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A podcast that spotlights the women reshaping the hospitality industry, breaking barriers, and carving their paths in the ever-evolving world of restaurants, food, and community.
Sara Abernethy (00:35)
Today I'm talking to Randi Weinstein. In my immediate ecosystem, we all know Randi as the incredible, inimitable founder of the FAB Conference, which is Females in Business, but also Winky Winky Food and Beverage. FAB happens in June every year. This year it is coming up June 7th through 9th. Randi is really amazing. She is a native New Yorker.
She has lived in Charleston for decades. She's also worked in and around hospitality her whole life. Prior to founding FAB she was the Director of Events and Logistics for the Charleston Wine and Food Festival. Casual, right? She moved on to become Director of Operations for Butcher and Bee and eventually co-founded Bad Bitches, a cultish monthly event with a mission to showcase women's rise decade by decade from home kitchens to the hospitality industry.
And that was a really fabulous venture for her. We talk about that in today's conversation. We talk about the complexities of being a mother in this industry. We talk about what's coming up for FAB 's 10th year, which is so exciting. So.
I hope you all enjoy my conversation with Randy Weinstein.
speaker-1 (01:55)
It's so good to see you. I am, uh, I'm, I'm okay. Um, this, this morning I am showered and dressed. So I do feel like a human, but I was just like, yeah, I know.
speaker-0 (01:57)
I know, have you been?
Look at you go.
speaker-1 (02:12)
We've just not been healthy as a unit since really it feels like Thanksgiving. And I know that's really common when you have little kids, like normally I get like a beat to recover And I just feel like I haven't had that
but other than that, fine. I don't know.
speaker-0 (02:28)
Well, how old were the kids?
speaker-1 (02:30)
So Joey is turning four on Saturday. And then Charlie will be one in March
speaker-0 (02:33)
wow.
Well, no wonder why you're like behind. mean, there's the evidence right there.
speaker-1 (02:42)
That's it.
speaker-0 (02:45)
Now
you guys are canning, is that correct?
speaker-1 (02:48)
So we have canned beer for years. But we started the THC line last year. And we did sort of a soft launch. really wish we could have made more of a splash. there was all this legislation in the air about, we even going to be able to make this product? And so we did more of a soft launch than a hard launch.
And since then, we've just decided to be like, fuck it, We're just going to make it and we're going to go for it. And this is a chance we're going to take. So the THC line is out and it's called Tree Time.
I, for one, have never really been much of a THC consumer. I'm much more of a wine drinker, but now I drink one every day.
speaker-0 (03:36)
Hahaha!
speaker-1 (03:39)
Chef Bobby did all the flavors and they're so delicious. And he does them with, you know, real fruit extract. anyway, I drink it before bed and it just sends me on like the sweetest little decline.
speaker-0 (03:55)
It's a good thing. It's a good thing. I know I'm almost out of my little sleepy time gummies and I'm like, I need a trip to New York.
speaker-1 (04:04)
How often are you going to New York right now?
speaker-0 (04:07)
Not that often, actually. I went in November to check in on my sister and then I'm gonna go to the Philly Chef Conference. So then I was like, yeah, maybe I'll fly into New York.
then I'll just take the train to Philly and then fly one way back. The train is awesome, like to be honest.
Yeah, I'm a better trainer than fly. I hate flying. I'm just, get myself all.
speaker-1 (04:33)
I'll sort up. That's natural.
speaker-0 (04:35)
all worked up about it.
I just don't understand how like I don't even understand how the plane flies. Okay, so like that's the first thing. And then the second part of that is when it starts like getting all bouncy and people just are happy all through that and I little sweat pouring down my back. And I'm like, don't these people understand that we are about to die and like they're happy about it.
I'm trying to be better. I'm trying to breathe through it and I will not take anything. And my son is always like, mom, let me just take something. was like, because if I am going to die, I'd like to call you right beforehand. And so I want to be awake when I'm plummeting to my death.
speaker-1 (05:20)
I that flying is...
It's totally unnatural. And the whole time your lizard brain is like, this is wrong. This is wrong. This is very, wrong. I really do think it takes like a minute for your to like close that stress.
speaker-0 (05:34)
cycle.
Otherwise we are plowing into FAB and a schedule drops next Wednesday.
speaker-1 (05:41)
I'm so excited.
Believe
10 years. Can you believe?
speaker-0 (05:48)
No, I actually really can't. I just, I really can't.
You can include anything. I'm an open book that I tagline it. actually is true. Total transparency zero. I don't hide anything.
speaker-1 (05:57)
Rue.
