Luciana Bianchi, Journalist

Luciana Bianchi is an Italian-Brazilian journalist, book author and trained chef with a background in Molecular Science. A frequent traveller, polyglot, and food researcher with more than 20 years experience in the field, she has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants, cooked for celebrities, interviewed highly acclaimed international chefs, and published work in 15 countries. According to those in the industry, Luciana Bianchi is one of the most influential people working in gastronomy, forming opinion and discovering new talent around the world.

You have an incredibly extensive amount of experience in cooking and food writing; what brought you into gastronomy in the first place?

I come from a family of food lovers and great cooks. However, in Brazil in the 90s, cooking professionally was not an option for young people who had a family with an academic background. In 1990, a friend gave me the book ‘White Heat - Marco Pierre White’ with the photos of Bob Carlos Clark; it impressed me so profoundly that I decided to leave my Business Studies course at University to become a chef. This is probably why I take cookbooks so seriously - one of them changed my life!

With the fast-growing presence of social-media, as well as a multitude of other multi-media outlets in all fields of communication, how is the profession of food writing changing?

Substantially! Communication is now more immediate and available at incredible speeds. You can self publish and there are endless possibilities to communicate opinions and ideas through the social networks. The disadvantage is the abundance of wrong information available in the webspace too. Not all people disseminate real facts, but rather turn personal agendas or weak opinions into "true facts". You must check the sources before trusting what you read online. In gastronomic terms, people who eat in restaurants as a hobby are often believed to be food experts - magazines and newspapers started to accept unqualified people as food writers, as many of them write free of charge, desperate to have their names published.

With such an internationally-based career, is there any one place that you consider “home”?

To be honest, I never had that feeling, even as a child. I was born Brazilian-Italian and multiculturalism is in my blood. I had one Italian grandmother and another Native Brazilian Tupi-Guarani. I was always a restless person, wishing to see the world. I think that the feeling of belonging to a place can lead to division, to nationalistic ideas, and to over protectionism towards one’s own culture. When you travel, you see that we are all part of one world, with similar problems and ideas of happiness - what differs is the "tribe" you belong to, and you can find your tribe anywhere in the world. However, home for me is with my husband, daughter and dog. The location is irrelevant.

What inspired you to collaborate with Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez of top restaurant, Central, on the book, ‘Lima Cookbook: Peruvian Home Cooking’?

Virgilio initially asked me to make his ‘Central/Mater’ book first. Then, because he wasn't very well known outside the gastronomic scene, we decided to make ‘Lima’ first, the cookbook of contemporary home cooking.

What was the experience and process of conceiving the cookbook like?

This is an unpretentious book and Virgilio wanted to make it simple - a clean and modern design, avoiding any Latin clichés, with easy-to-make dishes representing modern Peru. Central's food will generate a "coffee table" cookbook in the near future, but nobody will buy it with the intention of cooking at home, as it is based on exotic products and avant-garde concepts. On the other hand, ‘Lima - The Cookbook’, is accessible for everyone. With modern ceviche recipes and many light and healthy dishes, anyone can cook from this book, regardless of which country they live in. It is the first Peruvian book with a chapter dedicated to Tiger's Milk, for example. A real big deal for Peruvians! The important information about the products and the cultural context of the dishes are explained in a casual, yet informative, way. The main intention was to share information with foreign friends and to make them love cooking Peruvian food at home. Lima is also the only cookbook in the world with a quote on the cover by a Nobel Prize winner. Very posh - I know!

I’ve visited Peru many times, spending one month in Lima, at Central restaurant, making the food styling and working as photo director with the photographer Erick Andia. The book is now sold in 15 countries, and getting great reviews for its unassuming, yet authentic, presentation of modern Peruvian cooking.

What projects are you currently working on?  

Right now I’m focussing on the next book of Gastón Acurio, and re-editing the 4th edition of ‘Brazilian Food by Thiago Castanho’, the star Amazonian chef of Brazil. I am also an Associate Lecturer at the Basque Culinary Center, focusing on case studies in 5 countries. Ethics, sustainability and humanity shouldn't be treated as academic or fashionable words, but as intrinsic values in the kitchen and in our everyday lives. I try to help students see beyond the glam image of chefs and to add a global and realistic perspective to their formal education. I’m also part of a Laboratory project in South America, uniting scientists, chefs and farmers.

