How does food teach us about culture, community and wellness? What stories and social or political contexts shape our relationship with the food that sustains us?
Overview
UTM International Education Centre and Hart House co-present a multi-session journey to explore and expand our understanding of how food informs culture and wellness. Each session will be an interactive conversation, led by a food and culture expert who will share a recipe that is significant to their culture and personal history.
Students, staff and faculty from all U of T campuses are encouraged to join us to explore the many ways food teaches us about culture and how food creates community, while also learning a tasty recipe and skills to help you in the kitchen.
Sessions are 1-hour long and will include recipe share, open discussion, cooking tips and tricks.
Look out for upcoming sessions by following @harthouseuoft & @UTMIEC
Session Format
Food & Culture Facilitators will use a recipe to tell a story about culture in a particular region. Food or ingredients used in this recipe will initiate the conversation around the significance of specific ingredients in histories, cultures, and communities. During the last 15 mins of the session, the facilitator will share a secret cooking technique.
No previous knowledge or experience required
Schedule
Caribbean Perspectives
Plantain is one of the most used fruits across many different cultures. Celebrated and cherished, this fruit has many different uses. We will talk about its history, the flavours and ways to use it while sharing a delicious recipe for you to try on your own!
October Facilitator
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Aisha Lesley Bentham
Vegan chef, artist
Aisha Lesley Bentham; Vegan chef, artist, health enthusiast, and lifestyle expert started the HUE brand four years ago and has worked with a diverse clientele from providing meals for working mothers to the international Artist WU-tang. Her love for food and art motivated her to create a vegan food and lifestyle brand that inspires vegan meals offers tips and tools on how to be a more sustainable and aware consumer. She believes in her mission to educate, inform and encourage her community to create a life that has no rules but rather an array of options for you to pick and choose from.
Website
Partners
Asian Perspectives: A Taste of the Philippines
Rice cakes are ubiquitous among many Asian cultures who have grown and consumed rice for millennia. In the Philippines, rice cakes are their own category of foods called "kakanin". Learn how to make sticky rice cakes (that anyone can make at home!) and how these everyday foods connect their makers to a shared history that shapes global Filipino culture today.
November Facilitator
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Nastasha Alli
Food and Travel Writer
Nastasha’s interest in the history, traditions, and culture surrounding the foods of the Philippines led her to creating Exploring Filipino Kitchens. On the podcast, she has interviewed chefs, farmers, authors and home cooks across the world about their relationship with Filipino food. On social media, she shares content from her travels across the Philippines. There is so much to learn about and taste!
She has received a Food Sustainability Media Award from the U.K.-based Thomson Reuters Foundation for her story on how the climate crisis affects a staple breakfast food in the Philippines.
Her professional experience includes over 15 years in hospitality and travel services. She has presented at the Kain Conference, the Philippines’ first academic culinary conference; taught a course on food writing; developed and facilitated cultural heritage workshops with community partners; hosted culinary events; worked on global operations for travel agencies; and facilitated stakeholder engagement for industry non-profits.
Website
Partners
Indigenous Perspectives
Join Charles Catchpole, an Anishinaabe Chef and Entrepreneur from Couchiching First Nation.
January Facilitator
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Charles Catchpole
Charles Catchpole is an Anishinaabe Chef and Entrepreneur from Couchiching First Nation. Charles trained at Loyalist & George Brown Colleges. Charles was co-owner of a successful restaurant for several years before stepping away and moving back to Toronto to work at the prestigious Canoe Restaurant. He has also spent time as a Manager of the Historic Arcadian Court and as Head Chef of Orchardview Conference Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.
Charles decided to leave Canoe and go out on his own again, this time in another direction. He created CharGer Foods, selling a line of unique hot sauces and salad dressings.
When not out marketing his products at various venues, he can be found catering parties of all sizes (including his own wedding).
Website
Partners
West African Perspectives: A Taste of Ghana
Jollof rice is one of the most popular customary dishes in most West African nations. This fragrant dish, which includes tomatoes, spices, and patience has many variations—including meats, fish, veggies and more. For this session, Chef Kwame will lead us through an authentic Ghanaian Jollof rice recipe, live from Ghana.
Join us as we learn how to cook a traditional Jollof and how this dish's shared history shapes Ghanaian and other West African cultures today.
February Facilitator
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Kwame O Afriyie-Nsafoah
Chef
My name is Kwame O Afriyie-Nsafoah I’m a Canadian trained chef with a West African background. I was originally born in Ghana 🇬🇭 and moved to Canada 35 years ago. My experience of both Canadian and Ghanaian culture has been an asset for my culinary journey. My inspiration is my mother who is the original chef. I love all things food and putting smiles on people faces after trying my creations. Being a chef is definitely an art in which I’m very passionate about and take very seriously. My experiences range from running my own restaurant as well as catering weddings and other special occasions.
Website
Partners
Brought to you in collaboration with UTM International Education Centre (IEC), Centre for International Experience (CIE), and UTSC International Student Centre (ISC).