Bullshit it seems like that's a personal and professional mantra for you, and I admire it so much
speaker-0 (06:09)
100 percent is.
So I, I purposefully, have devised it where I used to put the website up and tickets on sale. And then I realized that in this industry, no one really is prepared six months in advance
like know what they're like in January, what they're going to do in June.
I did that originally because I think that I came from a festival background and that like we put, you know, the tickets on sale and like people were like ready by two different audiences and festivals are for people that are not in the industry. And this workshop is for people that are industry specific.
speaker-1 (06:40)
Yeah.
speaker-0 (06:57)
and then, so I said, okay, what I'm going to do is that will buy me some time. So let's do a kind of like a trickle down launch. And in January, we launch the speakers, the current sponsors, which we're always filling that page in our scholarship application and, and our hotel partners. So people can start.
you know, booking their, ⁓ their hotel rooms. And then during that time, as you would probably remember is when we kind of start playing the shell game of having speakers ⁓ be able to sign off on what they are, their schedule is. Then ⁓ once that happens, then we know this schedule is fully solidified. We come up with descriptions for each of the topics.
speaker-1 (07:40)
Yeah.
speaker-0 (07:51)
And then we have our website development company be able to embed that into the website. And then we put tickets on sale March 4th. And we do March 4th because that's a date that means you should really, there's significance to it. So you should march forth and be able to do something to better yourself. And that is the reason why I chose that date.
speaker-1 (08:18)
And it's the same week as International Women's Day, right? And Women's Month. I mean, I have so many questions for you, Randi, some of them selfish, but some of them not. And of course, I do want to talk about FAB but you've been in event planning for a long time. I mean, you've been in food and beverage forever. That's my understanding.
speaker-0 (08:21)
Exactly.
like a lot of. Well, everything is hospitality, right? Doesn't matter if you're in a medical setting, doesn't matter. mean, hospitality weaves its way in to, I think, every industry, whether they know it or not, which a lot of people don't really realize
speaker-1 (08:40)
one way or another, right?
speaker-0 (08:57)
trajectory for sure that I've had. I think I've reinvented myself, I don't know, maybe
300 times.
At least.
speaker-1 (09:08)
I have been thinking about that I keep waiting for my new self to arrive after this second kid, you know, like, when am I going to get there? Like, when am I going to get to the next point where I know what's happening and I have my shit together. And I've kind of come to this realization that I guess evolving into motherhood is kind of like
evolving into being a teenager. Like you never really arrive, you just, you're in it and it's messy and sometimes painful and sometimes great. And then one day you're, well, I guess, you know, once you're a mom, you're always a mom. But it's a journey. there's not a destination. I think
speaker-0 (09:50)
think
where you have your life pre partnership, relationship, marriage, and when you look at your life, I mean, I look at it and it could be decades where you kind of look at it, but I started in the Garmin Center and my family was a Garmin Center family and grew up in New York and I
figured I was destined to do that until I wasn't really digging it anymore. And then I met someone who lived, happened to live in Charleston and I had no idea where Charleston was, but I was like, what the hell? ⁓ And I've always been a very march to the beat of my own drum. ⁓
always and still am like nothing is gonna nothing will change me on that. And and I moved to Charleston and not knowing anyone except for now my ex husband and but I was like what the hell I'll take that chance and only to like and before the Garmin Center I was I was in hospitality.
I was bartending, I was hostessing, I was GMing. So that was my roots. And I always loved it and I missed it. And then I went into this Garmin Center thing. And when I came here, I really kind of felt like I didn't have anywhere where I belonged. And it took me a long time to find my path. And...
in a city that wasn't.
that when I look back, was really quaint. And I think that we all take that for granted. And because what it's turned into is definitely very different than when I moved here. So it took me a long time to really find where I belonged. And I think that, you know, having a kid and when I got divorced, he was four.
speaker-1 (12:00)
Yeah. ⁓
speaker-0 (12:08)
And that's when I went back into hospitality for a hot minute, but I also had full custody and I was spending more on a babysitter and I never seeing him. And it just wasn't the right time for me to get back into the restaurant life.
speaker-1 (12:30)
Yeah.
speaker-0 (12:31)
And so that was hard because then I had to make this determination of what is next for me. What do I want to do? I knew I would never want to be in retail. So like what else was there?
speaker-1 (12:46)
reaching to the choir babe. Yeah, like a story of my life in the last two years. And it's, it is very difficult to be in, in service and really in the business and be at home and you're replaceable everywhere else but but home, right? You know, it's felt like a very
difficult sacrifice in a way that I I feel in my gut that I will not regret later making the choice to be more at home and let go of the the restaurant-ing but I feel like I'm severed from a piece of my identity and I'm not gonna lie Randi like I feel pretty resentful about that sometimes. I feel like a big quitter. I feel like I just quit I just like left everybody behind even though that's not true either.
