Suresh Doss 6 week series of Food Talks at the Hot Docs Cinema

CURIOUS MINDS - HEIRLOOM: The Food Traditions of Toronto's Cultural Mosaic

Suresh Doss - Food Writer (Editor of Foodism & Escapism and CBC host)

Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

Saturdays, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM 
Jan 26, Feb 9, Feb 23, Mar 9, Mar 23, Apr 6

Six-week course: $63 (Members: $54, $42, Free) |
Single class: $21 (Members: $17, $14, Free)

I have known about Suresh Doss for a while now as he is well respected in the Food Industry and has really filled a niche market for himself by finding all the little gem food places to eat that are off the beating path and generally do not get write ups,  viral instagram feeds or media attention at all.  He likes them because they make "Traditional" food from their home countries or their family influences.  The food isn't always instagrammable but it's always full of flavour and passion.

Suresh's passion for food is been demonstrated in a series of 6 -2 hour talks being held on Saturday mornings at the Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto.

I got up this chilly winter morning when I would normally be home probably watching Food Network while cleaning up, cooking or blogging and I went down to the Bloor Cinema thanks to some last minute tickets from Eatable Films.  Thank you Eatable.

Today was the first in the series and it was all Suresh who talked about restaurants that he has travelled to around the world and in the GTA or the "Burbs" as he calls it.  This is his specialty.  He goes to the places only locals that live around the area usually know about.

Suresh has been a food writer for years and writes for many food publications as well as editing his own magazines.  He also has a CBC show that showcases the people who run these little mom and pop type of restaurants in the "Burbs".  

The one thing that he talked about that he really wanted to hit home was the fact that a lot of these places may just disappear because the parents aren't passing down the traditions to their kids because they usually want their kids to have a better life with more stability and less physical and mental stress.   "Running a restaurant in Toronto is hard" Suresh notes.  

Yes it is because of City councils many bylaws and the high cost of rent and increased labour costs.  They aren't always accessible these days either with the many condos in the city and the endless commuting time there isn't as much time to get around the city to go for dinner.  The cost of dining out because of the rents and labour costs are high in the downtown core as well.   The suburbs sometimes provides a more reasonable experience with parking available most of the time and the rents being lower affords the food costs to be lower as well.

Here is the thing that I have noticed over the years also pointed out by Suresh is the fact that we are losing a lot of restaurants that have had their original recipes being passed down for generations and they have honed in on specializing in what they do making the food that much better.

I have have also noticed that with the takeover of huge Condos comes predictable chain foods that are sometimes mediocre,  sometimes good but hardly ever great.   I have noticed in my area where I work and live and there is the highest density in Toronto there is also a slow takeover of restaurants that come from Asia who provide cheap and relatively fast food.  How many Sushi places do you need within a 1 block radius?  They can't all be good?  How many Subways, Freshii's, McDonalds, Tim Horton's do you really need everywhere?  The same food in every food court and every major intersection.  I really miss the days when I would drive around to all kinds of places,   I miss driving a lot too because I could find those little places along the way that you miss when you spend 2 hours a day from underground subway station to station with the same old things around when you surface.

I go out less than I used to and find that a lot of the time I am disappointed in the food.  I picked up some food from a new food hall on Bloor today and didn't even finish it.  Low quality and not that great.  The families that own and run their little places for generations aren't looking to make a quick buck and get out, they are looking to build a community and leave a legacy.

That's what's really needed in the city is for Toronto City Hall to provide easier ways for these people to get started and keep their restaurants running for more than a year or so to build up their communities.  

Suresh was asked about the Food truck scene and I have discussed this in many blog posts that a lot of small indie people find the rules and costs to be too high so the ones still standing are the burgers and fries kind of trucks because it is a lot harder to build an audience when the food isn't as familiar.

There is a bit of hope coming in the form of a whole shipping container community that will sit at Front and Bathurst for a year.  Unfortunately that's not really long enough for a lot of people to get an opportunity to start small and build their business but if it's successful maybe that will feed more of the same.

What can you do?   Find the little gem places.  Suresh has a map on facebook of places you can check out.  Wander around your neighbourhood and try something that isn't a take out chain and tell your friends if it's good.

This is Suresh's next session, don't miss it.

February 9: A Taste of Persia with B.B. CafeWe begin our survey of the city's best family cooks and family-run restaurants with the mother-daughter team behind B.B. Cafe in North York, renowned across the GTA for its elegant and mouthwatering Persian pastries. Saffron ice cream and rose-water scented desserts? Yes, please!

