Ep78: keeping it creative

It’s hard not to feel a little burned out after COVID, postponements, and the ‘22 wedding boom. Four months ago, everyone was in the weeds. Two months ago, we were grateful for the holiday season and the rest that it brought with it. And now we’re back in it trying to get ready for another go-round in the spring and summer.

Today, I interview Bob Spiegel, the chef owner of Pinch Food Design in New York City. He didn’t lose his motivation during the pandemic. In fact, he found renewed inspiration. This wasn’t his first experience with a rough stretch. He’s been through them before, because he’s been catering parties for the past 40 years.

And even though he’s got more years on his resume than many wedding pros do years on this planet, he still approaches daily work like a kid. He’s curious. He’s constantly challenging himself. And he’s committed to his team like few other business owners I know in the industry.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear:

– How Bob balances running a business with feeding his creative spirit

– What gives him the edge he needs to keep things sharp day in and day out for four decades

– And what he does to refill his passion and put purpose to everyday work

I hope you enjoy the conversation.

A short message about a new program for planners I’m doing with Megan Gillikin of The Planner’s Vault. If you or someone you know want to get out of the month-of rut and book more full-planning clients, check out Breakthrough.

It’s a three-month intensive designed to show planners how to sell and service more than month-of couples.

www.breakthroughweddingplanning.com

Bob’s Bio:

Chef Bob Spiegel is the founder of Pinch Food Design: a catering company that creates culinary experiences as imaginative as they are practical.

A Chef as long as he can remember, Spiegel entered the NYC catering scene in 1983. After a hiatus from cooking abroad, honing his skills in Italy, Hong Kong, and India, he started Creative Edge Parties in 1989. After 20 years running CEP, Bob crossed paths with TJ Girard, a set designer from a previous life, sold his business, and started anew.

Pinch Food Design was launched to revolutionize catering – to reinvent how parties looked and felt and to change how guests thought about and interacted with food at events. The ability to look at food from a different vantage point – whether physically staring up at pizzas hanging from hooks, watching beignets slide into a pool of honey, or just seeing a familiar dish presented in a new form – and then sharing that with a fellow partygoer? That is how meaningful memories are made, and Spiegel relishes any opportunity to be a part of it.

Website:  Pinch Food Design

Social Media: Pinch Food Design @ Insta