 20
Pepsico Episode
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The Texas State Motto is “Friendship” and that’s exactly what we built when visiting PepsiCo in Plano, Texas! We get an exclusive interview with PepsiCo Chef Abby and Senior Director of Sales Chas Cahn. In this episode, we’ll see some new innovative concepts your students will love and Amanda and Marlon go head to head in a game of PepsiCo trivia. Can you guess which host knows the brand best?
Click here to connect with Pepsico Foodservice!
Episode release: July 27
Mushrooms in Schools Episode
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Mushrooms can help schools serve on-trend, innovative, delicious, kid-friendly meals while complying with USDA guidelines and reaching their farm to school goals. On this episode of First Taste TV, Marlon and Amanda are joined by Malissa Marsden of the Mushroom Council, School Nutrition Specialist Lauren Couchois, her daughter Olive and Marlon’s daughter Bella for an action packed episode all about mushrooms!
Click here to connect with Mushrooms In Schools!
January 2021
February 2021
The f irst full- length edition of Served Digizine™ highlighted the idea that in “2021: Adversity Brings Growth.”
February was all about how to “Ignite Your Passion” for School Food & Nutrition.
Premier Edition Previous Edition If you missed a previous Served Digizine™ edition, simply click on a cover image to revisit that month!
Issue No. 3 March 2021
Issue No. 4 April 2021
March 2021
April 2021
March was all about “Money, Money, Money” - let’s increase your prof it to take your program to the next level!
21 April challenged us to change the perspective of school nutrition in the “Perception VS. Reality” edition.
SUMMER MEALS Tips & Tricks to Make Summer Meals Fun! PERSPECTIVE CHANGES EVERYTHING. “I simply had no idea!”
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Issue No. 6 June 2021
CHANGE! Industry through the years.
Get the scoop on all things finance to increase profits and take your program to the next level!
Changing the perspective of school nutrition. Reality VS. Perception
“key” to success?
Is that KPI really your
AT NO CHARGE Healthy Meals
Why extending no charge meals beyond COVID19 is necessary!
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Balancing Labor Demands
in uncertain times.
SUCCESS FROM STRIFE Celebrating
READY TO LINQ UP?
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Issue No. 5 May 2021
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FARM TO SCHOOL
For the Win!
May 2021
“POP YOUR TRUNK” Reflecting on Pandemic Heroes
Created FOR nutrition professionals BY nutrition professionals!
Feeling the end of the year
excitement in May this edition was
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REBRANDING
SUMMER MEALS Feeding your community in a creative way!
December Preview Edition
June 2021
STANDARDIZING SAMPLES Etiquette tips to simplify the process.
CELEBRATING OUR LUNCHROOM HEROES Find out who your nominations were!
Served Digizine™ premiered in December 2020.
We closed the 20-21 school year with “Take Time to Celebrate!”
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NEW OPPORTUNITY You’ve Been Served is a video series that can be distributed in Served Digizine as well as social media. The purpose is to highlight the positive and innovative things school districts are doing with industry partners to educate the viewers, and continue to mold the perception of what school food really is.
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All New Social Group! A Place for Everyone!
K-12 Collaborative is an open space designed to share ideas, promote your program and suggest solution based products. Let’s color outside of the lines and think beyond the box. We proudly promote collaboration between school nutrition operators as well as industry members. Companies across the country are constantly creating high value resources and they employ ingenious minds. Let’s harness the power of these expert stakeholders to feed hungry children. Welcome to the next generation of social collaboration.
Shout-out: 15 - 30 second sizzle reel Sponsored Episode: Minimum Company/product highlight of two minutes long endorsed by a school district of your choosing (with approval). Your logo will also appear on the 10-12 minute episode as a sponsor. Once aired you will have access to share through your outlets. Episode Details: Multi-camera shoot set-up, 1 host, pre-shoot creative call, scheduled release on social media Download the Advertiser Spec Sheet Here
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