What has Covid revealed to us about our food system? Joshna and Mirella delve into what’s next and the great opportunity we have to rebuild a stronger, better connected, more sustainable food system. Vive la revolution!

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

Alcohol buying habits have changed wildly over the course of the pandemic, and that impacted alcohol producers massively. On the one hand, people bought lots of alcohol, but on the other hand people weren’t visiting wineries, distilleries, breweries, restaurants, and bars. Production was impacted too. Thankfully, smart adaptation and smarter pivots kept the producers afloat in the hardest of times. Due to the long timescales involved in producing many alcoholic beverages, shutting down was simply not an option. 

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.

www.hotplatepod.com

This episode starts with the devastation that has occurred, and is ongoing, in the restaurant industry. But then, watching carefully, we noticed ways restaurants pivoted in order to survive. Finally we explore theories that Covid has provided an opportunity for an industry deeply in need of a “reset” to make long overdue changes.

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.

www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

There have been significant changes to our grocery shopping habits over the course of the pandemic. There was a rude awakening when supply chains initially broke down, leaving store shelves empty. Then came a rampant adoption of online grocery shopping as we avoided encountering the virus. Finally in the evolution, consumers have slowly rediscovered the joy of buying their food directly from the source: farmers. 

This brings us to farmers markets, the curious space they occupy, and our preconceptions about them, which resulted in closing markets for much of the pandemic. What is required to sustain these markets and keep them open? And how do they add to our nationwide food resiliency?

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

Have you noticed the dizzying changes in junk food offerings over the course of the pandemic? We did. And don’t worry. No judgement here! Most of us are in the same boat. In this episode Mirella and Joshna look at this phenomenon, first, from a consumer perspective. Why was there a junk food boom? Then, they delve into the company perspective, trying to address the question: who really decides what we eat?

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.

www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

Joshna and Mirella start by examining the connection between factory farming of animals and zoonoses, like Covid-19. Although the virus did not originate from a factory farm, if nothing is done to improve how we farm animals, there’s a good chance our next pandemic will. 

Working conditions in meat packing plants were big news, with outbreaks in facilities across the country. But what was behind the the headlines? Oh boy… what we found will make your blood boil.

The antidote to this stressful episode is some tasty veggies! We’ve included some recipes from Chef Joshna below!

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

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Cauliflower Kale Gratin

Serves 4-6

This is an easy and reliable recipe, with a killer cheese sauce that you can use for a variety of things, including mac & cheese.  You can also use different veggies for this, but the cauliflower works really well.

Ingredients

3 lb cauliflower (1 large head), cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch florets

½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves sliced into ½-inch ribbons

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

6 oz sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (2 cups)

1/2 cup finely chopped scallion greens

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

20 (2-inch) square saltine crackers

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish and set aside.

2. Cook cauliflower in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the kale to the pot and stir well.  Drain cauliflower and kale well in a colander and transfer to baking dish.

3. While cauliflower cooks, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a slow stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese, scallion greens, salt, and pepper, whisking until cheese is melted. Pour cheese sauce over vegetables and stir gently to combine. 

4. Coarsely crumble crackers into a bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Pour over crumbs and toss to coat.

5. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over cauliflower.  Bake gratin until topping is golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

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Sweet Potato Curry

Serves 4-6

Yes…curries can be quick and fresh!  This is a very versatile recipe that would work with any root vegetable.  Serve this with a rich plain yogurt and warm flatbread for a perfect meal.

Ingredients

3 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

whole dried red chilies, to taste

4-5 fresh curry leaves

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into a 1-inch dice

kosher salt, to taste

1 small handful fresh coriander, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat ghee or oil to high in a high sided saute pan.  Add mustard seeds, then chiles and curry leaves and stand back!!  The mixture will splutter, but this is what you want.  

2. Add the onions and cook until just lightly browned, then add garlic and stir to combine.  Cook until onions become translucent.

3. Add sweet potatoes, season with salt and stir to combine and coat potato pieces with masala mixture.  Cover and reduce heat to medium.

4. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and fragrant.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.  It’s ok if the potatoes get mashed together…that’s the beauty of this curry.

5. Garnish with coriander and serve. 

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

We’re at the beginning. That is to say - on the farm! First Mirella and Joshna spend some time analysing what happened with all the ‘dairy dumping’ and food waste that was reported early in the pandemic. The transactional nature of agriculture is revealed, which includes how we handled surpluses when covid shook up demand. (Trigger warning: we discuss some inflammatory language in the media about how farm animals were treated. That said we don’t go into any vivid detail.) We also dig into the ongoing issues of Migrant Workers and the various challenges facing them which have been aggravated by the pandemic.

