In collaboration Les Dames d’Escoffier we are celebrating the Woman Leaders in Hospitality. Each week we will bring the amazing stories of 4 incredible women to you in this long form podcast. The third in the series will be Dr. Jane Ruddick, Food Scientist. Les Dammes d'Escoffier is an international community of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. Les Dames invests in the next generation through scholarships and mentorship and celebrates the women shaping our culinary community. 

Dr. Jane Ruddick is a food scientist, consultant, and longtime leader in
Canada's culinary and foodservice industry. With a Ph.D. in Food Science
from the University of British Columbia, she founded J.R. Food Consultants,
where for more than 30 years she advised hotels, foodservice companies, and
culinary teams on food safety, product development, quality control, and
operational systems.

Earlier in her career, she managed catering standards for Canadian Airlines,
overseeing foodservice operations across 34 airline kitchens, and worked
with CP Air and CP Hotels developing sanitation and quality control
programs.

Dr. Ruddick has also played a major role in Canada's culinary community,
supporting Culinary Team Canada, mentoring chefs competing internationally,
and serving as a longtime member of Les Dames d'Escoffier and the British
Columbia Culinary Arts Foundation, helping advance education and mentorship
in the industry.

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In collaboration Les Dames d’Escoffier we are celebrating the Woman Leaders in Hospitality. Each week we will bring the amazing stories of 4 incredible women to you in this long form podcast. The second woman in the series will be Maj Yee of Goldilocks Bakery. Les Dammes d'Escoffier is an international community of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. Les Dames invests in the next generation through scholarships and mentorship and celebrates the women shaping our culinary community. 

Maj is the President and Managing Director of Goldilocks Bake Shop (Canada) Inc. and a proud second-generation leader of the iconic Filipino bakery that has served communities across Canada for decades. A graduate of the University of British Columbia with an Executive General Management certificate from the Sauder School of Business, she blends entrepreneurship with cultural stewardship and community leadership.

Maj is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, an international organization of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. A five-time consecutive winner of the Hyatt Gingerbread Lane competition and returning seasonal judge, she was also recognized as one of the 75 Faces of Immigration, celebrating 75 years of Canada–Philippines relations. She was also featured for International Women’s Day by The Province in 2023 and Vita Daily in 2025 for her work championing Filipino culinary heritage and supporting women in leadership.

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In collaboration Les Dames d’Escoffier we are celebrating the Woman Leaders in Hospitality. Each week we will bring the amazing stories of 4 incredible women to you in this long form podcast. The first in the series will be Susan Mendelson of the Lazy Gourmet and Compass foods. Les Dames d’Escoffier International is an international organization of women leaders with more than 2,800 members in forty chapters in the US, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Italy who provide leadership, educational opportunities, and philanthropy within their communities. Les Dames are named after Georges Auguste Escoffier a restaurateur, culinary writer, and philanthropist, who popularised and updated traditional French cooking methods.

The BC Chapter (LDBC) is comprised of BC’s hospitality, food and beverage professionals who are committed to inspiring, advancing and supporting women, particularly in these sections. Their work largely focuses on granting scholarships to women and their applications are open this year until March 14th. Apply now at www.lesdames.ca

Susan Mendelson is the founder of Vancouver’s iconic Lazy Gourmet, which she started in 1979. A celebrated caterer and bestselling cookbook author, she has written ten cookbooks, beginning with Mama Never Cooked Like This, which helped home cooks simplify classic gourmet recipes. For more than four decades, Susan has been known for her passion for beautiful food, her commitment to exceptional ingredients, and her generous spirit as a mentor, philanthropist, and champion of Vancouver’s food community. Today, The Lazy Gourmet remains one of the city’s most respected catering companies, built on Susan’s enduring love of food and hospitality.

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I had the opportunity to chat with Chef Lucais Syme, a local, very well known Chef and restaurateur here in Vancouver. The food and restaurants he has built over the years has made Lucais a legend in our community and Canada. His steadfast dedication to using the best quality local ingredients he can find is also a great reason to eat his food and listen to this podcast. I hope you all enjoy our chat and like always if you have suggestions or comments please reach out via instagram. 

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I am very happy to share my latest podcast with Ali Finn of Cream Pony in North Vancouver and soon to be open Main st. We chat all things about opening a foodservice place in Vancouver, the good and bad, the highs and lows. We chat about working with family and how doughnuts started on a bit of a whim from Alis' Mom, Erin Smith. The doughnuts and the fried chicken are delicious and you should seek them out when you are on Lonsdale or sometime in March or April when they are open on Main st. I hope you enjoy our chat. 

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On this episode we have a legend of the Vancouver Restaurant scene, Quang Dang. Originally from Alberta, Quang came to Vancouver to pursue his career and his accomplishments are many. From Diva at the Met to C Restaurant, West, the Bocuse D'or and so many more great accomplishments. Quang has a reputation as a Chefs Chef. Incredibly hard working, imaginative and fantastic cook. I hope you enjoy our chat about amazing local ingredients, the pitfalls of working to hard and amazing food culture we have here in Vancouver. 

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Hello everyone, on this weeks podcast I am very happy to be joined by Chef Tushar Tondvalkar of Kavita Restaurant. On the show we get a great understanding of a recent immigrants journey as a cook in the United States, south east Asia and Canada. Kavita was one of my favourite restaurant meals in 2025 and I am very happy to announce that Tushar will be leading the team for the Cultural meal at COOKSCAMP in September. He, along will a deep talent pool of amazing Chefs will be celebrating the diverse cuisine of India. 

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On this weeks podcast we are presenting an introduction to the Restaurant Culture Shift Toolkit. This FREE resource is available on the Chefs' Table Society of BC website. It's geared towards small independent foodservice businesses, and can save hours and hours of work. The whole idea is to make your culture better which in turn, helps morale amongst the employees, that leads to better engagement with customers and ultimately more revenue. Take a look at the website and I hope you enjoy our conversation. 

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On this weeks podcast we have longtime Chef and owner of La Quercia in Vancouver and La Bettolina (seasonal) in Halfmoon Bay. There are very few Chefs who put ingredients and technique ahead of ego in our Culinary world and Adam is definitely one of those Chefs. That stoic and unrelenting pursuit of quality has forever cemented the reputation of La Quercia and Adam as the high-water mark for food and hospitality in Vancouver. We get an opportunity to chat and he tells the story of how it all came together for him, and his deep respect for the mentors that helped shape and inspire him. I hope you enjoy the chat as much as I did. 

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Welcome back to Mise en Place, after our restful Holiday break and very happy to share our latest podcast with Chef Sean Cousins and his life and business partner Sandra Dowsett. I met Sean when I first started at C Restaurant in 2002. Sean was running Raincity Grill for Harry Kambolis and it was killing it. He was pushing the limits of local foods, I even remember him picking chanterelles in the endowment lands out at UBC. He has just opened a new restaurant with Sandra in Hope BC called Nomad Social Eatery. I hope you enjoy our conversation 

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