Our Team

Our range of products requires an incredible amount of work to maintain, and we count on some of the most talented industry professionals to make that happen. From the skills of our internal staff to the outstanding support from industry leaders, the Catersource team is a content community geared for you and your business needs.

Crystalyn Bauer | Event Coordinator
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2024

Crystalyn comes to us with a strong background in the hospitality industry and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Communications from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. Prior to joining the Catersource team she spent 9 years between Cedar Fair Entertainment Company and an IHG Crowne Plaza Hotel working in both sales and events. This prepared her for the detailed and organized planning required to coordinate the special events and activities of the Catersource show. She has long been an admirer of catering and events and enjoys the opportunity to work with both! Crystalyn currently resides in the UBM-Catersource Minneapolis office.

Lisa Brenna | Account Manager
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2023

Lisa Brenna, CPCE is the Account Manager for Exhibit and Sponsorship Event Sales for the Catersource Brand. Her past careers have encompassed many titles in the catering and events industry including: Convention and Banquet Services for Intercontinental Hotel Group, Banquet/Bar/Sales & Marketing and Business Development for a local on and off premise catering company, Catering Sales for Starwood Hotels and Sales/Marketing and Operations for national restaurant/catering and venue hospitality groups. In addition to her current career at Catersource, Lisa has been a consultant at her company, Brenna Consulting for Catersource, serving as the Special Events Coordinator from 2007 thru March 2017. She received her Certified Professional in Catering and Events designation (CPCE) in 2015 from the National Association of Catering and Events (NACE). She served on the NACE Minneapolis/Saint Paul chapter board from 2007 thru 2016, including Presidency.

LaShara Darkenwald | Account Manager
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2033

LaShara Darkenwald is the Media Account Manager for the Catersource brand. Her background includes a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Minnesota, and a Culinary Arts Degree from Le Cordon Bleu. Before she joined the Catersource Team she was the Digital Marketing Manager for ABC Radio, then made a career change to pursue her culinary dream of becoming a Chef. Her professional cooking experience include Sage Hospitality, Macy’s Food Division, America’s Test Kitchen, and local restaurant favorite Barbette.

After working behind the scenes in professional kitchens, LaShara expanded her talents to coordinate events. She has experience understanding the logistics for both back of house and front of house logistics that make for a successful event. This perspective translate well for the Catersource brand in helping clients reach their branding goals.

Kathryn Frankson | Marketing Manager
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2021

Kathryn has been successfully developing live event, partner and marketing campaigns driving revenue growth, conversions, profit and brand development for Catersource stakeholders and partners for over ten years. A seasoned marketing and sales professional and lover of analytics, logic and digital marketing solutions, Kathryn is a top resource for event strategy and revenue generating partnerships. With a bachelor's degree in Journalism, Digital Marketing Certificate and professional concentration in marketing, digital and content trends, Kathryn has the unique perspective to increase yield, develop strategies and create measurable and effective solutions

Matthew Kelzenberg | Office & Purchase Order Coordinator
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2022

Matthew’s responsibilities range from managing accounting functions to inventory management and keeping up with many of the daily office functions including but not limited to registration for conferences and customer service responsibilities.

Amber Krohn

Amber Krohn | Marketing Operations Specialist
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2029

With a strong strategic communication, digital marketing, and public relations background, Amber develops marketing materials to reach the brand's goals, including social media content, e-newsletters, website copy, and graphic design. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double major in Journalism and Communication Arts (Radio/TV/Film).

Nancy Moore

Nancy Moore | Marketing Director
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2035

Nancy joined the Catersource team with over 25 years of marketing and advertising experience in consumer, manufacturing, and association channels. In her former positions, she has been responsible for the strategic planning and implementation of integrated marketing programs, as well as live events and trade shows. She graduated from the University of Minnesota where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in business management and marketing. At Catersource, Nancy and her team lead the brand's strategic marketing process with a goal to drive brand awareness and ultimately show attendance.

Dave Pruka | Director of Sales
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2026

With more than 25 years of back and front of the house hospitality experience, Dave's expertise and knowledge of the catering industry is second to none. With a marketing degree from the University of Minnesota, he has been combining his keen industry knowledge with his business acumen to become an unwavering resource for clients for years.

After his tenure with one of the premier caterers in Minnesota and his leadership contribution to an award-winning national steakhouse franchise, Dave expanded his skill set and joined the fast-paced wine industry. His extensive knowledge ranges from sales and distribution to wine education. Since joining Catersource in 2006, his role as the director of tradeshow sales has enabled him to pull the right companies into the annual Tradeshow for an experience that is successful for both vendors and attendees.

Angie Ridgeway | Customer Success Manager
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2028

Organized and adept at critical and systems thinking, Angie ensures the Catersource customer experience is effective and impactful. In her role, Angie has a fundamental understanding of accounting solutions, CRM, and reporting tools as well as trade show pre/post and onsite management. Working closely with the Catersource sales team, Angie streamlines internal event and media functionalities to enable top line revenue growth. Angie's background lies in higher education, hospitality and customer service adding to her depth of process support and improvement.

Kathleen Stoehr | Director of Content
Contact: [email protected]
Direct: 612.253.2030

Kathleen is an award-winning writer, editor, and creative director responsible for aligning and building the Catersource brand with high-quality content online and also live education at the Catersource Conference & Tradeshow, and the Art of Catering Food.

In publishing for over two decades, she is the recipient of awards from the Society of Professional Journalists; the National Parenting Media Association; and the Minnesota Magazine Publishing Association. Kathleen is a trend spotter, having spent most of her career watching what others do and respond to, and then reporting how like-responses and interests begin to assemble like puzzle pieces into trends and shorter-lived fads.

She is the author of a couple of books and is on the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) executive board of directors (Treasurer) and a member of the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) for which she is BarSmarts certified

Mike Roman | Founder
1945-2013 (Read our tribute to Mike)

Mike, along with his wife Bernice, started Catersource in 1982 with the simple mission of helping all types of caterers achieve increased profitability along with a better quality of life. His vision and passion for catering made him a dynamic force in the industry. In addition to being a seasoned catering professional, Mike was also a college-level instructor with a master's degree in education. He wrote and published three books on catering tactics, strategies and solutions and was one of the most sought-after consultants and speakers in the industry.

The catering community suffered a great loss when Mike passed away in June 2013. His leadership of Catersource and teachings have shaped the direction, raised the level of professionalism, and brought a positive public image to the industry.

Futurama!