Hot Plate

What has Covid revealed to us about our food system? Joshna and Mirella delve into what's next and the great opportunity we have to rebuild a stronger, better connected, more sustainable food system. Vive la revolution!---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

What is food security? What does it mean and how is it evaluated? Mirella and Joshna explore food security in Canada before and after the pandemic. What they find is daunting to say the least. But what are the potential solutions?---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

Mirella and Joshna dig into how Covid-10 has impacted our relationship with food at home. Home gardening has had quite the renaissance, which - unlike other DIY Covid trends - has persisted into 2021. Home cooking and eating family meals together has also had a boom. Both provide benefits as well as significant challenges!----On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

Mirella and Joshna discover what's interesting about fast food ‘restaurants': despite the fact they suffered financially in the early days of the pandemic, some of them have bounced back to record profits. Why is that?Next, they cover the disjoint between the increase in coffee consumption during the pandemic and decreased sales. This being said, it's a good news story because coffee chains, like fast food chains, are doing just fine!---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

Mirella ad Joshna move through the Covid-19 timeline as it affected bars. Lockdowns and safety regulations made running bars very challenging, but legal changes were made in Ontario (and elsewhere in Canada) to help bars, alcohol producers, and restaurants. Many of these newly permissive laws are now permanent - like selling bottles with take-out! They're sorely overdue, and will continue to positively impact the sector over the course of its long recovery. But there are still problems in the sector, and one in particular might surprise listeners.---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

Alcohol buying habits have changed wildly over the course of the pandemic, and that impacted alcohol producers massively. On the one hand, people bought lots of alcohol, but on the other hand people weren't visiting wineries, distilleries, breweries, restaurants, and bars. Production was impacted too. Thankfully, smart adaptation and smarter pivots kept the producers afloat in the hardest of times. Due to the long timescales involved in producing many alcoholic beverages, shutting down was simply not an option. ---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.www.hotplatepod.com

This episode starts with the devastation that has occurred, and is ongoing, in the restaurant industry. But then, watching carefully, we noticed ways restaurants pivoted in order to survive. Finally we explore theories that Covid has provided an opportunity for an industry deeply in need of a “reset” to make long overdue changes.--On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

There have been significant changes to our grocery shopping habits over the course of the pandemic. There was a rude awakening when supply chains initially broke down, leaving store shelves empty. Then came a rampant adoption of online grocery shopping as we avoided encountering the virus. Finally in the evolution, consumers have slowly rediscovered the joy of buying their food directly from the source: farmers. This brings us to farmers markets, the curious space they occupy, and our preconceptions about them, which resulted in closing markets for much of the pandemic. What is required to sustain these markets and keep them open? And how do they add to our nationwide food resiliency?---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

Have you noticed the dizzying changes in junk food offerings over the course of the pandemic? We did. And don't worry. No judgement here! Most of us are in the same boat. In this episode Mirella and Joshna look at this phenomenon, first, from a consumer perspective. Why was there a junk food boom? Then, they delve into the company perspective, trying to address the question: who really decides what we eat?---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

