Page 10 - MENU Magazine - Jan/Feb 2018

Meet
GATHERINGS
the Chefs
THE DISRUPTIVE, THE INNOVATIVE & THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BY ARDEN JOBLING
1. Give your bio in a few sentences!
2. What do you feel most proud of in your work?
3. Whatisoneofthemostimportantis- sues in the world of foodservice today?
4. What most excites you about the fu- ture of food? What do you see coming down the pipeline in food?
5. Tell us about your work today! What is a typical day? (Is there a typical day?)
6. Name a favourite ingredient! To eat and to cook with.
7. Whatisyourgo-tocomfortfood?
“Chef and culinary curator for RC Show 21018; MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) Ca- nadian chef brand ambassador; and owner of Scout Canning, a freshly prepared canned fish food company. I’m based out of Toronto and am an overall crazy event planner chef lady.”
2 “The integrity of my work across the board. I’m lucky to have people trust me to make decisions for them when it comes to what they eat and how they eat. Ninety-nine per cent of the time, I get the opportunity to make healthy choices for them—and thought- ful choices, such as sustainable choices for seafood and locally sourced ingredients from amazing farms and producers. I get to take care of people and they don’t even know it. They don’t even know what’s going on, you know? They’re just eating.”
3 “There is a lot of food fraud out there and it contributes to the food insecurities that we have. We’re saying ‘we have this’ and we don’t. The demand is being created. We don’t actually have it and so we create something else that’s like it that may be damaging to an ecosystem or farm, or things along those lines.”
4
CHARLOTTE LANGLEY
SCOUT CANNING & CHEF AND CULINARY CURATOR FOR RC SHOW 2018
“A mental evolution of how we approach food. When it comes to food, my excitement is seeing people demand and desire knowledge and information and where their food is com- ing from, what it is actually made of. People are becoming more aware of the food they’re putting in their body. I’m looking forward to people demanding more healthy food across the board, challenging each other to be a part of the story and being held accountable for their actions.”
MARK BRAND SAVE ON MEATS
From sustainable seafood and food security to sexism in the workplace, chefs today are finding or creating new ways to use the food they love as a catalyst for positive change, bringing attention to essential issues in the restaurant industry and beyond.
Mark Brand is a graduate of THNK School
of Creative Leadership, a Stanford fellow and owner of Save On Meats (SOM)—a butcher and diner that has been driving social change in Vancouver since 1957. A social entrepreneur with more than 11 businesses under his belt, Mark is driven by the possibility of getting real food in the hands (and mouths) of the people who need it most.
In 2013, Mark launched the Token Program, an alternative currency designed to feed those in need without the exchange of any actual cash. Tokens are purchased at SOM for $2.25, handed out to those in need and are redeemable for a sandwich either at the front take-out window or inside the diner. Not only has the initiative had over 100,000 users to-date, it has sparked an opportunity for interaction between those who have and those who have less.
Meet Chef Mark Brand at RC Show 2018—the host of the culinary competition and leader of the session on social justice.
10 MENU JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018