Of all your many internationally acquired food experiences, which of them do you remember most fondly? Which experiences have you yet to check off your bucket-list?

Having the opportunity to experience the kitchens of Massimo Bottura and Grant Achatz changed my perspective regarding my profession. The gala dinner of Elton John with El Bulli and Paco Roncero is one of my fondest memories - we worked hard preparing El Bulli classics, and had lots of fun doing it. Also working for 8 months on a scientific project for Heston Blumenthal and The Fat Duck about Aroma Encapsulation was very special.

My bucket list is not as big as it used to be some years ago. I am fortunate that my work has allowed me to taste the most exquisite products and visit the best restaurants and producers in the world. Because of this, my bucket list is the opposite of what one might expect… I would love to own a farm one day, plant organic vegetables and have farm animals. I could then experience my own food growing around my home and cook for family and friends.

What excites you most about attending this year’s Terroir Symposium?

I am honoured and very excited to be part of it! It is going to be my first time in Toronto and at the event, so I am curious too. I believe that sharing knowledge, experience and ideas is the only way to grow professionally and as human beings. We must learn with each other, observe and listen to various perspectives and opinions to gain a full picture, especially on topics related to technology, culture and areas involving humanities. I hope to be able to contribute to the event by sharing my experiences, and also to learn a lot from all of you.

Muskoka Brewery & Dirt Candy : A natural and delicious food pairing

Crystal Luxmore pairs delicious dishes by Chef Amanda Cohen from the Terroir 10 Food Program with food friendly brews from Muskoka Brewery.

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Plants are naturally delicious—and chef Amanda Cohen from NYC’s Dirt Candy has proven that by applying the same level of thought and technique to vegetables as we do with meat—they can become divine. Beer is a simple beverage, made up of just four ingredients, water, yeast, and two plants—hops and barley. So it makes sense that its plant-like flavours, ranging from zingy lemon-like hops, to toasted bread, or plum-like yeast, sync up effortlessly with veggies.

As a Certified Cicerone I was tasked with pairing up two of Cohen’s vegetarian dishes for Terroir with any two beers from Muskoka Brewery’s regular lineup. Luckily their offerings are diverse and food-friendly—here’s what to drink with your dishes.
 

THE DISH

Mini carrot sliders: Steamed Carrot Buns with Confit Carrots, Crispy Yuba, Soy Cucumbers and Special Hoisin Sauce

Muskoka Cream Ale: with its rich amber colour and inviting floral tones, this laid-back English pub-style ale is smooth and easy-going.

Carrot’s natural sweetness will find harmony in the sweet, baguette centre of this crisp ale. The ale’s ample bubbles have a cleansing effect on the salty, umami hoisin factor, leaving you ready for the next bite. In the world of experimental craft brewing and high-alcohol double IPA’s, this retro Cream Ale (one of the first true North American beer styles) is a welcome refresher, showcasing beer’s delicious simplicity. Plus there’s no better beer to toast Muskoka’s 20th Birthday with than their flagship brew, the first recipe on their roster when they opened in 1996. 

THE DISH

Mini beet sliders: Steamed Beet Buns with Smoked Beets, Dill Pesto, Fried Pickles and Horseradish Cream

Muskoka Mad Tom: Dry-hopped with Chinook and Centennial hops, this IPA has a vibrant aroma, depth of flavour, and crisp citrusy undertow like no other.

These little sliders have a lot going on, earthy beets are smoked, and fiery horseradish and dill are carefully chosen accoutrements. The bundle of “Big C” American hops in Mad Tom imbue it with peppery, grapefruit notes that will play nicely with the dill and horseradish, and the beer’s ample bitterness will elevate the beet’s sweet, earthy core. Finally, the dish’s smoky flavour should gain new complexity in the caramel malt backbone of this award-winning, American-style India Pale Ale.

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ABOUT CRYSTAL LUXMORE

Crystal Luxmore is a Certified Cicerone, Beer Sommelier and Beer and Cider Judge, who leads guided tastings at food and drink events, and for corporate clients, through her company, Experience Beer. She writes about beer for The Globe & Mail, Canadian Business, enRoute and more, and appears as a beer expert on Global Morning TV, CBC radio. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @crystallluxmore, and check her stories at craftbeertastings.com.

