Linda Kavanagh

Founder, MaxEx Public Relations, LLC
Food & Travel Writer

Having worked her way through the exciting hospitality world, including stints as a chef, bartender, catering director, and every other life-affirming task that draws one into the hospitality industry forever, Linda left the kitchen side of the business and transitioned into being a supporter of the industry - trading her apron in for the almighty press release.

Linda’s first client was South Norwalk’s, now uber-popular, Barcelona Restaurant. “It was their first restaurant in the company and my first PR client on my own after leaving my New York firm in 1997, “she recalls. And the rest is history as Barcelona went on to be one of the biggest restaurant success stories in Connecticut and MaxEx became the go-to firm for restaurants and chefs looking to make a name for themselves.

MaxEx has worked with over 300 Connecticut and New York restaurants to date.  Other fields of concentration include wine and spirit brands, retail properties, and real estate collectives.  Linda has led media tours throughout Friuli Venezia Giulia Italy, cooked across America touting Ghirardelli Chocolate’s baking line, and hosted Side Dish, the Allied Domecq / Pernod Ricard sponsored food and wine radio show on COX Media for three years.

Linda is the co-founder of the New England Culinary Group 501(c)(6), a networking group and support arm for the hospitality industry comprised of a vast array of talented individuals who specialize in providing restaurants and hotels with the necessary products, services, and guidance to create, open, and operate a successful business.

An award-winning food and travel writer, Linda contributes to such regional and national publications as Venü and Total Food Service. As a frequent speaker at The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show in New York, Marcum Events, The CT Writer’s Conference at Norwalk Community College, and Southern Connecticut State University's Making Connections Journalism Conference, Linda addresses the issues pertaining to the promotion of the hospitality industry and the responsibility that food journalists and publicists have to the industry as a whole. Linda is a Hospitality Consultant, conducting seminars for the CT Chapter of the Women's Business Development Council, among other business support groups throughout the region.

Email Linda

For your Reading Pleasure

VENÜ Magazine


Total Food Service  
Public Relations and Chef Profiles - Monthly Column
 

Julie Webel

Social Media Director

Julie Webel is a social media expert who has been spearheading this always-evolving segment of MaxEx PR since 2016.  A University of Connecticut graduate with a background in hospitality, Julie creates robust social media campaigns for an industry she has tremendous respect for.

Utilizing original photography and best practices, Julie manages broad social media campaigns that focus on reaching hyper-local 'real-life customers' on behalf of her clients, garnering significant growth and engagement on all platforms.

Julie continues to keep her finger on the pulse of social media marketing, managing and troubleshooting the intricacies of today's most influential communications platforms. 

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Serena Norr

Digital Director / Influencer Marketing

Upon graduating from Hunter College, Serena developed a passion for digital media while serving as an Editor/Writer at Playbill and Tea and Coffee Trade Journal. Expanding upon the digital side of the media industry, Serena took on the role of Managing Editor for Momtrends.com, and later as the Editor-in-Chief of Unilever's All Things Hair and the Editorial Director for CottagesGardens.com. She has also been a freelance writer for over 16 years, covering family travel, food, music, culture, and more!
 
Serena enjoys working behind the scenes; crafting strategies for brands, producing target market, and high-profile events, leveraging a brand’s social media platforms, ultimately creating an online presence that's meaningful and authentic. She is a frequent speaker at numerous social media industry conferences, including Blissdom, where she shares her knowledge of digital writing, SEO, and industry trends.
 
Serena also loves to write plays and covers travel, food, and adventures on her blog, TheWeekendJaunts.com, as well as contributing events, resources, and local news on NorthernWestchesterMoms.com.
 
At MaxEx Public Relations, LLC, Serena incorporates her tremendous set of skills and passion for the hospitality and lifestyle industry to help brands stay connected to their audience, as well as grow in an organic, yet strategic way.

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David Milton

Content Creator

A Hartford native and foodie. David Milton has been a food and content creator/blogger for over 7-years working closely to support Connecticut small businesses and restaurants across the entire state of Connecticut. 100K plus combined followers across his social media platforms he’s appeared on ABC News, CT Now with Taylor Kinzler, and has been featured in CTINSIDER. He’s also attracted the attention of larger national brands working closely as an ambassador with McDonalds, MGM resort and Casinos, Coca-Cola and Nike.

As a Content Creator for MaxEx, David tells the stories of our clients through his camera and video lenses, capturing the food, energy, and people behind the brands we represent.