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

Sometimes it feels like we’re living inside a machine. In the case of our food, we kind of are. With Covid lingering and impacting just about everything, beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and food activist Joshna Maharaj, decided to take a look at how Covid has affected our food. 

This leads them to a step-by-step exploration of “the food system”, the complex web of people and activities involving the production, processing, transport, and consumption of our food - which doesn’t always serve us (read all of us) very well in Canada. We start by breaking down what the food system is. We’ll go through what you need to know about it to follow the rest of the season, and how we hope to make it more sustainable now that covid has revealed its current weaknesses.

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

What is food security? What does it mean and how is it evaluated? Mirella and Joshna explore food security in Canada before and after the pandemic. What they find is daunting to say the least. But what are the potential solutions?

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.

www.hotplatepod.com

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

Equal Pay for BIPOC Culinary Talent. The Truth About Jerk. And Curious Moves from KFC.

This week we’re thrilled to welcome back Pay Chen as guest host -- @paychen on Instagram and Twitter. Pay is an experienced TV host, writer and producer with a passion for food, fitness, dogs and travel. Pay is frequently seen on morning shows and national daytime programs as a guest expert, brand spokesperson or guest host including Breakfast Television Toronto, CTV Morning Live, Cityline, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, and Steven and Chris. 

First up, we talk with Trevor Liu (@LuiSays on Twitter), founder of Quell (https://quellnow.com/), a startup food and beverage focused talent agency, about the specific challenges faced by BIPOC culinary talent when negotiating their pay.

Then, we talk Jerk. When a food is strongly associated with specific communities and histories, like Jerk is, can you, without being a part of that community, make it? Sell it? Joshna and Pay weigh in on the current thinking.Finally, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has some tricks up its sleeve lately - or more accurately Mario Lopez’s sleeve. What’s going on when a fried chicken brand gets into movies and gaming?

Fresh Ideas for 2021. Chinese Protest Recipes. What Little We Pay for Pho. And David Chang’s Infamous Rage.

This week we’re thrilled to welcome Pay Chen as guest host -- @paychen on Instagram and Twitter. Pay is an experienced TV host, writer and producer with a passion for food, fitness, dogs and travel. Pay is frequently seen on morning shows and national daytime programs as a guest expert, brand spokesperson or guest host including Breakfast Television Toronto, CTV Morning Live, Cityline, George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, and Steven and Chris. 

First, the good people at Food & Wine Magazine have published their list of trends for 2021, and we’re particularly excited about them! What did we learn in the wash that was 2020 that we’re resolving to take into the New Year?

Discussing The Chinese Protest Recipes Cookbook, we dig into what responsibility comes with being granted access to another culture’s recipes.

Why are some foods expected to be cheap in price? And why are these so often perceived as "ethnic" foods? Where do these expectations come from inside and outside communities? And how do we break these down so people creating our food can make fair livings?

To circle back to a kinder 2021, we note reactions to David Chang’s memoir, where he explains his history of rage, reveal the sinister side to celebrating talented chef’s as rockstars.

Cooking with Zooming Grandmas. Comfort and Nostalgia. The Kimchi Crisis. The Plants We Ignore.

This week Joshna is joined by Laura Brehaut. Laura is a food reporter for the National Post. She earned a Culinary Arts Certificate and Professional Fromager Certificate from George Brown College. She graduated with a B.A. (Hons) from Ryerson University’s RTA School of Media, and a B.A. in Linguistics and Anthropology from the University of Victoria. She has an interest in the cultural significance of food and foodways, and believes in the importance of building culinary skills and access to healthful food for all.

Instagram: @laurabrehaut

Twitter: @newedist

First is the story of Grandma’s Hands, a program where black grandmothers teach young people how to cook traditional, cultural foods over Zoom calls. It’s a blend of so many things we love. Using technology, with the intention to preserve tradition, it addresses hunger and supports black farmers in a win-win-win-win deal!

General Mills has returned to “classic” 80’s cereal recipes. The Barefoot Contessa’s new cookbook is all about comfort foods. It’s clear eating nostalgically is all the rage right now. But do the tastes of our childhoods live up to our memories? Or is comfort food just another name for stress eating?

There’s a cabbage shortage in Korea that has rocked kimchi culture! Climate change affecting crops isn’t new, but when a national food holding particular cultural influence is deeply affected, what are the cultural implications?Finally, Laura’s article in the National Post stuns us: Most food comes from only 15 crops. That's a problem. The good news is: we’re overlooking a huge variety of edible crops.

Label Wars. Cake for Democracy. The Battle of Borscht. And Dining Domes.

This week Joshna is joined by Laura Brehaut. Laura is a food reporter for the National Post. She earned a Culinary Arts Certificate and Professional Fromager Certificate from George Brown College. She graduated with a B.A. (Hons) from Ryerson University’s RTA School of Media, and a B.A. in Linguistics and Anthropology from the University of Victoria. She has an interest in the cultural significance of food and foodways, and believes in the importance of building culinary skills and access to healthful food for all.