Amanda Cohen, Chef

Amanda Cohen is the Canadian chef and owner of the restaurant, Dirt Candy, located in New York City. Her award-winning establishment was the city’s first vegetable-focused restaurant and is widely regarded as a key leader and innovator of the vegetable advocacy movement. In 2012, Cohen released her own cookbook, Dirt Candy: A Cookbook; the first graphic novel cookbook to be published in North America.

Dirt Candy is known as a vegetable restaurant, as opposed to vegetarian; is there a connotation of the word vegetarian that you want to avoid?

For years, I think the term ‘vegetarian’ has been associated with a ‘lifestyle restaurant’ as opposed to the quality of the food. It was about giving vegetarians options for a place to eat - it didn't really matter whether the food was good or bad. Opening Dirt Candy, 8 years ago, we really wanted to separate ourselves. We wanted to say, the fact that we don’t serve meat is neither here nor there, what we’re really trying to do is celebrate vegetables. Dirt Candy is all about the food. The restaurant has never had any political connotations; the only philosophy behind the restaurant was simple - let’s serve good food.

So, why only vegetables; why not fruit?

Well, Fruitarians; kind of odd people. *laughs* When I first opened the restaurant, I didn't know that it was going to be solely focused on vegetables; that developed with our personality during those opening months. We knew immediately that there would be no meat, that’s the way I learned how to cook and it’s the way I like to eat. I still haven't found a piece of meat that makes a vegetable taste better. Once opened, the idea behind the restaurant became ingrained quickly. I looked around and thought, it’s an amazing thing: there are thousands of exclusively steak, hamburger, fish and chicken restaurants, so it’s bizarre that there’s not a single restaurant anywhere that’s dedicated to vegetables. I knew I could utilize that niche. When we were trying to figure out a name for the place, I thought we were going to have more fruit at the restaurant. My husband suggested that we call the restaurant ‘Dirt Candy and Tree Meat’ (“tree meat”, being the fruit) -- I thought that sounded gross.

Did the restaurant immediately receive a lot of support from the community?

We were lucky because, as a non-meat serving restaurant, we had a dedicated customer base from the start. Geographically, there weren't many vegetarian restaurants when we started, so we hit that market immediately. Our real customer base, however, the one that’s propelled us and allowed us to open up a bigger restaurant, is omnivores -- simply, because they’re a bigger group. It took longer for them to find us but, once they did, they kept coming back. That was probably about six months to a year after we opened, before we started noticing those regulars.

I can imagine they would’ve been a much tougher audience than the vegetarians to convince into eating at a vegetable-only restaurant.

As I was looking at the food scene, I saw that there were all of these vegetarian restaurants that fulfilled that healthy lifestyle niche, but that's not how most people want to eat, necessarily, at a restaurant. I said, let’s get flavour and decadence into vegetables, and that’s how we’ll get people to eat them. That really set us apart.

Naturally, as a chef it’s understandable that you’d just want your food to be taken seriously, not necessarily for being vegetarian but, instead, for just being great food.

Yes -- Previous movements towards supporting increased vegetable consumption have been based around various things, mostly health related, but flavour has never been the linchpin. The result of this is a giant cluster of bad vegetarian restaurants.

We haven't seen the, ‘eat vegetables because they’re delicious movement’, yet, have we?

Right - but momentum has shifted in the last couple of years. We now have chefs that are realizing this whole other world out there. People are talking about vegetables and eating healthier, and we now have these very talented chefs who are focusing on vegetables for the first time.

I love how you said in a previous interview, “Treat your vegetables with the same respect that you would treat a piece of meat”. How would you like to see the role of vegetables change in the kitchen?

I’d like them to stop being an afterthought. It’s already been said -- this is the year of the vegetable; this is the year of kale -- but the truth is, it’s not. It’s still the year of meat; it’s always been the year of meat. What you have is vegetables being treated like second-class citizens in the kitchen; we’re still not moving them to the center of the plate. That’s the balance that will really push our creativity and get people to eat more vegetables. As chefs, it’s our responsibility to do this, because if we don’t do it, no-one else will. Well, actually, big companies will do it and then chefs will have lost out. Right now, I’m seeing big food companies gaining interest in vegetables, which means that the point of view of the chef is going to be pushed aside, in the same way that big companies have taken over organics.

