That's Food

In this week's episode, tune in to learn about the significance of food in Indigenous culture. Podcast producer Simran Pherwani met with Chef Scott Iserhoff, an Indigenous Chef and founder of Pei Pei Chei Ow Catering Company in Edmonton to discuss how Indigenous culture and food are intertwined, and how food can be a way to heal and feel connected to one's roots and culture. 

On a gluten-free diet and miss childhood treats like cookies?  Join host Saveta Cartwright and her guest AJ Dimas-Lehndorf as they rate gluten-free chocolate chip cookies from around Edmonton.

Aspics are a dish made by suspending ingredients (usually vegetables) in gelatin. In mid-20th century Western culture, aspics were basically a domestic art form. These days, most people seem to find them horrifying. Join host Katelin Karbonik as she makes a vintage aspic recipe in an attempt to discover what the appeal of gelatin-based salads could possibly be. 

This week's episode discusses culinary appropriation with Dr. Helen Vallianatos, an anthropologist. Podcast producer Saveta Cartwright explores the limits and differences between appropriation, appreciation, and integration. And how does it all connect back to a humble dessert from Nanaimo, BC?

In this week’s episode, podcast host and producer Bobby Kainth will be revealing the story behind…cake! He first takes us through a blind taste test he conducted with two of his friends and then talks to one of the owner’s of The Art of Cake, Gloria Bednarz, and her assistant Christine Reeve, to discuss their journey in the cake business and their thoughts on the differences between inexpensive and expensive cakes. Is there a difference between an expensive cake and a cheap cake? Is it just the customization that’s expensive or is there a difference in flavour and quality? Can I make homemade cakes with great flavour without spending a lot of money? Bobby explores all of these questions and much more in today’s episode. 

Welcome to Mushroom 101 with podcast producer, Melania Antoszko. In this episode, she learns how mushrooms grow and how to go foraging for them. She spoke to founder and CEO, Alex Villeneuve of Ceres Solutions on how he started his mushroom growing business and tips on mushroom foraging with Candice Cullum, the Red Deer regional coordinator for the Alberta Mycological Society. Listen to find out if you want to learn more about mushrooms in Alberta. 

Items mentioned in the episode: 

• Where you can purchase Ceres Solutions and their website
• Schalkwijk-Barendsen, H.M.E. 1991. Mushrooms of Western Canada. Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton, AB, Canada. pp. 416. Also published as Mushrooms of Northwest North America. 
• Alberta Conservation Sites
• Alberta Mycological Society Resources
• Join the Alberta Mycological Society Facebook Group 
• Snack fact sourced from Eater article What’s the Difference Between Cremini, Button, and Portobello Mushrooms?

It's no secret that drinking coffee is a cultural phenomenon in North America. But why is that, and what does it say about our culture? From the perspective of someone on the outside looking in (someone who doesn't really drink coffee), Ralph Garcia gives his thoughts, and along with his guests, tries to unravel how coffee can be a symbol of overworking in North America. Featuring music by Doug Hoyer and Lukrembo.

What is food waste and why does it matter? In this episode, Melania Antoszko spoke to Garnet Borch, the Leftovers Foundation Edmonton City Coordinator to answer her questions about food waste, how to minimize food waste in your household, and the relationship between food redirection organizations and long term solutions to food insecurity. The Leftovers Foundation is one of Western Canada’s largest food rescue charities with a dual mission of reducing food waste and increasing food access through community mobilization. 

They also listened to a couple of clips from the first episode of the Wasted Leftovers webinar series with Tamisan Bencz-Knight from Edmonton's Food Bank. 

The link to the webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnWJ_rHaZNg&t=3294s

To learn more about food insecurity, check out these resources from Second Harvest: https://secondharvest.ca/what-we-do/e-learning-courses/

What is Ukrainian food? In this episode, podcast producer Katelin Karbonik (a fourth or fifth generation Ukrainian) asks first-generation Ukrainian Christina Strilets about what Ukrainian food is like both here in the Prairie diaspora and back in Ukraine. Tune in to find out about a currently underground flavour of dessert perogies and a new, local Ukrainian bakery that makes many types of Ukrainian street foods!