Instagram: @laurabrehaut

Twitter: @newedist

The European Parliament has voted against a ban on “meaty” terms like burger, sausage and steak to describe plant-based foods, but is calling for stricter rules on dairy-based language such as cheese, butter, milk and cream. Why are plat-based subjects so polarizing, and what’s at the root of these labelling attacks?

An American tradition since 1796 is to bake an Election Cake, a bready bundt cake filled with dried fruit and topped with a whiskey glaze. The idea is that people are given a slice of this cake at the polling stations, after they cast their vote. Sadly, this cake has been replaced by a sticker, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a tradition where bakers across the country collaborate once every four years to prepare cakes regionally for Elections Canada? Would it help voter turnout?

A Ukrainian chef is pushing for borscht to be declared “an intangible part of Ukraine’s heritage." He had heard that borscht was being described as a Russian soup in other parts of the world and wanted to set the record straight. These folks are serious about their soup, and it raises the question of who can claim what.

Finally, domes, greenhouses, and fire pits. Can creative solutions to outdoor dining in cold climates help struggling sustain restaurants through the winter?

French al fresco Dining. Tech is changing indoor dining. The curfew debate. Why Tequila is the new vodka.

This episode Joshna is joined by Elayne Duff. Elayne is an accomplished professional with more than 20 years within the beverage and alcohol industry. Working for the two largest drinks companies in the world AB-InBev and Diageo Wine and Spirits has earned her a solid track record as a mixologist, luxury spirits brand Ambassador, and brand strategist. She is an in-demand speaker at trade shows around the world, Diageo's go-to person for media, one of the most-requested mixology experts on Spike TV's hit "Bar Rescue" show, and Andy Cohen's favorite bartender on-set for "Watch What Happens Live!"In September 2017, Elayne created her own consultancy company, Duff on the Rocks, through which she works with brands to develop on & off-trade strategy, sales, and education solutions.

Al Fresco Dining & Drinking: We know Canadians love a patio, and will bundle up to maximize outdoor eating and drinking time, but nearby traffic cones with cars whizzing by just a few feet from your fork isn't exactly relaxing or joyful. So, we thought we'd share this charming story about French al fresco dining. It suggests the magic of France's version of this is that it's leisurely, in a beautiful space, with things to love. How can we do it too?

Tech is helping make eating indoors more safe. We particularly like the dumplings served in a room that has been UV swept!

Is it fair to put a curfew on bars and restaurants? Let's talk about how governments are handling the changes caused by Covid-19.

Tequila is the new vodka. How did it happen? We found this piece from way back in 2010 and it's finally happening! Elayne tells us more, and, of course when talking tequila you drink tequila!

Smuggled culture. Uncle Roger. The globalization of the grocery store. And presumptuous pumpkin spice.

This episode Joshna is joined by Elayne Duff. Elayne is an accomplished professional with more than 20 years within the beverage and alcohol industry. Working for the two largest drinks companies in the world AB-InBev and Diageo Wine and Spirits has earned her a solid track record as a mixologist, luxury spirits brand Ambassador, and brand strategist. She is an in-demand speaker at trade shows around the world, Diageo's go-to person for media, one of the most-requested mixology experts on Spike TV's hit "Bar Rescue" show, and Andy Cohen's favorite bartender on-set for "Watch What Happens Live!"In September 2017, Elayne created her own consultancy company, Duff on the Rocks, through which she works with brands to develop on & off-trade strategy, sales, and education solutions.

Our first stop is a beautiful piece about a grandmother who smuggled some yogurt culture on a handkerchief, then immigrated to the West from Lebanon.

Next, our latest obsession: Uncle Roger! Comedian Nigel Ng has created this alter ego who does his own commentary on videos of chefs making Asian dishes. His loud objections to Jamie Oliver's fried rice has gone viral. He's super funny, and we like this approach to a discussion about appropriation. "You hear sizzling, I hear my ancestors crying..."

Joshna is irritated by it all at the grocery store, and thought that all the darned canned milk should just go together rather than isolating the coconut milk, for example, in the "international foods" isle...let's finally talk about this hottest of hot topics!

Pumpkin Spice Madness! Every year it seems the obsession with pumpkin spice grows more grotesque. This year brought us pumpkin spice Kraft Dinner, and pumpkin spice bone broth mix! Why are we so obsessed with this flavour?!

In our 50th episode -- The Pandemic vs. Irish Pubs. Can wine be any cleaner? The fermentation inoculation. And magic molluscs.

