Volunteer with Taste Canada

Food is both fundamental and the world’s largest industry. Food drives economies and societies. Food and cooking are about our very survival as a species. And yet, curiously, until quite recently, we’ve largely ignored food writing, just as we’ve ignored our culinary history. Perhaps that’s partly because, for centuries, except in the most exceptional circumstances, it was women who were the keepers of food knowledge; women who did the vast majority of food preparation and cooking; women who fed nations through wars and plagues and famines; through recessions and great depressions. And it was women who wrote cookbooks and books about culinary knowledge – now finally being recognized as one of our most important sources of primary history. When we write about food, we are really writing about humanity and community; about love and death and biological imperatives; and about the powerful connections and similarities between us. Food writing has been as undervalued as the actual work of food preparation. Taste Canada is the only body in the country recognizing the importance of the work of food writers. Food stories are after all, the real stories of our lives.

Taste Canada and their awards gala was an important motivator for us to strive for excellence in creating our book – I can’t imagine our Canadian Food Writers industry with out them!

Coming together with fellow Canadian food writers for Taste Canada’s Annual Awards Gala was a highlight of my year! It was inspiring to celebrate and mingle with so many talented culinary professionals in this great country of ours. I really admire Taste Canada’s vision for showcasing our country’s diverse talent and for making sure Canada’s vibrant culinary voices can be heard around the world.