Food and Life

Panagiotis tells the story of the origins of his olive oil business, and the humble reason why he started his business in the first place. We also talk about today's olive oil industry, and how olive oil today is not always what we think it is. We also talk about the history of olive oil consumption in Crete and Greece, as well as how it's still an extremely important part of Cretan cuisine today. Panagiotis also provides some advice for other food entrepreneurs or aspiring ones!

Food waste is a big deal these days, and this Toronto chef is on a mission to do something about it. Just four years ago, in 2014, Chef Gordon started providing food to a number of hungry families by filling freezers with nutritious meals made from food donated by Toronto businesses wanting to do something about food waste. That program grew into a mobile soup kitchen and eventually the Feed It Forward program. Today, the busy Chef Gordon is involved with a number of other ventures, and earlier this year he opened up North America's first pay-what-you-can grocery store in downtown Toronto, which is where I met him for this interview. In this interview, we talk about what makes Chef Gordon so passionate about feeding the hungry and stopping food waste. He tells us about his journey from running his forward-thinking freezer kitchen program and pop-up kitchens to feed those in need, to opening up a brick-and-mortar location for North America's first ever pay-what-you-can grocery store. Chef Gordon also gives advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, reminding them to always see the bigger picture and not to give up when faced with setbacks.

Apart from being such an amazing preserver, this multi-talented entrepreneur is also a pastry chef, writer, teacher, musician, and the founder of the Preservation Society, a small-batch preserving company that made exquisite and unique jams, crystalline jellies, marmalades, chutneys, and addictive pickles. I visited Camilla in her cosy shop and production kitchen back in 2015 in Montreal's Little Italy. I was so inspired by her concoctions. She gave jams and marmalades new twists with delightful flavours like “baked apple pie”, “cherry negroni” (if you're not sure what a negroni is, it's a classic cocktail made with gin, campari, and sweet vermouth) and “fall sweater” (a seasonal combination of apples, pears, and pumpkin ale). She's also written a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="I visited Camilla in her quaint shop and production kitchen back in 2015 in Montreal's Little Italy. I was so inspired by her concoctions. She gave jams and marmalades new twists with delightful flavours like “baked apple pie”, “cherry negroni” (if you're not sure what a negroni is, it's a classic cocktail made with gin, Campari and sweet vermouth) and "fall sweater" (a seasonal combination of apples, pears and pumpkin ale). She's also written a fabulous cookbook available in both French and English. It's called the Preservation Society HomePreserves.

In this interview, I chat with Mark Hayhoe, the owner of the k2 Milling, an artisanal flour mill in Beeton, Ontario, just outside of Toronto. As a third generation miller, Mark is a master miller in my mind and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things grains and milling. Mark tells us the fascinating history of milling in his family, which goes back to his grandfather, who set up a mill called Hayhoe Brothers in Pine Grove, Ontario, in the 1930s. Eventually, the mill became ‘Hayhoe Mills', which was managed by Mark until he sold it in 2007. In 2007, Mark started a new entrepreneurial venture: k2 Milling, an artisanal flour mill that operates on his family's rooted milling legacy. In this episode, we talk Mark's journey towards opening up his own mill, all the interesting organic grains and things he grinds into flours (like oats, blueberries, kale, mushrooms, corn, hemp, flax, sunflowers and wheat—of course) and why wheat became so popular throughout history. He also talks about what it's like to run an organic mill in particular and his idea for an organic food credit as a way to bring down the price of organic food and have healthier diets and improved health. This successful entepreneur owner also provides humble advice for others looking to start their own food business.

In this interview, I chat with someone whom I admire greatly: Marion Kane, one of Canada's most well-known food journalists and food writers. This talented woman was a food editor and columnist at the Toronto Star, one of Canada's largest papers, for 18 years. A skilled and entertaining storyteller, she's also written two books. One of them is called Dish, and it's a collection of some of her favourite food articles, including ones about visiting and eating breakfast with Julia Child (that's her and the great Julia Child in the photo above) and having lunch with Sophia Loren in Toronto's Little Italy. Marion now writes about food on her website and also has her own podcast—Sittin' in the Kitchen.

In this episode, I introduce myself and talk about how I first became interested in food while growing up. I also share more about why I started this new venture, Food & Life. This podcast and its interviews are meant to inspire others, lead to more engaged lives through food, and feature the amazing good work being done by trailblazers and entrepreneurs around the world. I also explain why I called my podcast the Food and Life podcast, as I plan on diving into other topics I find fascinating and inspiring as well!