Joshna is once again joined by Susan Boyle, drinks consultant, researcher, writer, storyteller, and performer based in Ireland. She writes about beer, presents drinks features on Irish national television and radio and hosts tasting and masterclasses. Susan is also one half of Two Sisters Brewing, makers of Brigid’s Ale. She is pursuing a PhD at the Technological University of Dublin focusing on the importance of storytelling and place to beverages, and won an outstanding speaker award at the Oxford Symposium of Food and Cookery for her research. Susan was recently named a Fulbright Creative Ireland Fellow at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

This is a particularly difficult time for bars and restaurants around the world, which typically bring people together in person. We delve into Susan's perspective on her family business - the Irish pub. These pubs are the center of communities in Ireland, so how are they faring and how is the pandemic affecting the wellbeing of the Irish who are connected to them?

People are asking, "How can I drink more wine without any of the consequences of drinking more wine?" While the clean eating movement isn't all bad, there's obviously an element of trying to have your cake and eat it too when it comes to alcohol. This makes celebrity calls to literally wash the grapes better all the more absurd… we dig in on where to draw the line.

While we don't advocate any action based on largely unsubstantiated evidence, we like the suggestion coming from certain countries that fermented vegetables might decrease the mortality risks associated with COVID-19. Once again it seems like there's something going on with fermentation and our gut flora which is beneficial. Do what you will with this information, but there's no harm eating a few more vegetables (even fermented ones!).

Finally, how well do you know your oysters? A team of researchers adopted some pet oysters to find out why they open and close. What they found is lovely!

Awards on pause. Rethinking Healthy Food. Airplane meals at sea level. And when it snows  chocolate. 

Joining us this week and next is Susan Boyle @miss_susanboyle, alongside Joshna @joshnamaharaj while Mirella @beerology is on leave. Susan is a drinks consultant, researcher, writer, storyteller, and performer based in Ireland. She writes about beer, presents drinks features on Irish national television and radio and hosts tasting and masterclasses. Susan is also one half of Two Sisters Brewing, makers of Brigid’s Ale. She is pursuing a PhD at the Technological University of Dublin focusing on the importance of storytelling and place to beverages, and won an outstanding speaker award at the Oxford Symposium of Food and Cookery for her research. Susan was recently named a Fulbright Creative Ireland Fellow at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
In this episode we talk about: The James Beard Foundation Awards are on pause. After no Black winners in any of 23 categories and multiple allegations of varying kinds of poor behaviour among nominees, the Foundation decided to hit the pause button until further notice. We dig in on what that might mean for the awards and the industry.
Susan and her family had a deeply personal experience of the intersection of healthcare with food when her mother passed away suddenly. Susan's feeling is we need to rethink what we think is healthy and is healthy food in relation to our physical health.
Do you have a soft spot for airplane meals? Airplane food is now available on the ground, thanks to COVID-19. In some strange way we're interested to try it, not only because we'd love to know what they're eating in first class… but because it literally tastes different down here.
To cap things off, we have a delightful story to report: it recently snowed chocolate in Switzerland!

Bandaid food solutions. Mushroom proteins. Is your meal A+ grade in France? What is perfect rice?

An idea which keeps re-emerging is to use corporate food waste to feed the hungry. There are a few reasons it’s not a great idea - not to mention we can all agree hungry people deserve better than waste.

Canada just got Mycoprotein this year. It's a very interesting, possibly appetizing, mushroom-based protein, which is worth giving a shot.

France has an interesting approach to developing healthy eating habits. They grade foods based on how healthy they are. Here's the thing, though: we don't totally agree on their grades.

Finally, to wrap up Season 2 of Hot Plate, we take aim at how to cook the perfect rice. There's a lot going on with rice!

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

Why is cheese so delicious?  What do you really know about fish? Can your cooking get you drunk? And room temperature eating.

Why is cheese so delicious? Well, it's pretty technical - but interesting! We delve into the various complexities of production and many flavour compounds that contribute to the delight of eating cheese.

This new study shows the need for labels on Canadian seafood.  For example, there’s no real nutritional difference between wild and farmed fish and seafood, and we were surprised to learn there’s no conversation about the way this fish is produced. What matters is not just the impact on our bodies...

Did you know that alcohol doesn’t fully evaporate when you cook it? Many of us believe it's gone in minutes but it turns out it takes over 3hrs to fully cook out!

Here's a piece arguing in favour of room temperature foods. There's so much to talk about here… you'll just have to listen if you can make it to the piping hot discussion before it goes cold!

Sugarless juice. How do you zest? Cranberries as a cure. And pickle juice -- in beer?

There's a company trying to remove sugar from juice. This got us so riled up we thought we'd better take all the juice topics this week and mix them into one juicy Hot Plate smoothie. It all stems from the outrage we feel about trying to create a sugarless juice which can be endlessly consumed…

To lighten our mood from there we talked about how we zest. Moving the grater or the fruit? Fancy equipment or old-school cheese graters? You decide how you like to zest -- but we certainly have advice for you.

