Jody Birnbaum, is the President of Caterconsult, Inc. Jody spent twenty plus years in the catering business and was the founder and owner of Pear Tree Catering, Ltd.

Jody brings a strong and varied skill set to the table as a consultant. She is a focused communicator who listens well and is able to facilitate an effective communication strategy within any organization. Her overall knowledge of the industry and her ability to “look at the big picture” while having an empathic connection to the many members of both the front and back of the house, set her apart in the industry. Jody uses her wicked combination of experience, humor and compassion to build professional and collaborative teams of associate consultants, business owners and their staff.

As an adjunct faculty member at the Culinary School of Kendall College, Jody teaches Introduction to Foodservice Business Planning. Jody designed the course to help students understand the basic business issues impacting most new businesses including start-up expenses, build outs, licensing, insurance, taxes, legalities, menu development, pricing, costing, inventory, human resources, financial management, sales and marketing.

Jody has been an industry speaker and presenter at The Catersource Conference and various other catering and restaurant associations, along with local small business and community organizations. Jody has a passion for food & business, and in an ongoing effort to stay on top of the latest trends, she travels frequently, dines out often, and attends many industry-related food shows. Jody has been quoted in North Shore Magazine, The Chicago Sun Times, Catering Magazine, Chef Magazine, The Daily Herald and Catersource Magazine. Jody has also written articles for various industry trade magazines and a local dining guide.

Dennis Antoniello

Dennis Antoniello grew up in an Italian Family where both food and cooking were highly valued. After attending Eastern Michigan University on a Football Scholarship, Dennis turned his growing passion for food into a career. He began his very successful restaurant career in the mid seventies as a manager, where he opened the first Bennigan’s in Oakbrook followed by the first TGI Fridays in Schaumburg.

In the early 1980’s Dennis was hired by Ala Carte Entertainment, Inc. as the opening GM for the Schaumburg Snuggery and then opened their Division Street and Northbrook locations as the General Manager. Dennis spent the next 10 years with Ala Carte Entertainment, and then worked with the Bacin Group as a GM at Bacino’s, opening their first fine dining concept. Tapped next by the Carlucci Group, Dennis opened Vinny’s on Sheffield and managed their Rosemont Location.

Given the opportunity to open his own restaurant, Dennis moved back to Michigan in the mid-nineties and opened D’Amato’s, along with Goodnite Gracie’s Martini and Cigar Lounge. With the success of both concepts in Royal Oak, Dennis opened additional locations in Ann Arbor. Always an innovator Dennis knew that his next idea for a “Country European” concept would be a hit, and shortly thereafter boocoo restaurant in Royal Oak was named “Restaurant of the Year” in 2004 by Our Magazine Detroit.

Returning to Chicago to attend to some family matters, it wasn’t long before the restaurant bug bit again and Dennis opened and operated Socca Restaurant Chicago. Socca has been featured in Chicago Magazine and received great reviews along with Sherman Kaplan’s review as one of Chicago’s Best New Restaurants.

Wanting to share his passion and knowledge of the industry, Dennis joined the Adjunct Faculty at the prestigious Culinary School of Kendall College and launched a consulting career. His extensive knowledge of the wine, beverage and culinary world has enabled him to build solid and great relationships with local, national and international winemakers, master distillers, Green City Market farmers and food vendors. The experience of the past thirty years has taught Dennis that while passion is paramount, this is very much a business.

Chef Eric LeVine graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. and credits celebrity Chef David Burke with sparking his passion and creative artistry with food.

Shortly after graduation the industry took note when young Chef Eric became Chef de Cuisine at the signature Marriott Marquis in New York City. He was twice featured in Wine Spectator Magazine with an Award of Excellence and USA Today recognized him as one of the Top Ten New Chefs in both 1994 and 1995.

The accolades and awards have continued over the last 15 years. Please visit Eric's website at (www.exqconsulting.com) for a complete listing and for a glimpse of his new cookbook. Chef Eric is truly a catering trendsetter ... setting the highest standard of "wow" in our industry.

As a gifted "Off-Premise Catering Chef", a rather rare breed in the industry, he knows and understands the incredible demands of off-premise catering. He is a master teacher when it comes to knowing how to best prepare, hold and finish food to it’s most delicious potential with exquisite presentation. Did we mention he does all of this with a great attitude and an eye on the bottom line?

Joel Berman, ALA, LEED-AP, is the founder and President of Joel Berman Architecture & Design, Ltd., a full service boutique architectural design firm specializing in environmentally conscious and innovative restaurant and commercial projects.

Joel has a passion for great design and concepting ideas with freehand sketching. As an adjunct faculty member at the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF), Joel created and teaches ‘How to Sketch Like an Architect’, in which students learn how to document the built environment with a formulaic approach to freehand sketching, culminating in the ability to think and design in three dimensions.

An avid kayaker, Joel also leads CAF architectural kayak tours on the Chicago River, and is an advocate for Friends of the Chicago River, currently illustrating the Chicago Riverfront Development Guidelines. As Secretary of the Executive Board of the Andersonville Development Corporation, Joel helped create the guidelines for Eco-Andersonville, a local environmental initiative that promotes and encourages sustainable small business operations.

Joel Berman Architecture & Design is an Eco-Andersonville certified small business; Joel is also certified LEED-AP by the U.S. Green Building Council, an internationally recognized green building authority. Joel is passionate about the urban environment, he rides his bike to work, and regularly kayaks to Chinatown.

Sharon Barson is a lifelong resident of Chicago, with extensive experience in opening and managing restaurants both in Chicago and around the country. Her humble beginnings found her slicing onions and cleaning grease traps in her father’s restaurant when she was only 12 years old. Instead of discouraging her from an industry which at that time, had very few women operators, she thrived on the challenges and the interesting people she met on a daily basis.

After running restaurants for venerable companies such as Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc., Carmichael's Chicago Steak House and Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, she began her own business helping others open theirs.

Sharon brings her considerable talent and experience to the foodservice consulting industry as an expert in restaurant openings. Most recently Sharon has helped to launch Morgan's Charhouse in Winfield, Chicago Prime Steakhouse in Schaumburg, and is assisting with the grand reopening of The Omega Restaurant and Bakery in Niles.

Following Sharon's guidelines from start to finish, is the winning formula for a successful opening. No stone is unturned, nothing is forgotten and everything runs smoothly. Whether you are building from scratch or walking into a turn-key operation, Sharon’s connections, resources and streamlined systems will set you up for success.

One of the advantages of working with Caterconsult, Inc. is that you can tap into the resources of top-notch professionals with a combined experience in the industry totaling too many years to count. We will be able to point you in the right direction and connect you with experts at every level of development.