52: Terroir - Building Community through Food and Place with Arlene Stein

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There are certain people in this world that I could just listen to forever, they’re an absolute wealth of knowledge and experiences and my first guest of season 4, Arlene Stein, is one of those people.

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Arlene is the founder and executive director of the Terroir Symposium, a catalyst for creative collaboration and social and environmental responsibility in the hospitality industry. Since 2006, Terroir has convened international and Canadian industry leaders annually at a two-day symposium in Toronto – and since 2014 at off-shoot events across Europe and North America, for education, networking, and inspiration. From her current home base in Berlin, Arlene travels globally to research responsible food systems and gastronomic innovations. 

Arlene has that magical ability to build community and knowledge around food and root it to place, to land, to context in a way that is truly inspiring. But what makes her even more incredible is the ease that she brought to this conversation. At the core of what Arlene does is foster a sense of community for local and international networks that relate around food: she breaks down the silos for restauranteurs, chefs, artisans, producers, academics, and so many more through Terroir events and workshops to foster conversations and collaborations.

In today’s episode we explore what exactly the word terroir means and how the role that gastrodiplomacy can play into food systems and futures. Listen to the full interview in the player above, or download on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher!

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Solo Episode: What's in Store for Season 4

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Hey everyone! Just a quick solo episode coming from me today to share a peak of what's to come for season 4. We're making a few big (and small) changes that I'm really excited about! 

One of the biggest changes that I’ll speak more to in the coming days is that we’re going to be expanding AnthroDish and sharing more food writing on the blog. Writing has always been my favourite medium to convey ideas, and I want to share some reflections and lessons that I’ve learned from speaking with so many incredible guests over the last year and a bit. It’s shaped my understanding of food and there are so many fascinating connections I’ve drawn between interviews that I’m really excited to share with you all.

I’ll also be welcoming guest writers to share their own experiences and research through the blog - details to come later this week, so stay tuned!

Season 4 starts NEXT Tuesday, Oct 1st so be sure to tune in to hear an incredible guest! 

Terroir Pop-Up 7: Understanding the Impact of Food Waste with Bruce McAdams

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Today’s pop up episode features Bruce McAdams, a professor in the School of Hospitality, Food, and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph. He joined the faculty in 2009 after over 20 years of leadership experience in the Ontario hospitality industry. After starting his management career in operations and training with Darden Restaurants, McAdams joined Toronto-based fine dining company Oliver and Bonacini Restaurants. His most recent role was as the company’s Vice President of Operations.

McAdams has taught leadership to food and beverage management students at George Brown College in addition to his work at the University of Guelph. In 2017 he received an excellence award in service from the North American chapter for the Principles of Responsible Management Education through the United Nations for his work with the University of Guelph Sustainable Restaurant Project. He considers himself an advocate for a stronger restaurant industry and regularly speaks to major media outlets on restaurant issues.

Today we speak about some of his work on food waste and the impact that this has for those working in the hospitality industry, as well as some really fascinating research on the connections between food waste and the quality of life experienced in retirement living communities. 

Learn More About Bruce: 

 

 

Terroir Pop-Up 6: Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz of The Gefilteria

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Today’s episode is one of the pop-up episodes of AnthroDish which focus in on some of the speakers and guests of the 2019 Terroir Food Symposium. These are quick mini episodes that capture some of the perspectives of folks in the food industry around the theme of choices – the choices they make within their own work and its impact on their communities, businesses, and selves. 

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Today mini-episode features Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz, two of the co-founders of The Gefilteria. Launched in 2012, it’s mission is to reimagine eastern European Jewish cuisine, adapting classic dishes to the values and tastes of a new generation. Jeffery and Liz believe that Old World Jewish foods can be beautiful, inspiring, and delicious. They produce limited runs of their signature artisanal gefilte fish each spring and fall, cooking a wide range of Jewish foods from the Ashkenazi culinary tradition for unique dining events.

They seek to inspire others to reimagine and rediscover this incredible cuisine in their home kitchens. While they don’t have a storefront, they host tons of classes and experiences in their community around Brooklyn and worldwide, and have a brilliant cookbook called the Gefilte Manifesto. Jeffrey and Liz are so delightful to speak with, and the conversation that unfolded is one that I still think about on a fairly regular basis! 

Learn More About The Gefilteria: 

51: Organic Agriculture and Farming in Urban China with Dr. Sacha Cody

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Organic agriculture is a term we hear and use an awful lot, but do we stop to think about how complex and fascinating different organic farming systems are? This week's guest, Dr. Sacha Cody speaks with me today about organic agricultural movements in China, framing them as a form of exemplary agriculture. Sacha is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. 

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Australian-born, Sacha has spent the last 17 years in Asia, mainly across Greater China, working with senior executives at multinational corporations and decision makers in government in decision making and strategy building. Sacha has diverse research interests, he’s spent 18 months ethnographically immersed in China’s organic food movements, 14 months consulting with Huawei, China’s global telecommunications firm, and published articles on China ranging in topic from consumerism and corporate culture to exploring the role of the countryside in China’s modernity.

We explore some of the key discussions from his recent book, Exemplary Agriculture: Independent Organic Farming in Contemporary China, and explore some of ethnographic work within the organic food world of China, and some of the interesting and important tensions and relationships between urban and rural sectors of such a diverse country. 

 Connect with Sacha 

 

Terroir Pop-Up 5: Jesse Baillie from Top Shelf Distillers

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Today’s mini episode is a pop-up live from the 2019 Terroir Food Symposium in Toronto this past may. It features Jesse Baillie of Uncle Jesse Cocktails and Brand Ambassador for Top Shelf Distillers. Top Shelf Distillers was born in Perth Ontario, and crafts spirits from locally sourced natural ingredients, with a tree being planted for every bottle sold. I spoke with Jesse about how Top Shelf works with communities to create their spirits, and he shared some really fascinating information about the history of moonshine in Canada as well. Jesse’s one of those people who’s passion for their work immediately shines through, so I hope you enjoy learning from him as much as I did!  

 If you’re suddenly in the mood for a drink after this episode, he was kind enough to share a cocktail recipe with you listeners, which you can find below! You can find Top Shelf Distiller products across LCBOs if you live in Ontario, or on their website below.

Get Social With Jesse! 

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