From the Hive

Fireside Chat with McKenzie Hall Jones

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McKenzie Hall Jones recently joined Wild Hive (read the full release here), so we thought it would be a good idea to sit down for a little chat so you can learn a little more about what she’s all about.

Where do you get your inspiration from when developing a recipe for a client?

I love to “read” cookbooks and magazines; Instagram and Pinterest are brimming with beautiful inspiration; and often my recipes are inspired from foods and flavors that I’m simply craving. A lot of my favorite recipes are often variations on dishes I already love!

What would be your dream foodie adventure?  

I’d absolutely love to go on a road trip so I could taste my way through Italy. The thought of a weekly menu consisting of pasta, pizza, gelato, and wine sounds pretty blissful. Greece is also on my bucket list since I love all the flavors of Mediterranean cuisine.

What is your nutrition mission statement?

To me, eating well certainly does not equate to perfection. Some days, you might eat too much and some days you might eat too little and some days you might have a piece of chocolate cake with a heaping scoop of ice cream just because the occasion calls for it!

As a fairly recent newly-wed (to a fire fighter no less!), how have your eating habits changed as a couple?

It’s definitely made me better at meal prep and planning at the beginning of the week! Now that I’m cooking for two, meal planning and shopping in advance has been so helpful in preventing either of us from getting overly hungry at night. I’m also challenging myself a bit more to get outside of my comfort zone in the kitchen and try recipes I might not otherwise think to make. And while I’ve always been a big advocate of leftovers, my leftover appreciation has gone to a whole new level. I usually make big portions for dinner, which helps a lot! Cook once, eat twice!

What food/nutrition/wellness trends are you seeing that you’re excited about?

For starters, I truly love the growing interest of food and nutrition in general.  When I meet someone for the first time and share with them what I do, it often seems to open the gateway of a game to 20 questions. I hear questions about what foods to eat, how I eat, what the latest nutrition science is, etc. I love that people feel comfortable enough to ask these kinds of questions; conversations like this only seem to emphasize that food is our common ground, it helps bring people together, and it’s something that I love. From a more specific standpoint,  I love seeing the emphasize on plant-based diets and the increased interest in connecting to where our food comes from (I love farmers!). I also get a little bit overly excited about research surrounding the gut-brain connection.

As a Canadian-native living in Los Angeles, what do you miss most about Alberta?

Of course I miss the people, but I also miss that big blue Alberta sky, the really, really late summer nights, and having a white Christmas. I also love to ice skate and truly miss all the enthusiasm of hockey lovers around me, too!

A few other fun facts about McKenzie:

  • I love to travel. My favorite place I’ve been to is Austria; when I graduated from college, I backpacked with three girlfriends for 5 weeks in Central America and ate gallo pinto almost every day (and never got sick of it); and on my honeymoon, my husband and I explored Peru and went to Machu Picchu
  • I can still (kind of) tap dance!
  • I could still probably recite the entire movie “Grease” from start to finish 🙂
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Allison Beadle

Allison’s marketing career began as a registered dietitian working in oncology. You read that correctly. Working in the clinical world gave Allison a heart for people and the role of food in healing, but after a couple of years, it was time for a change. So, she made the leap to the food industry where she worked in marketing and managed nutrition communications for the Central Market division of the H.E.B. Grocery Company. She was blessed to work with some of the most remarkable, interesting, and intelligent people in her career.  It was here that she found her passion for food storytelling and marketing.  She found that her background in nutrition science, love of food, fascination with culture and travel, innate desire to continually connect with others, and expressive nature were a good mix for educating consumers, professionals, and industry members. And innovating.

As the president and CEO of Wild Hive, she does everything you might imagine she does.  Each day, she gets to work with awesome people, incredible clients, inspiring industries, innovative entrepreneurs intent on changing the world, and she travels a good bit.  And she’s grateful each and every day for the opportunity to build a business that thinks and acts differently and hopefully makes life better for everyone it comes in contact with.