Joshna and Mirella start by examining the connection between factory farming of animals and zoonoses, like Covid-19. Although the virus did not originate from a factory farm, if nothing is done to improve how we farm animals, there's a good chance our next pandemic will. Working conditions in meat packing plants were big news, with outbreaks in facilities across the country. But what was behind the the headlines? Oh boy… what we found will make your blood boil.The antidote to this stressful episode is some tasty veggies! We've included some recipes from Chef Joshna below!---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com---Cauliflower Kale GratinServes 4-6This is an easy and reliable recipe, with a killer cheese sauce that you can use for a variety of things, including mac & cheese.  You can also use different veggies for this, but the cauliflower works really well.Ingredients3 lb cauliflower (1 large head), cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch florets½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves sliced into ½-inch ribbons1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 1/2 cups whole milk6 oz sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (2 cups)1/2 cup finely chopped scallion greens1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon black pepper20 (2-inch) square saltine crackersMethod1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish and set aside.2. Cook cauliflower in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the kale to the pot and stir well.  Drain cauliflower and kale well in a colander and transfer to baking dish.3. While cauliflower cooks, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a slow stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese, scallion greens, salt, and pepper, whisking until cheese is melted. Pour cheese sauce over vegetables and stir gently to combine. 4. Coarsely crumble crackers into a bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Pour over crumbs and toss to coat.5. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over cauliflower.  Bake gratin until topping is golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!---Sweet Potato CurryServes 4-6Yes…curries can be quick and fresh!  This is a very versatile recipe that would work with any root vegetable.  Serve this with a rich plain yogurt and warm flatbread for a perfect meal.Ingredients3 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil1 tsp black mustard seedswhole dried red chilies, to taste4-5 fresh curry leaves1 onion, finely diced2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into a 1-inch dicekosher salt, to taste1 small handful fresh coriander, finely choppedMethod1. Heat ghee or oil to high in a high sided saute pan.  Add mustard seeds, then chiles and curry leaves and stand back!!  The mixture will splutter, but this is what you want.  2. Add the onions and cook until just lightly browned, then add garlic and stir to combine.  Cook until onions become translucent.3. Add sweet potatoes, season with salt and stir to combine and coat potato pieces with masala mixture.  Cover and reduce heat to medium.4. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and fragrant.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.  It's ok if the potatoes get mashed together…that's the beauty of this curry.5. Garnish with coriander and serve. 

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

We're at the beginning. That is to say - on the farm! First Mirella and Joshna spend some time analysing what happened with all the ‘dairy dumping' and food waste that was reported early in the pandemic. The transactional nature of agriculture is revealed, which includes how we handled surpluses when covid shook up demand. (Trigger warning: we discuss some inflammatory language in the media about how farm animals were treated. That said we don't go into any vivid detail.) We also dig into the ongoing issues of Migrant Workers and the various challenges facing them which have been aggravated by the pandemic.---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

Sometimes it feels like we're living inside a machine. In the case of our food, we kind of are. With Covid lingering and impacting just about everything, beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and food activist Joshna Maharaj, decided to take a look at how Covid has affected our food. This leads them to a step-by-step exploration of “the food system”, the complex web of people and activities involving the production, processing, transport, and consumption of our food - which doesn't always serve us (read all of us) very well in Canada. We start by breaking down what the food system is. We'll go through what you need to know about it to follow the rest of the season, and how we hope to make it more sustainable now that covid has revealed its current weaknesses.---On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What's going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. www.hotplatepod.com

Equal Pay for BIPOC Culinary Talent. The Truth About Jerk. And Curious Moves from KFC.This week we're thrilled to welcome back Pay Chen as guest host -- @paychen on Instagram and Twitter. Pay is an experienced TV host, writer and producer with a passion for food, fitness, dogs and travel. Pay is frequently seen on morning shows and national daytime programs as a guest expert, brand spokesperson or guest host including Breakfast Television Toronto, CTV Morning Live, Cityline, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, and Steven and Chris. First up, we talk with Trevor Liu (@LuiSays on Twitter), founder of Quell (https://quellnow.com/), a startup food and beverage focused talent agency, about the specific challenges faced by BIPOC culinary talent when negotiating their pay.Then, we talk Jerk. When a food is strongly associated with specific communities and histories, like Jerk is, can you, without being a part of that community, make it? Sell it? Joshna and Pay weigh in on the current thinking.Finally, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has some tricks up its sleeve lately - or more accurately Mario Lopez's sleeve. What's going on when a fried chicken brand gets into movies and gaming?