Follow Suresh on Twitter @suresh  Instagram @suresh

Foodism - @foodismto

Website:  http://sureshdoss.com/

Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJot1iEs_MwdERsM0gfh43g

TEDxManhattan Viewing Party today!

TODAY I am hosting at TEDXManhattan 2015 Viewing Party for some of my Food Revolution Day team members and people that have attended or assisted my Food Revolution Day Events in the past.

TEDxManhattan's Theme is Changing the Way we EAT.   The speakers are from all areas surrounding the issues of the future of food.

They are going to be live streaming the talks from 10:30am to 6pm and to make it really easy to participate you can watch it right here:



I will be taking photos of the event and tweeting as the day goes on so check my Twitter feed @Integrityfilms or follow my Instagram Feed @lindamatarasso

You can also follow the TEDXManhattan Twitter feed @TEDXManhattan.

I will post pics from my viewing party later but in the meantime get yourself ready with some healthy treats and get comfy for some amazing talks.

TEDXManhattan Viewing Party

2015 TEDXManhattan Viewing Party Event

I am very excited to be hosting a TEDXManhattan Viewing Party at my home in Toronto on March 7th, 2015.  The TEDX talks will be all about the state of the future of FOOD which is in line with my FOOD REVOLUTION DAY mission.  I have invited some fellow Food Revolution Day Ambassadors along with some of my food savvy friends to attend the live streaming viewing of these talks.  Thanks to the great generosity of CHIPOTLE Mexican Grill my guests will be munching on some great and healthy food catered by them and I will also have the owner of GOOD FOOD FOR GOOD come over to demo her new line of Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Preservative free sauces and spreads.  

You can get more information to either host a Viewing party or attend one by checking out their website for information. http://www.tedxmanhattan.org/viewing-parties/

Here is a run down on what the event is all about and the talk times and topics:

TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” will take place on Saturday, March 7, 2015, at the TimesCenter in New York City.  Below is the list of speakers along with their topic.  Order is subject to change.

2015 Run of Show (02/21/15)
TEDxManhattan

Registration 9:30 – 10:30. Webcast begins promptly at 10:30 (ALL TIMES EASTERN)

Session 1 – Sharing the Vision (10:30 – 12:15)

Introductions

Intro: Tom Colicchio
Speaker 1 – Danny Meyer – Fine dining and chain restaurants – the evolvement and overlap of the two

Intro – Urvashi Rangan
Speaker 2 – Anim Steel – Food justice

Intro – Paul Lightfoot
Speaker 3 – Ali Partovi – What’s the real reason organic food costs more? (Hint: It’s not because it’s more expensive to produce)

Intro – Megan Miller
Speaker 4 – Stephen Reily – How do cities build platforms to help the local food economy achieve sustainability and scale?

Film clip: The Meatrix – Re-make and re-launch of the hugely successful 2003 viral phenomenon

Intro – Wenonah Hauter
Speaker 5 – Michele Merkel – What is legal is not always right – fighting for justice in rural America

LUNCH  12:15 – 1:30  (Webcast offline/break)

Session 2 – Shaping Our World (1:30 – 3:30)

Intro – Andrew Gunther
Speaker 6 – Stefanie Sacks – How small changes in eating can make big differences

Intro – Peggy Neu
Speaker 7 – Robert Graham – Teaching doctors about the importance of food to health

Intro – Michel Nischan
Speaker 8 – Marcel Van Ooyen – Scaling up local food distribution to take it from niche to mainstream

Intro – Sunny Young
Speaker 9 – Joel Berg – The only real way to end hunger in America

Intro – Ann Cooper
Speaker 10 – Dana Cowin – The power of ugly vegetables.

Speaker 11 – TEDxManhattan Award Winner – Stephen Ritz, Green Bronx Machine. School. Kids. Community. Food. The educational community center Steve is building in a school in the Bronx.

Speaker 12 – DJ Cavem (with Alkemia Earth) – Health education through art and hip hop music

BREAK  3:30 – 4:10 (Webcast Offline)

Session 3 – Lighting the Future (4:10 – 6:00pm)

Intro: Sam Van Aken
Speaker 13 – Henry Hargreaves – How end-of-the-world doomsday preppers are thinking about their food 

Film clip: Anna Lappe – Real Food Media Project winner
Speaker 14 – Shen Tong – Investing in food businesses       

Intro –  Lance Price
Speaker 15 – Kendra Kimbirauskas – The good food movement and the explosion of factory farms in the U.S.