Chefs certainly have a huge amount of power in influencing people’s relationships with food.

Yes - We are in the era of celebrity chefs and foodies. However, where’s the vegetarian cooking show on the food network, or even a vegetable cooking show? Somehow, we’re still in that mentality that vegetables don’t sell and, yes, that’s actually true, but if we want this to ever change, we have to start making the conscious decisions required to make it happen.

What do you think surprises people most about your food at Dirt Candy?

That it’s actually filling! That’s the comment that we hear most often. People are like - “I thought I was going to have to get a slice of pizza afterwards”, instead they leave full. Yes -- we’re a real restaurant, we have real food, and we’re not just going to give you ten different salads. Alternatively, others expect that it’s going to be much lighter and that there would be more vegetables on each plate, but we’re a restaurant and this is what we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to make you think about food differently, to crave it and want it; it’s not about just giving you a lettuce leaf.

Many people are probably surprised that you can actually create so many more interesting dishes from vegetables than just salads.

Right, and we don’t use a lot of grains either, so there’s no filler - it’s all vegetables.

Does that become expensive, working without those filler (and generally, cheaper) ingredients?

Yes, because vegetables are an incredible amount of labour. When you think about a plate and how much food has to go onto it, when adding a cup of rice, for example, that accounts for the balance of the food on the plate - we don’t really have that.

With the high costs of working with only vegetables in mind, do you think that it’s realistic to expect that many other restaurants will follow in the footsteps of Dirt Candy?

If everyone started working with and serving more vegetables, we’d all be able to raise our prices across the board; then it wouldn't seem so expensive. One of the problems that we have in the States, is that we don’t charge enough for the food that we sell at restaurants. Some restaurants make it up through alcohol sales when, the truth is, we should be making it up on what we’re selling, which is food. When thinking about the intricacies of a food chain, you realize how complicated it is and what goes into it. If I’m buying carrots, I go through a purveyor who pays a distributer, who pays a farmer, who pays their labourers, who all have families to feed -  we’re talking about one carrot that I’m buying for less than a dollar. It’s insane, how little we pay for food, including meat. I stand by the belief that all food prices should be raised in restaurants.

That has a lot to do with changing public perception of the value of the food on their plates.

That’s one of the big issues: value and perceived value. People are paying so little for the food; and they don’t realize that price includes my rent, insurance, staff and even the toilet paper in the bathroom -- it’s not all free. It’s about trying to get the customer to understand this.

Your recently published article in The New York Times, humorously tackles the relatable struggle of choosing between either eating locally and seasonally, or eating healthily, especially, during times of year when most fresh produce is unavailable, or in regions where many beloved ingredients are never locally grown. At the end of the day, what do you think takes priority; what we eat, or where it comes from?

That’s a tough one. Definitely, in the winter, it’s what we eat; whereas, in the summer, it’s a different issue. Again, I’m speaking for the States and we don’t have the healthiest nation. As a chef, I see it over and over again, people trying to convince everyone to go to farmers markets, eat seasonally and eat locally. The truth is, most people shop at supermarkets, they do it after work when it’s convenient and they’re short on time. They go in and wonder what they’re supposed to buy in the middle of winter, and just end up confused -- they return to their comfort food. If we could just convince people to eat more vegetables and to eat healthy, that’s better than being worried about where people are getting their tomatoes from in the middle of winter. In the article, people took issue to the fact that I was talking about tomatoes, but I could have used any example - I could’ve said lettuces. In the North East, there’s no such thing as a local lettuce in the middle of winter, yet we all eat salad and feel very virtuous. Somehome it’s still okay to eat salad but the tomato is wrong. When it’s available, it’s great! If you can afford it, access it, but not everybody can, even in the summer. It’s better to eat healthy - get some real food into you.

And when we think about changing consumer habits, if the ideal is to have everybody eventually eat healthy, locally and seasonally, we still have to identify where to start and what we prioritize.

Right, and that doesn't mean that the two can’t be talked about simultaneously. However, the bigger issue concerns how we are going to make America healthy. The statistics that I quoted in the paper, from the USCA, are really depressing. When you realize that potatoes and tomatoes, french fries and ketchup, essentially, are the most eaten vegetables in the United States -- It’s just depressing.

