Literary Agent, Culinary Talent Agent to Headline PWC Luncheon
SPRINGFIELD — Lisa Ekus, founder of the Hatfield-based Lisa Ekus Group Inc. and a literary agent and national culinary talent agent, will keynote the Professional Women’s Chamber Headline Luncheon on Wednesday, March 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carriage House at Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield, sponsored by season sponsor BusinessWest and luncheon sponsor TD Bank.
Established in 1982, the Lisa Ekus Group Inc. specializes in “representing a world of culinary talent” consisting of authors, chefs, cookbooks, and food products. The agency consults on marketing and public-relations strategies for culinary businesses and acts as a multi-media placement service, matching food experts with corporations looking for product representatives, spokespersons, consultants, and recipe developers. It also offers nationally recognized media-training seminars and cookbook programs. Ekus’s workshops, seminars, and lectures have taken her around the globe, where she speaks about everything from culinary trends and building a brand to new media and how to go ‘blog to book.’
Launched in 2000, the Literary Agency division of the Lisa Ekus Group offers book-agent services and publishing consulting, currently representing more than 150 authors and working with numerous leading publishers.
The agency has received an Award of Excellence from the International Assoc. of Culinary Professionals (IACP) in the Small Business/Entrepreneur category. The company was also part of the team that won a Silver Edison Award from the American Marketing Assoc. for the introduction of Lipton’s Kettle Creations Soup Mix, and the media training program has been featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, as well as in national magazines such as Food Arts and Restaurant Hospitality.
Ekus has served on Share Our Strength’s National Leadership Council, the development team of the capital campaign (which she co-chaired) for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts (on whose board she served for 10 years), and the Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) executive board. She has also served as a member of the corporation of the Culinary Institute of America, the board of directors of the New England Chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food, and the board of directors of the IACP, as well as being its past national public relations chairperson. She was also a founding member of the Society for Cuisine in America and Northampton Hospitality Inc.
She is an avid fund-raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, PeaceTrees Vietnam, and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and a member of IACP, WCR, Les Dames d’Escoffier, the Culinary Guild of New England, Southern Foodways Alliance, Slow Food USA, and the Women Presidents’ Organization. She is also a full member of the Assoc. of Authors’ Representatives (AAR).
Advance reservations for the luncheon are suggested. Tickets are $30 for PWC members, $40 for general admission, and free for PWC Headline Luncheon season-pass holders. Reservations may be made online at www.professionalwomenschamber.com or by e-mailing [email protected]. Season-pass holders must register for complimentary admission.
