Pars & Paella, the inaugural charity event from FCSI The Americas members FoodSpace took place this week on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. The event also coincided with the foodservice consultancy’s 10-year anniversary.
Combining educational equipment manufacturer training sessions for consultants at the company’s test kitchen, which opened in 2024, the event also held a golf outing for 65 participants at the neighboring BanBury Golf Course. An evening celebration of Boise’s local Basque community was held at FoodSpace HQ with vast paella pans serving the 165 dinner attendees – who represented 30 US states, along with travelers from Germany and England – while traditional Basque dancers and musicians entertained the crowd.
Collaboration and innovation
The event benefited two impactful organizations that are helping to shape the future of the foodservice industry and community: FCSI Educational Foundation, which is supporting the future of foodservice consulting; and Life’s Kitchen, a local Boise charity empowering young adults through culinary and life skills training.
The evening Paella Festival & Celebration at FoodSpace HQ was MC’ed by the ever-excellent Joe Carbonara, editor in chief, Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazine (pictured above). “Tonight is a celebration of the vibrant Basque community in Boise, but also of FoodSpace, which has experienced a remarkable, thriving 10 years,” said Carbonara.
“It has a legacy of collaboration and innovation, and giving back to the communities that it serves.”
Marra Forni’s Danielle Mason (pictured below with FoodSpace CEO Joe Schumaker FCSI), a board member of the FCSI Educational Foundation, gave a “heartfelt thank you” to FoodSpace for its support of the organization, praising “the wonderful food and fellowship – and for investing in the future of our profession.”
Life’s Kitchen’s executive director Tammy Johnson praised the FoodSpace team for its “phenomenal” backing. “Thank you for being there for us and helping our young adults – who all have different backgrounds and challenges. Thank you for your support,” she said.
Schumaker (pictured below) said of the Pars & Paella event: “The energy here was amazing. It’s all about culture, community, and collaboration. This event has been a passion project of ours. Education is how we grow the foodservice industry, and consultants should be ferocious learners. People who think differently change industries; they keep trying things. Consultants must be innovative, collaborative, and passionate.”
Schumaker praised those “passionate professionals from all across the industry” who attended the event, representing foodservice at its best. “It’s not just networking, it’s celebrating a community and breaking bread, but also talking and thinking about the future of the industry. There are parts of this industry that are stale and dated and it’s hard to get people excited about making a career out of it. I think we’ve made this industry too hard and heavy. But there is so much joy in what we do. Me? I feel like I haven’t worked a day in my life since I left culinary school! And I really felt that joy today.”
Tightening the bonds
Eric Norman FCSI (pictured below at the event), president of FCSI Worldwide, who attended the event, praised “the camaraderie” that was in high supply at the event.
“For dealers, reps, manufacturers, and consultants alike this has been such a good way to come together for the industry and celebrate our common interests and support a good cause. It’s wonderful. I’ll always support events like this one, throughout our industry. We shot one over in the golf, so not great, but we had a really fun time. We’re happy to be here.”
For Norman, being able to communicate with all the channel partners at events such as Pars & Paella “is so important to the final product that we deliver to the client and end-user. We’re stronger when we work together as a cohesive group. Making connections at events like this helps us to tighten the bonds of a team that is serving our clients. And advancing those common goals of FCSI are so important,” he said.
Prior to the event, FCSI’s Foodservice Consultant team recorded a series of consultant-led panel sessions supported by UNOX, Alto-Shaam, Turbo Air, Vollrath, Marra Forni, and Tucs respectively, as well as interviews with Ryan Norman, director of consultant services, Middleby. The panels, moderated by Michael Jones, were filmed by Fuze and will be published on the magazine’s YouTube channel over the forthcoming weeks.
The panels included consultants William Caruso FFCSI, Joe Schumaker FCSI, FCSI Associate Joshua Miller, FCSI Associate Jen Hollenbeck, FCSI Associate Brenden Wright, FCSI Associate Joshua Murray, and FCSI Senior Associate Renee Palmer FCSI, plus chef Tyler Palace. Operators Dave Ochs and Bob Hart of Bon Appétit Management Company also participated, alongside expert voices from the sponsor companies.
Further details:
For more information about the great causes that Pars & Paella is supporting, please visit FCSI Educational Foundation and Life’s Kitchen.
Michael Jones