I live in this elite food world where you hear everyone proclaiming, ‘Kale! Kale!’ But when you look at the actual numbers for kale, the sales are around .002% -- they’re so low -- nobody’s eating kale. We might be eating it in New York City, but most people are not.

Lastly; if you were a vegetable, what would you be?

Probably, an onion -- I’ve got lot’s of different layers, I’m a little bitter, and sometimes I like to make people cry, but treat me right and I’m sweet.

Anouk Wipprecht

Dutch Fashion-Tech Designer Anouk Wipprecht wants to make fashion ahead of her time, combining the latest in science and technology to make fashion an experience that transcends mere appearances. She wants her garments to facilitate and augment the interactions we have with ourselves and our surroundings. Partnering up with companies such as Intel, AutoDesk, Google, Microsoft, Cirque Du Soleil, Audi, and 3D printing company Materialise she researches how our future would look, as we continue to embed technology into what we wear.

What does it mean to be a Fashion-Tech designer?

I combine technology with fashion, fusing it with interactive design and computer intelligence. When you approach or interact with my designs, they start to cover themselves in smoke, serve you liquids, or even 'attack' you; like the 'Spider Dress' with mechanical limbs on the shoulder blades, which protect the personal space of the wearer -- when you come to close, these legs reach out to 'grab' you; acting on your behalf while monitoring your surroundings. Creating these designs open up an playful conversation on how the garments that we have around our body can possibly help us out.

Your work is a perfect example of the exciting potential that can be reached by combining art with technology -- in which ways does your work draw inspiration from, and contribute to, culture?

Culture is a really important notion in my work with interactive design, as every culture reacts differently to interactive design. Where in the Netherlands people would provokingly test the system, a person in the States might approach the designs more gracefully, and in Asia people often don't even enter the personal space of the model wearing my designs. Culture is also really important in my work in with ‘wearables’, since every culture has something else to solve. While Canada has stronger winters, other countries may have a lot of sun, which easily dries out certain materials or affects certain sensors that I use. The body and its garments are always reacting to variable circumstances.

What role does wearable technology have in the future of fashion?

Technology enhanced fashion, garments, and accessories open up a huge amount of potential in fields of health-care, sport, medicine and wellness. For example, design that can wirelessly measure bio-signals, or monitor your health, or environment, would be able to know more about you and your environment than you would, yourself. As technology is moving closer to the body, we need to rethink what we do with that technology. I think that the 'wearables' that are currently on the market miss the 'fashion' sense in both aesthetic and meaning. Fashion is, for me, an medium of expression and communication, of our identity, our preferences and our statements. This is why I, along with many others in my field, am working on coming up with new ideas to make our devices more sensible, computers more intuitive and accessible, and our wearables more fashionable.

In 2015, you participated in Heart Ibiza; a collaboration between the Adria Brothers and Cirque Du Soleil, that celebrates unions of art, gastronomy, and music; in Spain -- what was your takeaway from this experience, and can you see cross-over events, similar to this, continuing to gain popularity into the future?  

Cirque Du Soleil, for example, coming from the theatre and performance perspective, is about using a public space to share stories and dreams, through visuals, but it’s now moving into the social space by making the audience become a part of the experience. During Heart Ibiza, Cirque Du Soleil came in and curated a performance experience, while food was being served, and music, technology and art flourished, within short 5-minute acts. I can remember when Frank Helpin, my contact person, ever inspiring buddy, and Art Director of Cirque Du Soleil, who curated these ideas, came to me with the idea of blending food with emotion. It's a very psychologically-involved notion that they created and experimented with, in which the food that you ate reflected what you could observe in your surroundings. The experimental nature of these collaborations, between the nightclub, performance acts, restaurant and the immersive experience, was really futuristic, and the experience was is hard to convey to others, unless they were there to experience it with you. This makes an evening out, or a dinner, for example, all of a sudden so much more powerful, and this is their identity: to give people an experience they will never forget.

Would you ever consider experimenting with food in your work (eg. edible technology, fashion that cooks…)?