Prior to launching Wild Hive, Allison was senior vice president for Fleishman-Hillard, Inc. where she counseled numerous brands and commodity organizations including Chobani Greek Yogurt, the California Raisin Marketing Board, Paramount Farms (Wonderful Pistachios), the Tri-Lamb Group, TexaSweet Citrus Marketing, the National Mango Board, Sunsweet, the California Table Grape Commission, the United States Potato Board, and the Texas Beef Council.

As a former retail dietitian, Allison has a special place in her heart for the trailblazing dietitians who are doing amazing things to educate consumers and transform the retail grocery industry.  To that end, she helped spearhead the launch of two game-changing initiatives focused on helping retail dietitians succeed: the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA) and Fleishman-Hillard’s ‘What’s in Store.’

Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in nutrition science from Boston University. A member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), she is past-chair of the Food and Culinary Professionals (FCP) Dietetic Practice Group (DPG) and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP).

Allison is wife to Brian and mommy to Audrey (6 years) and Walker (3 years).  More than anything in the world, she loves traveling and exploring with her family…taking her kids along for exciting adventures to big cities, small towns, countrysides, islands, and everywhere in between.  She’s an eighth generation Texan.  And it’s never a dull moment in her world!

Brian Beadle

As Creative Director for Wild Hive, Brian combines nearly a decade of professional design experience with his passion for food, fitness, and healthy lifestyle. Along with overseeing brand development, graphic design, photograpy, and marketing, Brian provides strategic insight on trends analysis and forecasting for Wild Hive and our clients. In addition, he is responsible for implementing ongoing nutrition issues and media monitoring for several Wild Hive clients.

As the strategy lead for BeetElite, Brian worked with numerous national cycling media outlets, such as Peloton Magazine and Bicycling Magazine as well as negotiating sponsorships with professional cyclists. For the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA), Brian was responsible for developing the organization’s logo and branding, which was incorporated into web design, newsletter design, and additional marketing materials.

Currently, Brian provides design direction, creative strategy, and media research & outreach for the National Processed Raspberry Council (NPRC) and WOOM Bikes USA, an innovative local Austin, Texas bicycle company.

Brian earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Texas A&M University. Brian is an avid cyclist, musician, dad, foodie, and a registered landscape architect in the state of Texas.

Mary Kimbrough, RD

An award-winning food service professional and communicator, Mary has extensive knowledge and experience in operations, program development, implementation and training, in the realm of food, nutrition and culinary arts.

A producer of real solutions to her clients, Mary can tap into her trusted network of professionals in the culinary nutrition field to craft the ideal product or service for the project at hand. This active network is the culmination of a rich and varied career and her dedication to efficient problem solving. Mary is that exceptionally vital link between food and food manufacturers to recipe to plate on the table.

Mary’s expertise in the field helped her create a healthful dining concept, menu, and recipes for Royal Caribbean International Food and Beverage Departments’ new class of ships – Oasis of the Seas. The liner’s Solarium Bistro offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with a transparently healthful menu that allows the guests a choice when dining. Additional clients have included: American Heart Association, Amtrak, Giordano’s Pizza Sara Lee/Hillshire Farm, Custom Culinary, Quaker/PepsiCo, Welch’s, Puente Inc., Amtrak., Texas Beef Council, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Weight Watchers/Gilsa Dairy division.

In 2006 she created Food Roots LLC, a premier Texas culinary and agricultural tourism company offering unique health-focused Texas food and wine experiences through custom tours, cooking classes, and dining adventures.

Prior to establishing these enterprises, she was director of Nutrition and Hospitality Services for the University of Texas Southwestern University Hospitals. In this position, she was recognized for her vision and leadership in marrying the culinary arts to the science of nutrition in foodservice. Her masterful blend of healthcare nutrition and culinary excitement has earned Mary numerous accolades. In 1998, the International Food Manufacturers Association presented her its Silver Plate Award, and Restaurants & Institutions magazine named her food service department an IVY Award winner.
Mary’s numerous seminars, lectures and workshops focus on the message that nutritious food is also delicious food. In 2007, Mary was selected to present The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Lenna Francis Cooper Memorial Lecture at AND’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition (the second highest honor given to its members). She also has collaborated with The Culinary Institute of America Certified Master Chef Victor Gielisse in co-authoring In Good Taste: A Contemporary Approach to Cooking (Prentice Hall), a textbook-cookbook that joins culinarians and dietitians in the pursuit of nutritious, contemporary cooking.