Fresh Ideas for 2021. Chinese Protest Recipes. What Little We Pay for Pho. And David Chang's Infamous Rage.This week we're thrilled to welcome Pay Chen as guest host -- @paychen on Instagram and Twitter. Pay is an experienced TV host, writer and producer with a passion for food, fitness, dogs and travel. Pay is frequently seen on morning shows and national daytime programs as a guest expert, brand spokesperson or guest host including Breakfast Television Toronto, CTV Morning Live, Cityline, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, and Steven and Chris. First, the good people at Food & Wine Magazine have published their list of trends for 2021, and we're particularly excited about them! What did we learn in the wash that was 2020 that we're resolving to take into the New Year?Discussing The Chinese Protest Recipes Cookbook, we dig into what responsibility comes with being granted access to another culture's recipes.Why are some foods expected to be cheap in price? And why are these so often perceived as "ethnic" foods? Where do these expectations come from inside and outside communities? And how do we break these down so people creating our food can make fair livings?To circle back to a kinder 2021, we note reactions to David Chang's memoir, where he explains his history of rage, reveal the sinister side to celebrating talented chef's as rockstars. 

Cooking with Zooming Grandmas. Comfort and Nostalgia. The Kimchi Crisis. The Plants We Ignore. This week Joshna is joined by Laura Brehaut. Laura is a food reporter for the National Post. She earned a Culinary Arts Certificate and Professional Fromager Certificate from George Brown College. She graduated with a B.A. (Hons) from Ryerson University’s RTA … Continue reading "Kimchi Crisis"

Label Wars. Cake for Democracy. The Battle of Borscht. And Dining Domes. This week Joshna is joined by Laura Brehaut. Laura is a food reporter for the National Post. She earned a Culinary Arts Certificate and Professional Fromager Certificate from George Brown College. She graduated with a B.A. (Hons) from Ryerson University’s RTA School of … Continue reading "Polarizing Food"

French al fresco Dining. Tech is changing indoor dining. The curfew debate. Why Tequila is the new vodka. This episode Joshna is joined by Elayne Duff. Elayne is an accomplished professional with more than 20 years within the beverage and alcohol industry. Working for the two largest drinks companies in the world AB-InBev and Diageo … Continue reading "These Strange Times"

Smuggled culture. Uncle Roger. The globalization of the grocery store. And presumptuous pumpkin spice. This episode Joshna is joined by Elayne Duff. Elayne is an accomplished professional with more than 20 years within the beverage and alcohol industry. Working for the two largest drinks companies in the world AB-InBev and Diageo Wine and Spirits has … Continue reading "Just Get a Wok"

In our 50th episode — The Pandemic vs. Irish Pubs. Can wine be any cleaner? The fermentation inoculation. And magic molluscs. Joshna is once again joined by Susan Boyle, drinks consultant, researcher, writer, storyteller, and performer based in Ireland. She writes about beer, presents drinks features on Irish national television and radio and hosts tasting and … Continue reading "The Craic"

Awards on pause. Rethinking Healthy Food. Airplane meals at sea level. And when it snows  chocolate.  Joining us this week and next is Susan Boyle @miss_susanboyle, alongside Joshna @joshnamaharaj while Mirella @beerology is on leave. Susan is a drinks consultant, researcher, writer, storyteller, and performer based in Ireland. She writes about beer, presents drinks features … Continue reading "Snowing Chocolate"

Bandaid food solutions. Mushroom proteins. Is your meal A+ grade in France? What is perfect rice? An idea which keeps re-emerging is to use corporate food waste to feed the hungry. There are a few reasons it’s not a great idea – not to mention we can all agree hungry people deserve better than waste. … Continue reading "A+ Food"

Why is cheese so delicious?  What do you really know about fish? Can your cooking get you drunk? And room temperature eating. Why is cheese so delicious? Well, it’s pretty technical – but interesting! We delve into the various complexities of production and many flavour compounds that contribute to the delight of eating cheese. This … Continue reading "The Cheese Addiction"

Sugarless juice. How do you zest? Cranberries as a cure. And pickle juice — in beer? There’s a company trying to remove sugar from juice. This got us so riled up we thought we’d better take all the juice topics this week and mix them into one juicy Hot Plate smoothie. It all stems from … Continue reading "All Juiced Up"

Moose butchery in high school. Where we draw the line with meats. Reaching isolated seniors with food. And musical ice-cream cones. This makes sense for northern communities where hunting is very common, but even just from a meat eating perspective, having to face the reality of your meat consumption is key, and why not start … Continue reading "Meaty Meditations"