Next we look at how Ocean Spray is seeking permission from the FDA to print on their cranberry juices that they're a good treatment for urinary tract infections. We're not convinced…

Finally, we are pickled by people putting pickle juice in their beer to make it taste better. If you love it, go for it of course. But if you're just drinking beer that doesn't taste good… what are you doing?!

Moose butchery in high school. Where we draw the line with meats. Reaching isolated seniors with food. And musical ice-cream cones.

This makes sense for northern communities where hunting is very common, but even just from a meat eating perspective, having to face the reality of your meat consumption is key, and why not start this in high school? An Alaska high school teacher brought in a moose that he killed and then had his class of students break the beast down.

In South Korea there is a lot of heated debate going on around eating dog meat. It’s interesting to see the clash between traditional values and ‘western’ values… and then there’s the added layer of people taking issue with eating animals that are cute/domesticated but not others.

Neighbourhood organizations is working to get good food to senior citizens who live alone, and quite isolated, especially during the pandemic. The care and attention that these folks pay to their visits to seniors is pretty beautiful.

Finally a company is giving us the ice-cream truck inside the ice-cream cone! They've created an ice-cream cone that plays music as you eat ice cream. But wait! There's more! It's interactive with other cones!

In this episode we talk with photographer Carrie Solomon (Insta: @carrie_in_paris) and culture writer Adrian Moore (Twitter @majormoore Insta @adrianelvn) about their fascinating book, Chefs' Fridges. They quite literally travelled the world to have More than 35 World-Renowned Cooks Reveal What They Eat at Home. As we discover in our chat with them, the book is a time capsule for our relationship with food right now.

Then talk about what the global pandemic might have revealed about the eating habits of teenagers.

Finally, Joshna has Mirella taste-test the summer's hottest (sweetest) drink: rooh afza.

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More on Carrie and Adrian:

Carrie Solomon is an American photographer and writer who lives in Paris. Since moving there in 2002, she has become one of France’s most renowned culinary photographers. She writes and shoots about food and travel regularly for ELLE France. In addition, she has authored, coauthored, and photographed many books including Inside Chefs’ Fridges, Europe with Adrian Moore, MAKERS Paris with Kate van den Boogert, and Une Américaine à Paris.

Adrian Moore is an award-winning palace concierge by day and a food and culture writer by night. When he is not keeping the secrets of food world luminaries and international jetsetters, he writes for publications like Conde Nast Traveler, Travel and Leisure, and Monocle. Canadian-born but raised in the U.S. to British parents, he lives in Paris.

Foods to cool you down in the summer heat. Is it okay to be a picky eater? And what you probably didn't know about Scotland.

On this episode we're grateful to have Angela Warburton, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, share her knowledge of foods to eat which are traditionally understood to have cooling properties. It might just open up a new way of thinking about what you eat!

Then, a welcome tip from a listener: Joshna and Mirella struggle to understand adults who are picky eaters.

Did you realize Scotland is a leading distiller of gins and its Scotch distilling regions are very much at play? Neither did we!

Prohibition and racism. A greenhouse in the North. And sexy vegetables (yes, seriously sexy vegetables!).

In this episode we have the pleasure of speaking with writer and historian Christine Sismondo about her two articles for Macleans about how prohibition impacted race relations in the US and Canada. This is undeniably relevant right now right down the tactic the Anti-Saloon League  employed. Christine is a Toronto-based writer and speaker who specializes in wine, spirits and their history. She is the author of ‘America Walks Into a Bar', a history of bars as political spaces, and wrote the script for Wondery Media’s American History Tellers’ six-part prohibition series. She also co-wrote, with Stephen Beaumont, ‘Canadian Spirits’ - an essential guide for anyone interested in learning more about Canada’s many distilleries.

Next we have a good news story about a community in the North building a greenhouse to foster food security.

And finally, to further brighten our moods…  sexy vegetables: Delightfully seductive radishes.

The power of bake sales. Can you describe your types of bitter? How to make the perfect cup of coffee. And please don't drink your hand sanitizer!

This episode we delve into the connection between the bake sale and grass roots activism.

Then, we'll disagree with an experiment about bitterness that seemed to misunderstand beer drinkers.

We'll stop for a cup o' java and explore how to make the perfect, just-so-bitter, coffee.

Finally, beer and spirits companies are backtracking after their sudden production of sanitizer led to some poor labeling. Please don't accidentally drink your hand sanitizer!

Do you remember menus without prices for women? How the brewing slow-downs is affecting Marmite production. Do you treat recipes as scripture? And a brand moving on.