I think that.
speaker-0 (13:41)
think we put so much pressure on ourselves to be honest. And I think that when I was never like the helicopter mom, I always wound up having a sitter and someone one wise person gave me this advice that even if you're not going out on whatever Saturday night, let's say, and even if you
sit in the garage or outside or go take a walk. Like you deserve that time to yourself. And just because you have children doesn't mean you have to lose yourself. And I think we all do that. And I think that guilt plays such a big factor in it. where I learned this lesson that if I put myself first, I would have so much more to give my son.
than be resentful that I didn't have the time to take for myself. And that's not always easy. And for people to make A, that realization and B, it doesn't have to be like this financial, you don't have to be like, I'm going out for dinner or I'm going like, literally, you could just
go to museum or, you know, or do something. And, for me it was, you know, it was working. Eventually it was going back and working when I got divorced. I was like, well, shit, I got to figure this out. And what am I going to do? And then you start realizing your value. And then I was like, no, I am going to go to the gym at the end of the day. Like that is feeding my own head.
And when I get home, I'm going to have more energy for you. And so I think that we women do a disservice to ourselves in thinking that, yes, your primary, when you become a parent, your primary responsibility is your children, but that's not your only responsibility. Your responsibility is, to yourself.
And I am very much a firm believer in that.
speaker-1 (15:51)
It's been very important for me to sort of claim the time for these creative projects outside of the restaurant. And I'd had a big reckoning over the summer last year because I put my son in full-time daycare and that was not my plan going into the second one. I thought I was gonna be more of a full-time caregiver for longer, but
I don't know man, like nothing could have prepared, nothing could have prepared me for the adjustment both times and it's like trite to say that but because I had carved myself out of the restaurant day to day so it's not like there was a very clear role for me to go back into and I did that on purpose but I, like you, like very much, don't tell me what to do. Like no one's gonna tell me what to do and I'm gonna follow my own path.
right, regardless of what others might think is right or best or And I realized, well, I'm going to be pursuing these creative projects one way or the other. And so I'm going to do it and not be present with my son. Or I could put him in full-time care, which is a total privilege that I acknowledge that we have the ability to do. So I do want to call that out. But that way, if I can give myself some uninterrupted time,
to make this podcast and have these conversations and think a little bit bigger and more creatively about the restaurants, then when I'm with them, I can really be with them instead of like always having, you know, like a baby on my hip and my phone in my hand. You know what I mean? And it's made all the difference in the world. And do I feel like I've missed out? No, no, I really don't feel. And that every situation is different. But for me, that was just critical.
I just need, I needed that space for the engine to go. Otherwise I just felt like, I really just felt suffocated.
speaker-0 (17:47)
I remember when at 18 months I was able to put my son in a daycare and it was like nine to 12. But I remember like that, it's like I was able to come back to like home and.
speaker-1 (18:04)
for like one second and go to the bathroom and then you have to go back and pick them up.
speaker-0 (18:07)
Yeah,
I also was like, first you're like, this is gonna be great. And then you're like, why can't it be longer? Yeah. It's like, how many days can I put them in here? Yeah. And do you have an afternoon session? But it truly, like, I mean, it was such a game changer. And to like, then go back and sit in like that quiet, was like delightful.
speaker-1 (18:32)
Any car ride alone I say is like a trip to a five-star resort. But speaking of that, FAB is one of the, it is now one of the pillars of my year where I carve out time for myself and space for myself. And last year it was so delicious because it was the first time I had been away from home since having my son. And it was also, I had stopped pumping. It was just like, I'm
speaker-0 (18:37)
Right.
Exactly. That's like the last like, that's the last thing. It's like, stop pumping and it's like, I'm really not tethered.
speaker-1 (19:09)
I'm not tethered, I'm free and I got a full night's sleep and it was great. I mean it's great for many, many other reasons as well. I just really have to say thank you. I hope you hear this ad nauseum all the time from the FAB community. But I have to thank you so much for the time and care and effort and space you've carved out because it is a lonely, lonely vocation that we have chosen. And the first time I attended FAB, I guess I really have only attended.
two years, but that first year I was in a bad spot mentally. And, I was six years into operating the restaurants and I was miserable working with my husband and I just felt so alone and I had been looking for community in all the wrong places. You know, it's so easy to sort of blur that line with employees when you're in the soup all the time. And coming to FAB was
one of the first realizations that there are other people like me out there that I can commune with and connect with and feel like I'm not insane and just feel like I could see myself and others and it's just been, it's been such an incredible community to be a part of and I just, thank you so much.