In 2010, I did a project under the name 'Modern Nomads' with Canadian Artist, Jane Tingley, and Norwegian Engineer, Marius Kintel. We also contributed to the cocktail-making robotics festival 'Robo Exotica', which takes place every December in Vienna, Austria, with a 'Cocktail Making Robot Dress' which we called the ‘DareDroid2.0’. The system was composed of pumps, soda and alcohol and when you played a game of 'Truth or Dare' through an interface located on the sleeve of the model’s dress, you got an cocktail shot! This was a fun exploration for us on the topic of collaborating between food and couture, which is still really close to our hearts.

What excites you most about attending this year’s Terroir Symposium?

I think we live in pretty exciting times, in which different disciplines are continuing to become increasingly mixed together with, for example, food that looks like architecture, drinks that function as little science experiments, and main courses that evoke nothing that you’ve ever tasted before. I am very keen on seeing all the creative fusions that the future of food has to offer. With this year’s tenth Terroir Symposium announcing itself as, 'a gathering of dreamers, disruptors and international luminaries in the world of food', I am super curious to see how our future eating habits and ideas on ‘cuisine' can positively turn our world upside-down!

Eden Hagos

Eden Hagos is the founder of Black Foodie, an online platform that explores food through a Black lens. She aims to celebrate food from the African diaspora. For Eden, travel is more than just a passion - it helps her connect with the leading Black chefs, restaurants and food entrepreneurs that are creating magic in the food world. She’s hosted a series of pop-up Black Foodie events in Toronto, DC, Atlanta, and London, UK and has had her work featured in Afroelle Magazine.

What inspired you to found blackfoodie.co?

I’ve always been interested in food and, of course, I love to eat! My family opened one of the first Ethiopian restaurants in Windsor and my grandparents previously owned a cafe and spice market back in East Africa, so I grew up surrounded by people who were incredibly talented and passionate about food. However, it was a negative experience that I had while dining out in Toronto for my birthday that really got me thinking about food and race more critically. I ended up leaving the restaurant that night, embarrassed, upset and feeling threatened. An experience like that really sticks with you. I started wondering about the ways in which Black people experience the food world differently and I began reflecting on my own dining choices. I realized that I hadn’t even thought to celebrate at an African or Caribbean restaurant. From then on, I became more intentional about my dining choices and sought to explore the food world from a uniquely Black lens. I also wanted to connect other folks like me and provide Black Foodies from around the world with a great resource. After several months of traveling and experimenting, Black Foodie was born.

Your business offers people the opportunity to explore food and lifestyle through a Black lens -- what in particular makes this perspective so unique; what does it mean to be a black foodie?

Black Foodie offers insights on food from a context that places black people at the centre. What makes this unique is that it brings voices, recipes and experiences that have been ignored from mainstream media, to the forefront. Conversations like, ‘who has the best version of Jollof rice’ or ‘where to go for the best brunch party’, are examples of what we spotlight on Black Foodie.

My community loves to cook too; we go to food festivals and we love to eat! I find that my definition of a Black Foodie is evolving as I learn, but in essence, it’s someone who enjoys experiencing food and has a hunger to learn more about what’s on their plate.

Earlier this year you shared a reflection on your website about a highly disturbing encounter with racism that you’d experienced in a restaurant — and on your birthday, too! What realities and bigger issues of racism in the food industry did this negative experience bring to light?

Racism affects the food industry at every level, from how food is taught and discussed to the way it is experienced. There are stereotypes about black people that influence the way we are served when we go out to eat. After sharing my experience, I heard everything from the assumptions that: black diners are difficult, they don’t tip, they’re disruptive and ultimately unworthy of good service; the list goes on. These perceptions impact us and are inherently racist. But beyond what we experience on an interpersonal level, racism infiltrates the ways in which food is discussed throughout the media. It influences who’s deemed as industry experts and what foods are acceptable. By creating Black Foodie, I’ve had the opportunity to find out about many of the positive things happening - from discovering an amazing Caribbean food festival in Montreal to interviewing a group of innovative African chefs with a supper club in London, UK who created a cookbook to document their journey - there are countless resilient people influencing the food world.

How do you differentiate between the support of foreign cuisines and their appropriation in restaurant kitchens?