We re-tell the story of the price-less "ladies menu" in LA which led to a high profile lawsuit after a business-woman was refused a menu showing prices (yes, you read that!). Already incensed by the story, Mirella takes aim at a whole host of tired hospitality practices.

Then, our favorite umami-full spread, Marmite, is going to be off the menu if beer brewing continues to slow down.

Is it really unconscionable to question "the recipe"? We discuss a view of recipes as not just for beginners, where breaking rules is encouraged.

Finally, people around the world are saying "about time" to Quaker's decision to move on from their famous Aunt Jemima brand of syrup.

Should we let the restaurant industry die? Diving deep into seafood. Could you survive the hospital quarantine food? And, a sandwich hitting the bliss the point.

We kick this one off with a look at Tunde Wey, known well in the restaurant industry known for his performance art and activism. Recently Wey has made the case for letting the restaurant industry die - to save it.

Diving deep (pardon the pun) into the issues seafood faces due to climate change. Eating seafood is often held up as a solution but India has been looking hard at the issues.

We take a closer look at hospital food through the eyes of a patient who needs good nutrition to survive hospital quarantine…

Finally, we learn more about fast-food chain Popeye's' new and much lauded chicken sandwich -- coming to Canada soon (with special Canadian lettuce and tomato)!

The Guerilla Grafters. Community fridges. Alinea's edible art at home. And are you eating ice cream wrong?

You've heard of guerilla gardeners but have you heard of guerilla grafters? Folks are grafting fruit trees onto city-maintained decorative trees in order to provide food to the hungry. It's compelling activism but is it a realistic fix for the hungry? We also talk about organizations doing similar work.

We love this new hyper-local movement of providing community fridges. Through and through it's a good news story. Communities are finding strength in providing food for each other.

Chicago's favourite fine dining 'not-a-restaurant', Alinea, is in the news again because it's offering take-out. Would you splatter-paint your dessert at home? Looks like fun!

To cap off this episode: you've probably been eating ice cream the wrong way. We set you right, even though eating ice cream the right way seems like no fun at all!

Mirella and Joshna dig into how Covid-10 has impacted our relationship with food at home. Home gardening has had quite the renaissance, which - unlike other DIY Covid trends - has persisted into 2021. Home cooking and eating family meals together has also had a boom. Both provide benefits as well as significant challenges!

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On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory consultant Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food.

www.hotplatepod.com

The mental health crisis in the hospitality industry. A device to make you taste anything. How Norway is helping The Cherokee save their seeds.

Hassel Aviles of Not 9 To 5 joins us for a discussion prompted by this article about the crisis of mental health in the hospitality industry. Her work, with co-founder Ariel Coplan, focuses on empowering hospitality, food and beverage service workers by mobilizing education and support for mental health and substance use - a problem likely to get a whole lot worse as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on.

Then, a device (which we desperately want to test for ourselves!) can now let us taste anything we want… by stimulating our sense of taste.

Finally, The Cherokee are the first North American indigenous people to store seeds in the International Seed Bank run by the Norwegian government.

Do you love your Drive-thrus? Who cares about the taste of corn? How to freeze your food with confidence. Anti-hangover plants.

One part pandemic related and one part general fascination, a symbol for American life and culture is the Drive-thru. Funny enough Mirella has never actually bought food at one, so she relies on Joshna to explain exactly why Drive-thrus are about a whole lot more than just convenience as well as add a Canadian perspective.

As of last year breeders of corn in Africa started considering the flavour and texture of their corn. This begs the question, "Why weren’t they interested flavour to begin with?"

We all use the freezer to preserve food but there's a lot more it's good for. We dig into the depths of our freezers and brains for some not-so-common knowledge about how to make the most of your freezer.

Finally, a new study shows some plants may have anti-hangover properties. This may be life-changing for anyone overdoing the drinking… and will be mildly interesting for the rest of us! And word-nerd Mirella leans a new word she'll never use.

Our take on the Premier's cheesecake. The Food Professor weighs in on milk at Starbucks. Indian efficiency in the kitchen explored. And meet your new guilty pleasure: the bath beer!

Ontario Premier Doug Ford decided to share his family recipe for cheesecake. The video is a hot mess,  but we applaud encouraging family time in the kitchen and the good news that stemmed from it.

We welcome back Dr. Sylvain Charlebois to discuss Starbucks' move to add plant-based milk alternatives which are cheaper and less carbon intensive than cow-sourced milk.

Then we talk about a certain kind of efficiency which can be learned by looking at Indian family kitchens.And finally - we give you permission to have a beer in the bath. Move over shower beer… the bath beer is here to stay!

Are you drinking too much? Will computers shape the future of flavour? The urban gardening revolution. And do you want VR with your dinner?