speaker-0 (20:27)
I remember our conversation that we had and I said, really need to come. I could tell, you know, it's so funny because I could tell everyone, which I'm sure I did on the phone with you, but the virtues of being in this community and attending and what you're really going to get out and how welcoming everyone is and how truly
speaker-1 (20:32)
I stalked you.
speaker-0 (20:55)
interested everyone is in one another and how genuine everyone is. And I can't tell you how many people, including Jenny, who works with me when she first came on board and I was giving her my standard like elevator pitch spiel. And she's like, whatever you're full of shit. because people are like, whatever, she's full of shit. until you come and then you realize
that, wow, everything she said is accurate.
speaker-1 (21:27)
But it takes a lot of strength and vision to protect that. And I'm sure you've navigated that a number of times in the last decade of preserving those virtues.
speaker-0 (21:42)
It's definitely
been challenged a couple of times. mean, especially in the beginning, we had things that had kind of ding the sanctity of what I really created for FAB and the vision that I had originally thought. I think I discounted the the full vision of what I thought it could be.
because it was the seedling of an idea that I said, I don't know, I think I could do this. And then putting it into play, but seeing the relationships that really came out of it. But, you year two, we had some media challenges of people.
Everything that happens at FAB is sacred. It is a very sacred space and I don't invite media. It's not a influencer place. It's not a place for people in media that want to write about it. They could write generally about it if people want, but I'm not handing out media passes to anyone because
⁓ It's truly an event for, it's a workshop for people that are actively working in this industry. And I'm very set on that.
speaker-1 (22:56)
I feel like that's also in sharp contrast to Charleston Wine and food.
speaker-0 (23:00)
It's a totally different audience. mean, it's laypeople that are going to the festival. It's people that are the ones going for dinner all the time and want to be in that environment. This is actually was built to be the total antithesis of that. I had been with the festival from year two through year nine
And I invited all these chefs in the industry to be part of it. But I also saw how hard they worked and that they really didn't have a lot of time to be able to take much in. also saw that even the people that were, if they were doing a demo and people that really want to talk to them and connect with them after a demo,
that they were like out the door and onto their next thing. you know, when I developed FAB, I really wanted there to be a, you know, as you know, from being a speaker, and I believe I probably said this, there is no hierarchy. You are a speaker when you're on stage and when you're off stage, you're an attendee. And as I always call it, it...
To me, that was, it's the Cheetie Kumar effect. And when I had originally asked Cheetie to be a speaker in 2018 for the 2019 year, I remember that she was like, I am so excited, but I don't know whether I'm more excited to be a speaker because I have so much I've learned that I could share or to be an attendee because I still have so much more to learn.
And when I talk to every prospective speaker, which I do have a conversation with every single prospective speaker, just to the vibe and to see what they're willing to share, what they're not willing to share, because FAB is, as I said, is total transparency and zero bullshit. ⁓ That if they're not willing to do it, then they're not gonna be part of that.
speaker-1 (25:16)
right right it's just not the right
speaker-0 (25:18)
It's not
a fit. you know, it is, you know, back to the media and back to the sanctity of it. It was really important and it remains important to cornerstone, honestly, of I want people to react to how they feel when someone is speaking. And if someone is talking about something that really resonates, that might be really heavy. I want them to be able to have the ability to cry
and feel safe in doing so and on the flip side, I want someone to be able to laugh as hard as they have laughed before because they could totally relate to what is being said as crazily as it like could be.
speaker-1 (25:59)
And you have done
Sara Abernethy (26:01)
Just a quick break in today's conversation to extend an invitation to you. Your listenership and your support of the podcast truly, truly means the world to me. And it does take a significant amount of resources to produce this podcast. So if you have enjoyed these conversations,
If you want to help continue ensuring that these conversations and this visibility are available to the women in our community and the people who need it most, I invite you to join our Her Seat at the Table Patreon community. You can join for as little as $3 a month, which is basically like buying me a cup of coffee, which would be very appreciated.
