Sittin' in the Kitchen

Funny and endearing, Food Network host John Catucci is a kindred adventurer and eater. His show “You Gotta Eat Here” is my morning meditation. His new show “Big Food Bucket List” highlights John’s favourite restaurant dishes. In our lively podcast chat, he talks about his beginnings as a performer, his dad's Bolognese sauce and his adventures in travel and eating.

John Ota and his wife don't like their kitchen in downtown Toronto. His search for the perfect kitchen took him across North America to 13 famous kitchens including Julia Child's, the Pilgrims', Elvis Presley's and Louis Armstrong's, among others. He describes them in his brilliant book "The Kitchen: A Journey Through History in Search of the Perfect Design."

This podcast is dear to my heart – it’s about my Toronto home: Kensington Market. As a podcaster, I notice what I call “good talkers” in my daily life. Carlos Pereira is a character and a good talker. I’ve known him for about 40 years – since I moved into my beloved downtown neighbourhood. Kensington Market is a unique, colourful mix of old houses and small shops where waves of immigrants have long shopped and made their homes. Carlos started working at House of Spice as a teenager in 1977; he bought it in 2012. I talked with Carlos at the famous and popular store in the heart of the market where things are changing. Please listen to the end of the podcast when he says nice things about life - and about me.

Haven is just that: it's a downtown drop-in open 365 days/year offering hot meals and a warm welcome to marginalized men ages 50+. Lauro Monteiro, Haven Toronto's Executive Director, has a steely determination and a compassionate heart. I visited Haven to chat with Lauro and discovered how he cultivates hope and humanity amid Toronto's cruel housing crisis. But first Scott, a panhandler briefly shares his story.

Toronto street nurse Cathy Crowe is an author, filmmaker, activist and a distinguished visiting practitioner in the Department of Politics at Ryerson University. Cathy has been on the front lines of Toronto’s housing emergency for decades. Her new memoir A Knapsack Full of Dreams recounts her lifelong commitment to social justice. She has led a fascinating life and I feel lucky to call her a friend. We met at Cathy’s co-op apartment in downtown Toronto. Please listen until the end – it’s a powerful moment.

We laugh, we cry. We talk peace, love and fibre. Mairlyn Smith's latest book, her eighth, is a love letter to your colon and a love letter to her late parents. I chat with my dear friend Mairlyn at her Toronto home. She explains her crusade to increase our daily fibre intake and outlines how to do it.

Florida chef Norman Van Aken had humble beginnings in the small town of Diamond Lake, Illinois. He remains humble in spite of his successful restaurants, cookbooks and his memoir, "No Experience Necessary." The renowned godfather of New World Cuisine, he co-owns two restaurants in South Florida. He's a reader, a thinker and a great talker. I interviewed him in Miami.

Andrew Coppolino is a chatty, affable food journalist based in Kitchener-Waterloo. His new book, FARM TO TABLE, is the brainchild of the Stratford Chefs School which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. The book features profiles of producers like Ruth Klahsen of Monforte Dairy and Anthony John of Soiled Reputation along with their recipes. Andrew has a passion for the synergy between those who grow and prepare our food. He hopes the book will be a sustainable model for other communities.

In the kitchen at Sistering, they're cooking up a storm on a tight budget and they've been doing it for almost 40 years. The cooks at this drop-in and shelter never know how many mouths they'll have to feed. Homelessness in Toronto is a real crisis - and things are getting worse. Without enough affordable housing, people are forced to sleep outside or in overcrowded shelters. Sistering is struggling to provide assistance and dignity to women in cruel circumstances but, as you'll hear, the facility faces its own challenges.