If you thought Thanksgiving was the big food holiday in November, you've probably forgotten about “Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day” on November 15. What? You haven’t heard of it? The idea is to clear out and freshen up the fridge in advance of the food-heavy holiday season that tends to overload this overworked and under-appreciated appliance.

Hospitality MN’s Conference and Expo took over St. Paul’s RiverCentre in late September for a day of high-power keynote speeches, informative panel discussions on trending topics and a chance to meet with vendors and try new product combinations.

Sysco’s fall show at the RiverCentre in St. Paul was the first time the broadline distributor has combined the sales teams and customers of both Sysco Western, based in St. Cloud, and Sysco Minnesota, based in Mounds View.

There was a cornucopia of noteworthy things to see and hear at Reinhart’s Fall Concept Show at Canterbury Park Expo Center, but one that resonated with attendees was motivational speaker, Tim Kirkland’s contention that he was there to help “people make more money.”

Ann Ahmed didn’t have a plan when she bought her first restaurant location in Minnesota over the phone from San Diego. “I had a credit card,” she says. And a dream. Ahmed was the sixth chef in Perspectives' fundraiser, Cooking with the Stars.