And I do have some cute perks in there, everything from doing a live shout out of your name on an upcoming episode, all the way to an invitation to the upcoming Her Seat at the Table dinner party, which I host in the fall of each year in Raleigh, North Carolina. So thank you for considering. Thank you for listening. And let's jump back into our conversation.
speaker-1 (27:06)
So when you launched this 10 years ago, what was that first event like? compared to what I envision FAB to be, mean, it's almost, isn't it 1,000 attendees now or almost 1,000?
speaker-0 (27:22)
No, no, no, no, Like, that will
always be my max, to be honest, because I feel that I want it to be about connectivity and I want it to be about community. And I feel that if you put more people into that pod, people are not going to have the opportunity to meet one another.
speaker-1 (27:42)
And it's already a lot, right? And I'm sure you hear that every year. Like it's already a lot and there's, you do feel like you want to meet everybody and there's multiple sessions at the same time. You want to take everything in and you just can't.
speaker-0 (27:55)
and but it grew into that because of feedback, you know, so everything that fab is now wasn't how it started. So fab started as an initially I was still doing restaurant operations for Butcher and Bee and it initially started as a dinner, a final dinner for a chef that was leaving at butcher and B and
we had a new chef that was going to be coming in who was a female and there were two other women in the kitchen that were helping these other chefs for this dinner. And they contacted me and they were like, we should do a dinner for the new chef that's coming in and like all female. And I was like, well, that sounds great. And I remember we went
For drinks, because, you know, always the best ideas happen over cocktail. And I remember saying, God, there are so many incredible women in this community. How do we choose? And we decided to do a series that showcased women's rise through the decades in the industry from the fifties to present. And that was Bad Bitches Yes. And we named it.
speaker-1 (29:11)
Was that Bad Bitches
speaker-0 (29:17)
And everything for each decade was about the food, the music, the drinks, the decor. it was cultish. mean, and I was like, all right, well, we could like, because we were all working and still putting this together and finding locations and finding people to facilitate it. And it was all done by women. And
we raised a bunch of money and we were able to give scholarships and through the scholarships when and at I will say before that the band broke up and but I remained to be able to give out the scholarships and it didn't really matter whether you were giving someone $500 or $250 to $5,000. were generally like couldn't believe that you were willing to invest in them. So
I thought to myself, this is great, but they really need to understand the business side of this industry if they want to continue in it. And so I developed a curriculum and I put it out to all these people in F and B that I was fortunate enough to meet through the years, through the festival and through Butcher and B, male and female, because I need the male buy-on for it.
And that everyone was like, I think this is really great. and of course it's not their money and they're not doing it and they're going to tell you, yeah, this is really great. And the first two people that I asked to be speakers and when I devised the content, I decided to do it into two tracks and the 101 and a 202 And then all you would have to do is just sign up for.
the track that fit where you were in your career. ⁓ Self-explanatory 101 being in the beginning stages or 202, upper level and in ownership. And there might've been a lot of similar content in them. We rolled out 10 different topics for you and that you just went through all of them.
you you could talk about HR, but it's very different in those conversations. You could talk about leadership, but it also is different in those, two groups. Every conversation is different because you're at different stages and there are different needs. the first two people that said yes were Dana Cowin who was still at
Food and Wine and was just actually going to be leaving. When she said yes, she was still the editor there. And Barbara Lynch, who was in Boston. And those were the first two people. And I was like, hey, maybe I have something here.
speaker-1 (32:04)
⁓ Wow. I yes.
speaker-0 (32:07)
⁓ literally,
but you know, I still I think at that point, we're is like working on a name for it and how to figure out a location and where I wanted it and how many days would it be and how am I gonna like PR this thing and on a very shoestring budget like very, and it's really gonna be me like beating the drum
in the coordination of it, like one of the things I really wanted was people that were outside of Charleston, not just inside, but outside of Charleston as speakers, because the way that things are done in New Orleans or out West or in Raleigh are different everywhere. And so I wanted there to be different people on the panels and they were all panels when we started.
to bring their different perspectives that might be different from another panelist that is sitting on there because it really is not one way to do something. It's just what is gonna work best for you that you see you could put into your position or business.
speaker-1 (33:25)
I'm to hear someone else to describe a scenario where you see yourself in them. ⁓ mean, for me at FAB, I think you do this panel every year or close to every year, but the one that working with your partner panel was very powerful for me. It's obviously very common for people in restaurants to work with their partner, but it's like impossible to really vent about it.
until you find people who know, it was just so, so validating. I just felt my whole body unclench feeling seen in that way. It was so great. ⁓
speaker-0 (34:05)
You
know, you eat, breathe, sleep, I mean, everything, it's hard to disconnect yourself. And I think that when you're in it, again, kind of like the motherhood thing, it's like, how do you disassociate yourself so that you could actually have a relationship that isn't fully based on your business?
you became business partners instead of like partners.
speaker-1 (34:30)
Yes. And you don't talk to your business partner the way you talk to your partner. Right. You don't talk to your colleagues the way you talk to a spouse.