In this episode we talk with photographer Carrie Solomon (Insta: @carrie_in_paris) and culture writer Adrian Moore (Twitter @majormoore Insta @adrianelvn) about their fascinating book, Chefs’ Fridges. They quite literally travelled the world to have More than 35 World-Renowned Cooks Reveal What They Eat at Home. As we discover in our chat with them, the book … Continue reading "Inside Chefs’ Fridges"

Foods to cool you down in the summer heat. Is it okay to be a picky eater? And what you probably didn’t know about Scotland. On this episode we’re grateful to have Angela Warburton, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, share her knowledge of foods to eat which are traditionally understood to have cooling properties. It might just … Continue reading "Cooling Foods with Angela Warburton"

Prohibition and racism. A greenhouse in the North. And sexy vegetables (yes, seriously sexy vegetables!). In this episode we have the pleasure of speaking with writer and historian Christine Sismondo about her two articles for Macleans about how prohibition impacted race relations in the US and Canada. This is undeniably relevant right now right down … Continue reading "Prohibition with Christine Sismondo"

The power of bake sales. Can you describe your types of bitter? How to make the perfect cup of coffee. And please don’t drink your hand sanitizer! This episode we delve into the connection between the bake sale and grass roots activism. Then, we’ll disagree with an experiment about bitterness that seemed to misunderstand beer drinkers. We’ll stop … Continue reading "Flour Power"

Do you remember menus without prices for women? How the brewing slow-downs is affecting Marmite production. Do you treat recipes as scripture? And a brand moving on. We re-tell the story of the price-less “ladies menu” in LA which led to a high profile lawsuit after a business-woman was refused a menu showing prices (yes, you read … Continue reading "The Ladies’ Menu"

Should we let the restaurant industry die? Diving deep into seafood. Could you survive the hospital quarantine food? And, a sandwich hitting the bliss the point. We kick this one off with a look at Tunde Wey, known well in the restaurant industry known for his performance art and activism. Recently Wey has made the case … Continue reading "Letting an Industry Die"

The Guerilla Grafters. Community fridges. Alinea’s edible art at home. And are you eating ice cream wrong? You’ve heard of guerilla gardeners but have you heard of guerilla grafters? Folks are grafting fruit trees onto city-maintained decorative trees in order to provide food to the hungry. It’s compelling activism but is it a realistic fix for … Continue reading "From Street-Fruit to Edible Art"

The mental health crisis in the hospitality industry. A device to make you taste anything. How Norway is helping The Cherokee save their seeds.

Do you love your Drive-thrus? Who cares about the taste of corn? How to freeze your food with confidence. Anti-hangover plants.

Our take on the Premier's cheesecake. The Food Professor weighs in on milk at Starbucks. Indian efficiency in the kitchen explored. And meet your new guilty pleasure: the bath beer!

Are you drinking too much? Will computers shape the future of flavour? The urban gardening revolution. And do you want VR with your dinner?

Mirella tries to join an Aspic Appreciation Group. What are Poland's Milk Bars and why don't we have them? What's behind the frenzied seed buying? And how restaurants are monetizing their cellars.

What is Joshna's new book about? When should we re-open our pubs? How did Chinese take-out containers come to be? And our favorite recipes - according to Google.

Should you uninstall your delivery apps? How much would you pay for fake meat? Do you have a sweet tooth? And which YouTube Cooking Channels are worth your time?

Eating with your hands, the bliss point, molecular coffee, and bacon for snacking on. This episode was recorded in our regular Frequency studio session just prior to the pandemic lockdown. We delayed its release a few weeks to focus on pertinent lockdown issues, but we promise it’s still timely! After all, when is bacon not … Continue reading "Manufactured Bliss"

Tips for a clean and functional kitchen, how to make natural cleaners, sparking joy in your kitchen, and storing booze.

The chocolate-brewing witches of colonial Latin America, why those fermented foods you love might not be probiotic, why there's always room for dessert, and the world's first pea-based gin.

Factory farming and zoonoses, the cilantro gene's supertasting connection,  how variety matters to your diet, and are we losing  craftmanship?