Mary provides years of hands-on experience to professional organizations such as AND, mentioned above. She is a charter member and former chair of AND’s Food & Culinary Professionals Dietetic Practice Group, a past board member of Association for Healthcare Foodservice (AHF) and has served as Chair for the Dallas Chapters of Les Dames d`Escoffier and the American Institute for Wine and Food. She is a founding member of Foodways Texas, a current board member in addition to serving as their education committee co-chair.

Jeff Gross

Jeff is an accomplished researcher and analyst with more than 30 years experience fielding numerous B2B and B2C market research studies. He is the founding partner of Integra Marketing Research, which applies sound and proven marketing research principles, whether to tried and true study designs or to innovative methodologies to properly answer business questions.

Jeff founded and operated the full-service marketing research firm, Gross Marketing Research, for 27 years. Prior to Gross Marketing Research, he held positions in marketing research on the client side at The Pillsbury Company and Del Monte U.S.A., as well as on the supplier side at Edwin J. Gross, Inc. and Leo J. Shapiro & Associates.

He has conducted numerous market research studies for food industry clients including C&W Frozen Foods, Del Monte U.S.A, Discovery Foods, Farmhouse Foods, Golden Heritage Foods, Mariani Packaging Company, Nakano Foods, Nancy’s Specialty Foods, Henry’s Supper Shop, Otis Spunkmeyer, San Francisco French Bread Company, Culinary Brands, Taylor Farms, the American Lamb Board, the Tri-Lamb Group, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, National Honey Board, and the National Mango Board.

Jeff received his B.A. in Economics and Psychology from Lake Forest College and his M.B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago. Jeff is a passionate outdoor enthusiast and resides in the Lake Tahoe area where he enjoys skiing and mountain biking.

Megan Lacy

Megan Lacy is a communications professional whose message development and media relations expertise has exceeded objectives for clients across industries. She has experience managing and synthesizing complicated issues in order to develop impactful, clear messaging to support overall communications goals.

Megan has strong experience in public awareness, education and advocacy efforts for clients across government, business and non-profit sectors, along with a proven track record of delivering strong media relations results and counsel on a variety of communications issues.

Most recently, Megan served as the managing director of communications for the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, an equestrian sport non-profit organization focused on serving the Hunter and Jumper disciplines. She also served as director of the USHJA Foundation, which provides funding to USHJA programs and provides grants and scholarships to USHJA members. In these roles, she wore virtually every hat—strategic counselor and tactical implementation lead, guiding and executing email marketing, social media, content, media, and issues management strategies.

Prior to the USHJA, Megan worked for international communications firm FleishmanHillard, supporting clients across numerous industries, including food and agriculture. In her tenure with FleishmanHillard, she led numerous accounts, exceeding client objectives. Clients ranged from Tri-Lamb to the Department of Homeland Security. Her experience working with food and agriculture, state government, federal government, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofits allows her to easily integrate into an organization’s workflow and lead teams to success against shared goals.

 

Megan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin.

Allie Jones

By combining her love of all things Agriculture, communicating creatively, and working with amazing people, Allie Jones found her career sweet spot. Pair that with unquenchable curiosity, a love of food puns, and a glass-half-full kind of attitude you have a career that feels like an adventure.

 

Allie received her Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Communications and a minor in Journalism from the University of Wyoming in 2015 (Go Pokes!) then moved down to warm up in Austin while interning at Rodeo Austin. She decided to stay in Austin and got the position of promoting and growing the GO TEXAN marketing program at the Texas Department of Agriculture. While working at TDA and with the GO TEXAN companies her passion for helping the food and agriculture industry grew.

 

Allie continues to stay hungry and curious in her career by looking forward to every adventure.

 

When she isn’t working with clients or brainstorming with her Wild Hive team members she is spending time with her family either in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, on her family’s ranch in central Texas or going on adventures, near a far, with her boyfriend, Patrick, and their new side-kick-pup, Maggie.