I mean, it can be a beautiful thing because they know the best in you and you know the best in them and vice versa. It can be great, I'm so proud of what we built together and I'm glad to be in the new era I'm really working more alongside Chris these days than working together together. And it's great.
speaker-0 (34:59)
It takes time to just find that that position, you know, feel I for me, feel like fab is definitely it's probably my last act. But I feel like it's the best that fits me and my passion and
with people that I want to be able to empower. That is, you know, for me, that is, that's everything.
speaker-1 (35:28)
Yeah.
It does seem like your zone of genius. mean, it really seems like event producing is a skill set that comes very naturally to you. And also the ability to see a need and just go for it. Just try it on and then take feedback and then adjust accordingly.
speaker-0 (35:54)
Well, you know, so like when I'm in the Garmin Center, no, when I like all of that, but it was only until after I had gotten divorced and I had gotten this job, really my first job on my own here in Charleston doing educational and recreational activities for the chronic mentally ill, like for people who were schizophrenic and bipolar, like severe.
And I was like, okay, well, if I was challenged, what would I want to do? And like, there was really no money for this position. So I had a fundraise for my position and I'd never worked with this population before. I mean, I am being thrown in, but then I was like, well, people in the restaurant industry are like, you know, I mean, like they're not playing sometimes with the full deck. So like, I could do this. Totally.
I was like, well, what would they want to do? Well, they would like to learn computer skills. They'd like to exercise. Like, what do I, what would I like to do? They'd like to learn pottery. So there were all these things that I was like, cause they're just normal people that just happen to have this type of brain injury.
So I did all these things and I built up this program and I had to apply for grants and I had to raise money. And the way I did that was I started events and they all revolved around food. So that was like my entry into like the community here, even though I like knew a bunch of people here, because the industry was much smaller.
But that was kind of like how I really put my foot into getting chefs involved in ⁓ different events. And then I kind up the ante every time it's like, well, what else can I do? And then I remember I had just gotten married and I remember being on our flight home.
from our honeymoon and looking at the in-flight magazine from Charlotte back to Charleston. And there was this event called Canstruction where there were these giant structures built out of canned and boxed food that was being facilitated in New York by this woman and by all architects. And then all the food went to Second Harvest in New York. I remember looking at these structures and I was like,
That's cool. Like, I'm going to do that. And literally by the time we landed, which it's a very short flight, I was like, I've got the location. I've got the sponsor. I've got like the this and surely my husband looked at me and was like, who are you? And all of those things like happened. But the thing that really happened was I had to track down the person that did this event. And I
probably stalked her and hounded her. And I found out that, and she said, well, I have to fly into Charleston because, and then drive to Savannah for this meeting to present it to all these architects. And I was like, I'll take you, I'll drive you there. And literally I picked her up from the airport and drove her to Savannah. And then she let me stay and I stayed in her room and she let me do this event, which was
only architects. and I was like, you know, frankly, what do architects really give back to the community? Nothing. So I'm going to like tap them for money. then I added a food component and competition into it that these chefs had to cook with the products that were being used in the structures could have been spam.
could have been like, I mean, anything and have this competition. So, you know, and then I kind of built things from there. And so I really kind of never had any idea about how to facilitate an event until I put myself smack in the middle of creating and facilitating ⁓ them, which led me to the doorstep of the Wine and Food Festival.
speaker-1 (40:03)
It seems like you're such a natural.
speaker-0 (40:06)
I am there.
speaker-1 (40:07)
You are I mean, you're like the you like see the web, you know, of all the pieces that it takes to put something together and you have the ovaries to just go for it. You know, like what's the worst thing that could happen? Truly. That's how I feel about new, new ventures like that. I admire you so much, Randi. And I see a lot of myself in you, I think
I'm the same way. ⁓ And a lot of what I'm interested in right now in this next era involves a lot of events and kind of like building events from the ground up. I am curious if you get asked all the time to bring fab to other places in the country at other times of year.
speaker-0 (40:50)
You know, I personally want to so we used to do pop ups. We did one in Raleigh actually years ago in 2019. I want to say in November of 2019. I remember that and then our last one was in DC in 2020 at the Dabney and it was really just like a one topic get people together.