British writer Pete Brown wrote about everyone's number two concern, behind avoiding COVID-19 itself, which is, "Are we drinking too much?" The answer may surprise you.

We dig into an Indian organization's work determining pleasing flavour pairings based on molecules.

We talk about gardening as city activism and how Ron Finley has cultivated a movement starting from the "food forest" he planted at his home.

Finally, we high-end dining experiences are starting to include virtual reality... If only we could leave our homes to try this! We're left curious as ever.

Mirella tries to join an Aspic Appreciation Group. What are Poland's Milk Bars and why don't we have them? What's behind the frenzied seed buying? And how restaurants are monetizing their cellars.

Underground food movements are one of our favourite topics because we love it when people get nerdy about their food. Led by "Jiggle Daddy," one popular Facebook group, “Show Me Your Aspics,” is focused on encasing food in aspic (like gelatin) and appreciating the highest quality jiggles… now we can't look away!

Milk Bars are a uniquely Polish concept. They're federally subsidized restaurants serving simple, wholesome, affordable, often traditional foods. Does this model have merit elsewhere, especially as kitchens are pivoting their services in order to survive the pandemic?

Seed growers can't keep up with demand. Is growing food getting more popular or is this boost thanks to survivalist paranoia?

Finally, how some restaurants are digging into their cellar and offering up remarkable and rare offerings for sale, their "Trophy Bottles."

What is Joshna's new book about? When should we re-open our pubs? How did Chinese take-out containers come to be? And our favorite recipes - according to Google.

Joshna has been managing change-making projects in the food industry for 13 years, and now she's launched a best-selling book about her experiences: Take Back The Tray. It's all about institutional food and how it needs to change dramatically. Schools, hospitals, and other public institutions need to rethink how they procure, cook, and serve food. Mirella leads the Q & A so we get to the heart of the issues.

Then, our friend Wayne Reeves, Toronto's Chief Curator and certified beer judge from our episode No Fun Times In Toronto, tipped off Mirella to the Irish plan to re-open its pubs in June. We discuss benefits and pitfalls of re-opening and wonder 'when will the time will be right?'

The North American style Chinese take-out containers we know and love have benefits many of us are blissfully unaware of. We dig in to their origins.

Finally, it turns out everyone is making banana bread (us too!). What the Google search data reveals…

Should you uninstall your delivery apps? How much would you pay for fake meat? Do you have a sweet tooth? And which YouTube Cooking Channels are worth your time?

Needless to say delivery is part of our lives in a new way during 'corona-times'. Unfortunately the latest moves by delivery app titans seem pretty bad for restaurants, with both fees and discounts docking the restaurants' bottom line in the toughest of times. There's a new player, Tock, which may the best interest of both restaurant and customer in mind (time will tell).

Lab grown meat (or cultured meat) is something we at Hot Plate aren't tremendously enthusiastic about… Let's just say we're keeping open to it, however the Dutch are apparently willing to pay 30% more for it. When household food budgets are already stretched thin, how could this become the new normal?

Do you have a sweet tooth?  Some people really do, and some people really don't. New research suggests it might have something to do with the rest of your diet.

Finally, we're excited to share with you some of the best YouTube Cooking Channels, in stark contrast to our Season 2 Episode 2 segment on some terrible online cooking hacks.

Eating with your hands, the bliss point, molecular coffee, and bacon for snacking on.

This episode was recorded in our regular Frequency studio session just prior to the pandemic lockdown. We delayed its release a few weeks to focus on pertinent lockdown issues, but we promise it's still timely! After all, when is bacon not timely?

First up, Mirella and Joshna talk about eating with your hands. A new study showed people enjoy their food more when they eat with their hands but have difficulty with moderation. Considering many cultures have been eating with their hands for hundred, if not thousands, of years… we give this research a reality check.

Next, we remind ourselves many food companies are seeking the "bliss point". It's the point at which your food is optimally addictive. It's the reason it's hard to eat just one of anything… case in point we try and fail to eat only one Cheeto…

Coffee is being scientifically re-engineered to remove the beans in what is being called "molecular coffee".

And finally, Dunkin Donuts is introducing "snacking bacon". We have important questions, including: Is snacking bacon hot? Are forks optional? And fow long before this hits the bacon-crazy North?

Tips for a clean and functional kitchen, how to make natural cleaners, sparking joy in your kitchen, and storing booze.

Do you have the Spring cleaning itch? Is your kitchen next but you don't know where to start? You're not alone! Lucky for us, Mirella recently followed this particular kitchen cleaning plan and together with Joshna dives into the latest tips & tricks to keeping a functional kitchen as well as what they've learned about keeping a fresh, inviting kitchen you'll never want to leave.

Next, we learn how to easily make time-tested, safe, and environmentally friendly cleaners for your kitchen. Find the recipes on our website.