I think it’s great that chefs are incorporating global flavors and techniques into their kitchens. But I’m always interested in knowing who’s benefiting - do these restaurants acknowledge what inspired their dishes? Are they hiring people from these communities? Would guests from racialized communities be welcomed? I also question when others become the face of that foreign cuisine, or their westernized version is deemed superior.

Have you observed progress in the success and better representation of black cuisine and industry professionals in Toronto, since you first started your business?

I’ve noticed several Black-owned restaurants and food entrepreneurs emerging in the city. I’ve also observed a desire from Black foodies in the city to connect with these new businesses as well as to learn their cultural ways of preparing food. I definitely consider this progress. I’m also very proud of the fact that my events have introduced people to Caribbean and African restaurants in Toronto, giving them an opportunity to support and learn from local food entrepreneurs.

What are some existing red-flags and examples of racism within the industry, amongst either consumers or professionals, that you would like to see better recognized and confronted?

That’s an interesting question, but rather difficult to answer because racism in the food industry, much like the rest of our society, is often covert. From a consumer’s perspective, there are multiple ways in which staff can make racialized guests feel unwelcome or uneasy and yet still be subtle in their delivery. Then, there are examples such as the dress code policies enforced by restaurants that are racist, like the recent case of a Black woman in Toronto who was sent home from work because of her hairstyle. I’d like to see this acknowledged - racism doesn’t always come in the form of someone yelling out the N word. It’s ingrained into our society. It’s the type of thinking that would lead to a policy that rewards female employees with straight hair and alienates, embarrasses and punishes a black employee who doesn’t fit that “norm”. I’d encourage people to check their privilege and question the current societal benchmarks.

Regarding your work and business, what actions are you taking to demand the proportionate representation of black professionals and cuisine within our food industry? What can we be doing as consumers to support this vital change?

With Black Foodie, I seek to spotlight the strides that are being made in the Black food world. This involves everything from showcasing cookbooks by Black authors, to events, restaurants and food entrepreneurs, who are changing the game. A longer term goal is to create a structure around this, by hosting a conference or festival, that brings people together with influential chefs, food entrepreneurs, historians etc to connect, educate and empower Black innovators in the food world, as well as to educate others outside of this community. I hope this will lead to a change in the way our food industry operates, leading to a greater recognition of Black food professionals and cuisines.

I encourage consumers to seek out alternative food media platforms like blackfoodie.co and to gather a number of diverse opinions on what’s occurring in the food world. I’d also encourage consumers to seek out opportunities to experience foods from the African diaspora, try cooking with these ingredients, and to pick up a cookbook that showcases these foods. There’s more to Caribbean cuisine than jerk chicken and more to African food than injera (although - both are delicious!); so get out and there and mix it up a bit!

The Food Program: Ivy Knight & Jasmine Baker

1. What makes this year’s Terroir Symposium food program stand out from those of previous years?

This year we're excited to do a plant based menu and to include Amanda Cohen from Dirty Candy NYC in our chef lineup. There is so much more to fruit and vegetables than just a regular vegan/vegetarian diet and we’re excited to see what kind of innovation could come from our lineup of chefs.

2. What parts of this year’s food program are you most looking forward to?

While we can't wait to try what omnivore chefs do with a plant-based menu, we have to confess that having ramen for breakfast is our absolute ideal, so having Hans Vogel and the Momofuku team take that on is going to be great. Also, we’re hotly anticipating hot dogs by Chef MIchele Forgione from Chez Tousignant in Montreal at Snack Break.

3. What was the most exciting part of curating this year's food program?

Ivy: For me, it was actually getting Jasmine on board. Having worked with her in past years at Field Trip and seeing what she accomplished at last summer's Way Home festival, I knew that having someone of her calibre and drive would push this year's program over the top.

Jasmine: Getting to work with Ivy & Terroir! As a long time lover of Terroir, I had always admired what Ivy did with the food program and hoped to one day join the team. The collaborative spirit that roots and propels this symposium is also what makes it so great and I’m just thrilled to be a part of it this year.

3. How does the food program tie into this year’s event theme of Art, Culture & Technology?  

Food is food and people just want to eat. We think this lineup will make people happy and satisfied, helping them fully immerse themselves in the incredible lineup of speakers and workshops that Arlene and her team have brought together this year -- also, that hot dog from Chez Tousignant is, IMHO, a work of art.

Check out the full food program here!