Columbus Convention and Trade Center contracts outside the city for food and beverage service

The Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center has announced a new partnership with Levy, based in Chicago, to transform the food and beverage experience at the Historic Iron Works. According to the Convention and Trade Center, the collaboration brings a new level of elevated service and a renewed commitment to authentic, locally inspired flavors for events at the iconic venue on the banks of the Chattahoochee River.

Levy will bring its restaurateur culture and culinary creativity to enhance the guest experience across the venue’s conventions, meetings, community celebrations and special events. Levy chefs and hospitality teams will work with event planners to create experiences that feature chef-driven menus, local ingredients and elevated presentations.

Among the culinary highlights will be an expanded in-house baking program delivering fresh-made pastries, desserts and breads, as well as a new in-house smoker chefs will use across events. Mobile self-service kiosks will bring added flexibility to customize food and beverage service based on the needs of each event. And longer term, the Historic Iron Works and Levy will collaborate on new restaurant and café concepts housed within the venue.

What about epic Columbus caterers?

EPIC, based in Columbus, was named in Gayot’s Top 40 Fine Dining Eateries and is the only Georgia AAA Four Diamond Award winner outside of Atlanta.

Chef Jamie Keating and his managing business partner, his wife, Melissa, and their team have catered in Lagrange, Atlanta, and for private groups at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta.

“We started the Rivermill Event Center and catered for as many as 6,000 guests. So, we could have managed catering for the Convention and Trade Center. We would have loved to be asked, but we weren’t,” said Melissa Keating.

Levy brings expertise and a proven history across major convention centers and entertainment and event venues throughout the region and beyond. Its extensive network includes the Georgia World Congress Center and State Farm Arena in Atlanta, as well as the Chattanooga Convention Center, among others.

Epic has a rich history of supporting the Columbus community.

“Companies like Levy have bulk purchasing power, but we could have done that if given the opportunity. We wish them the best of luck,” said Keating.

Now Georgia is still awaiting a response from Hayley Tillery, Executive Director of the Columbus Convention and Trade Center.