Then we dig into Marie Kondo's kitchen cleaning advice -- we're fans, but we don't think she nails it in the kitchen.

And finally, what to do with all that booze you've got tucked away in your liquor cabinet. Can you keep it forever? What probably isn't keeping well.

The chocolate-brewing witches of colonial Latin America, why those fermented foods you love might not be probiotic, why there's always room for dessert, and the world's first pea-based gin.

Hot off a trip to Mexico, Joshna brought us Mexican brewing chocolate to taste (thicker and bitter compared with most North American hot chocolates). This same brewing chocolate has a long history in Latin America, including when women who brewed it were persecuted by the Inquisition.

Have we been assuming fermented foods are probiotic? It turns out there's little scientific evidence to support it, but does this fly in the face of what we know to be true from thousands of years of collective wisdom? There are questions left on the table.

We learn about why there's always more room for dessert. How is that "second stomach” working? What's the point of it? Turns out there's something behind your second stomach (not literally, but at least metaphorically)!

Finally, there's a new kid on the gin block. It's made from peas and boasts its climate positive potential!

On this special series of HotPlate Podcast, craft beer and sensory expert Mirella Amato, and chef and activist Joshna Maharaj, examine the impact Covid has had on every aspect of our food system, all the way from farm to table. How have things changed? What’s going on behind the scenes? The answers to these questions are often surprising and will help strengthen our connection to our food. 

www.hotplatepod.com

Factory farming and zoonoses, the cilantro gene's supertasting connection,  how variety matters to your diet, and are we losing  craftmanship?

In this episode we start with a Coronavirus topic but for the first time in weeks move beyond it. How factory farming may in fact be responsible for this virus - contrary to current popular belief.

Then, does cilantro taste like soap to you? It might mean you're in the rarified "supertaster" club .

It may seem obvious  but varying your natural foods can be an extremely healthy choice. We discuss a reminder about this wisdom from legendary food writer Mark Bittman and David L Katz. (Here's the link to their "The Last Conversation You'll Ever Need To Have About Eating Right")

Finally, the fast-moving forces of modern markets being what they are, have we lost the slow art of craftsmanship in our beer? Have we lost it in cuisine too? What are we missing?

Obsessing over take-out safety, the obsessive need to bake bread, opening closed farmer's markets, and new alcohol delivery options.

The pandemic is revealing a lot about us, in particular our real dependence on food take-out and delivery. But is it safe? Mirella and Joshna turn over the myriad of opinions out there and delivery their own verdict.

Next we tackle the curious lack of flour on store shelves, and our apparent obsession with baking bread. In particular isolation seems to have us all baking the notoriously time-consuming sour dough loaf.

Farmer's markets have been caught up in coronavirus closures and we'll take a look arguments for and against opening them alongside grocery stores.

We wrap it up by breaking down the ins and outs of a hot new announcement: that restaurants in Ontario and a few other provinces can now deliver alcohol!

Coming to you from our homes amidst self-isolation: stocking your pantry for a crisis, the impacts of coronavirus on bars, restaurants, and farms, and how a resilient industry is adapting fast.

Our personal fortitude is being tested in a big way right now as we all try to "social distance" and isolate ourselves during the global COVID-19 outbreak. During this stressful time it can ease our minds to know the right items are stocked in our pantries. We take you through what you might want to have on hand.

This crisis is impacting bars and restaurants immensely, dealing many small businesses - but particularly in the food and beverage industries, a devastating blow.We take a look at the impacts.

We'll touch on how travel bans nearly paralyzed the harvest in Canada, which fuels food production, by preventing migrant workers from entering the country. This could have been a massive trickle-down impact. It has thankfully been avoided, but at what cost.

Finally, a thought on resourcefulness: LA restaurants have pivoted into becoming corner stores, and breweries around the world are now producing much-needed hand sanitizer. People everywhere, but especially in hospitality, are reacting to fill the needs of their customers in innovative ways.

Stay safe and healthy everyone. If you feel like cooking to get you through this challenging time, we're sharing recipes to try at hotplatepod.com.

Rooftop groceries, setting the table, drinking alone, and a salty spread making its comeback.

Up first, there's an IGA grocery store in Quebec that is growing produce on its roof and selling it in store! It's a brilliant innovation, encouraged by some municipal legislation, and they've reported a 50% increase in produce sales from 2017-18 as a result. We love it love it love it!

Then, can table cloths make food taste better? The answer, you might guess, is of course! We dive into choosing the right tablecloth for the right meal.

Do you feel guilty drinking alone in a pub? Mirella gives you some new excuses to get out there - by yourself.

Finally, Marmite is making a comeback and is more visible than ever. Joshna shares some delicious Marmite treats that might just convert those weary of the of this often polarizing spread.