We've been to Philly, New York, ⁓ Atlanta, Nashville, like so a number of places we were really on a roll until like the pandemic happened. And then the reboot was real hard. ⁓ And it's hard for me at this point because fab has changed so much since then that it's really hard to work on it when you're in it. And
speaker-1 (41:37)
so much.
speaker-0 (41:39)
⁓ and
that has been a challenge that all being said actually in 2018, I was going to do a pop-up in LA and it was going to be a day long pop-up. was outrageously expensive. mean, I'm just looking at pop-ups in New York and the price to, take us an event space for a day without any food, without anything else is like 25 grand.
speaker-1 (42:03)
Just
gonna say, is it $30,000? Like just for to unlock the door?
speaker-0 (42:08)
It's prohibitive and you know, and in LA it was, I know what I pay for rentals here and what they were charging. again, and I want to make FAB where it's economically feasible for people no matter what position that they are in to attend. I look at what we charge, which is $700. And for three days,
where you are educated, you are fed, you are hydrated, ⁓ you have the resources at your fingertips. So the value is so great. I actually undervalued the value of FAB. when I go to another community, I would have to make it so outrageously, unless I had sponsors that were willing to...
underwrite the whole thing, then I can make it financially affordable to everyone. And it's hard, know, here I have all the contacts and I've been in this community for a long time and people are really willing to work with me because they believe in, in FAB. Even when you look at our statistics,
90 % of the attendees are outside of Charleston and about 10 % are really from here. I just have all the relationships here. You know, when you're talking about hotel rates and you're just talking about food and you're talking about venue costs and rentals and AV, everything.
speaker-1 (43:43)
been scheming if, and I don't know if this is feasible. I, the thing that I'm best at is, harebrained ideas. And I said this to somebody recently, it's like one out of 10 of them will be really good. And nine out of 10 of them are just don't work for whatever reason. And I'm not afraid to try them on and go for it. And it's worth it to me to try the nine on.
that suck in order to get the one that really works. And it's not like these have a huge cost behind them either at this stage. But I did wonder if a little her seat at the table dinner party series around at least like the state at first could be fun. And it just that got me thinking I wonder if people ask you about that all the time.
speaker-0 (44:29)
I think it depends upon what you're looking for to get out of that. you know, when I think about what you said, you know, in 2018, I pulled together a lunch during fab where I wanted it to be the future of the industry and have people from each, you know, an attorney, a chef, like, have like 20 people or 15 people around.
And just from their vantage point, what did they see as the future of this industry, where they presently are and when they look to the future. And then I thought I had this brilliant idea to get this court stenographer to actually then take notes. it was not one of my finest moments. I should have been present at this luncheon. I wasn't, had someone else present.
speaker-1 (45:16)
Yeah.
speaker-0 (45:24)
I didn't get out of it what I really wanted. And because really what I wanted was a stenographer who then had some family issues or whatever. But I wanted her to wrap the notes up in a nice little bow for me to then be able to share for everyone to have an industry report. And so that kind of fell flat. Futuristically, for fab speaking is
When you ask me, do I want to go to different areas? I do, I want to be able to grow it. And I'm hoping that this person, Heather, that I'm working with right now in New York, that she will enable me to, and enable FAB, not me, ⁓ to be able to go into a variety of different communities and do pop-ups. And then like that being said, like I sat back and I was like, what is important about FAB?
really kind of like taking, taking that and the educational part is really important. Obviously that's the cornerstone of it, but the community is also really important and the conversations that really come out of it. And then I was like, why don't, why can't I have like a three part in one day and have educational sessions in the morning?
and maybe have baking class where we're all like around together, whether we're making a bread or whether we're making a pie or whether we're making ⁓ several different things that can then maybe be served later on. And then we can all sit down in community and really be able to break bread together and deepen our conversations.
And I think in today's climate where we are, the more conversation that you could have is the better.
speaker-1 (47:16)
I agree face to face. Yeah,
speaker-0 (47:19)
Yeah, and I think with all those nine or 10 ideas that you have in your head, you need a sane person to talk you out.
speaker-1 (47:29)
I know.
speaker-0 (47:30)
of lot
of the things that you're willing to like be able to try. Honestly, in the festival, when I was there, an angel, then Postel, now Holmes was the executive director. She literally would come to me with the most harebrained ideas because she is just such a like thinker and has all these ideas floating around, but I'm the one that had to bring it like to execute it.
speaker-1 (47:57)
⁓ so you were the hole poker?
speaker-0 (48:00)
Oh, yeah. for sure. And you know, she came to me, she's like, I want to do an event on Fort Sumter and we were doing this new event called the critics dinner. and I really sat with it. And I was like,
All right, let's see if we can do it. And it's a matter of who you talk into believing your shit.
That is number one. So when people start believing that you have to believe it, like you could do it. And then like I really sat with it and I was like, okay, so I'm going to hire reenactors to go into a restaurant to invite these chefs in the middle of service. so we're going to start it like that way. We need to start the event before the event starts.
speaker-1 (48:43)
Yeah. how fun.
speaker-0 (48:45)
It was
a hour. Honestly, the claim to fame is that we were the only event ever to be done on Fort Sumter Yeah, it was not easy. It was probably like.
speaker-1 (48:56)
When was that?
speaker-0 (49:02)
14 years ago, I would say. It was crazy, they still, these rangers take care of the fort. very, I mean, all the chefs go to Fort Sumter. We took a ferry out. We did the whole journey so they could understand the history, because part of they had to use ingredients from that time. But I mean,
Like this event, had to load a boat at like zero dark hundred hour in the morning, bring it over to Fort Sumter. We had to load everything and drape it, but in a very Fort Sumter type of way, which that doesn't even make sense. And then we had to wait till they closed to be able to set up.
And like when you pull the plug there, like it is dark, like there is no light. So we had a really boat. And if you forgot something, it's not like you're on a street and you could go to like the store down the block. You're like SOL. yeah, so Angel like had this crazy idea. And for me to be able to think it all the way through to say, we could do this. So you need someone to be like, you're out of your mind or.
speaker-1 (50:18)
her.
speaker-0 (50:20)
Absolutely.
speaker-1 (50:21)
Yeah, or a little bit of both. Yeah. Well, Randi, you're so generous to do this and to meet up with me and share your time. Is there anything that we haven't touched on that you would want everybody to know about the 10th anniversary of FAB?
speaker-0 (50:41)
you know, I've really thought about what I want the 10 years to be. Yeah. And everyone, again, we got all this commentary back in our survey is like, you should have a party. Mostly it was a party. And karaoke. So we're not going to do karaoke. We will do maybe like a little like afternoon disco situation with the DJ.
a wise woman once said to me, in your lane. And I feel like my lane is not, I throw an educational party, but I don't need to, really just want people to take advantage of what Charleston has to offer. That being said, if I'm going to throw a party and throw money to that, I honestly would rather throw that money to provide scholarships.
because that's really what like is what warms my heart and being able to provide an opportunity for someone that might not be able to come on their own. And I think that we'll have kind of snippets of just, thank yous and throwbacks and things like that to your 10, but I don't wanna vary too much from what our mission really is.
speaker-1 (52:02)
Well, that is very hospitalitarian of you. can say our general manager at Glass House attended FAB last year on scholarship, and she was so grateful for the experience. And so was I. I was so pumped to have her there and to be able to share that with her. mean, those scholarships make such a huge impact.
speaker-0 (52:20)
They do. And I think that anyone that people, it's interesting, usually men say to me like, cannot get, like if they send someone, they're like, like they would not stop talking about FAB for like six months. And then even after it was like nonstop. I mean, honestly, the goal is for
If you're able to, if there are other people in your position and if you can pave that road a little bit more than it was, you know, when you traveled it, that's our goal. And just to really to be able to bring that community together.
speaker-1 (52:55)
Well, thank you so much. cannot wait. 10 years of FAB is coming up June. 7th through 9th, So we are.
speaker-0 (53:01)
seven through nine.
We're
going to add opportunities this year if people want to come in early to go crabbing with E.T.A. ⁓ And those are like going to be extra. We're not paying for those, like those are extra opportunities or to go shark tooth hunting with Chris Miller from Burnt and Sandy. And then, you know, our content will start at two o'clock.
on Sunday for those that choose, those are optional sessions before our welcome reception.
speaker-1 (53:34)
I wish I had come in on Saturday last year and I'm going to try and make that happen this year. Give myself the full day on Sunday to just like get settled and enjoy honestly just enjoy Charleston because that's what I felt like I really missed last year. just didn't give myself enough time.
speaker-0 (53:50)
I don't think there is, have, it's an action packed schedule. mean, honestly, like if you're, I mean, if you're getting up at seven to go walking or running with either Ashley, like Mitchell or with Carrie Crowe and, ⁓ having coffee with the speaker. I mean, your day, we, does it end until five and then there's like after that. ⁓
speaker-1 (54:09)
It's full.
the cocktail reception and then you want to go out to dinner and hang with your new friends you just met, hopefully.
speaker-0 (54:21)
Exactly. yeah, I mean, we keep you pretty busy that you really don't have an opportunity to really kind of just immerse yourself in the city.
speaker-1 (54:32)
Well, I hope I got to do that this year and I will definitely be seeing you there. thank you so much. Randi, you're such a gem.
speaker-0 (54:39)
Yeah, I appreciate it. Thank you. Anything I could do.