Film clip: Regina Bernard-Carreno and Alison Cayne
Speaker 16 – Danielle Nierenberg – Why the food system will fall apart without women farmers

Intro: Myra Goodman
Speaker 17 – Nikiko Masumoto – Farming and a vision for farmers

Change the Way You Eat

Based on Change Food’s
Guide to Good Food
www.guidetogoodfood.wordpress.com

1. Educate yourself – Unfortunately, there is no all-encompassing guide that answers all sustainable food questions, so you need to learn what you can about the food industry and decide for yourself who deserves your support. The following books are a great place to start: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, Hope’s Edge by Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé, Stuffed and Starved by Raj Patel. For more recommendations, check out Grist’s Favorite Food Books of 2010: www.grist.org/article/2010-12-20-favorite-food-books-of-2010.

2. Shop sustainable – Where do you get your food? If you answered farmer’s market, CSA or food co-op, you are already concerned with sustainability. Wherever you shop, choose local, organic and/or sustainable items over their industrial, non-local counterparts. When buying meat and dairy, look for free-range, pasture-raised, and antibiotic free. Seek out items with less packaging or skip the packaging altogether by buying bulk items with your own bags. To find sustainable farms, restaurants and markets near you, visit Eat Well Guide or Local Harvest.

3. Ask questions – One of the greatest benefits of buying your food straight from the farmer is talking directly with the person who grew the food. We ask our farmers all sorts of questions, from ‘what’s the most delicious way to cook this lamb chop’ to ‘what’s integrated pest management’ and ‘do you use any synthetic fertilizers’? If your local grocery doesn’t carry local or organic foods, ask the manager about it! You’d be surprised at the buying power you plus a few friends possess. Check out Huffington Post’s Seven Great Questions to Ask Your Farmer or visit Sustainable Table’s Question Guide.

4. Eat Less Meat – Eating lots of meat is not only bad for you, it’s bad for the environment. Eating less meat can reduce your chances of developing chronic conditions like some types of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Meat, especially from industrial feedlots, is hugely energy intensive, requiring thousands of gallons of water and approximately 40 fossil-fuel calories for every edible calorie. When you do want to eat meat, make sure you support farms that raise and slaughter their animals in a humane and sustainable way. For recipes and resources for going meatless, visitMeatless Monday.

5. Eat seasonal – No matter the season, our supermarkets are filled with a vast array of produce from all around the world. But just because you can find a stalk of asparagus in January doesn’t mean you should eat it! Eating seasonally means buying produce that’s grown locally and eating it right away. Local food has a lesser environmental impact, is fresher, and is produced by your community. That means eating seasonally is healthier for you, your community and the environment! To find a Farmer’s Market near you, visit Local Harvest. To find a CSA in NYC, visit Just Food’s CSA finder.  You can also find Farmer’s Markets and CSAs at the Eat Well Guide.

6. Grow your own – There’s no better way to know your farmer than to be your farmer! Growing your own food guarantees the most healthful, freshest, and satisfying produce you can get your hands on. From a few herbs or sprouts in your kitchen window, to a full veggie patch at your local community garden, growing your own food is the coolest way to go green. For NYC dwellers, find a garden through Green Thumb. If you have high hopes and a tiny apartment, check outWindowfarms!

7. Cook – Eating out poses many challenges to the sustainable eater. How and where does the restaurant get its ingredients? How much food do they throw away? What’s their water consumption? The only guaranteed way to know your food is prepared sustainable is to see the meal start to finish; from buying (or growing?!) the ingredients, through the peeling, chopping, roasting, sautéing, and plating, clear to the last delicious bite. For culinary inspiration, visit Chef Michel Nischan’s recipe page.

8. Drink Local – Approximately 33% of the 2.4 million tons of PET plastic discarded every year is from water bottles—that means 800,000 tons of plastic water bottles will sit in a landfill for thousands of years before decomposing. Bottled water is no safer than tap water; in fact most bottled water is tap water! Trash the bottle and drink your local tap instead. To uncover more facts, watch the story of bottled water at Food & Water Watch. If you need a water refill, visit TapItwater.com to locate a spout, or download their app!

9. Get Involved – Change happens because dedicated people like you support it. Decide on the issues that matter most to you and start or join the campaigns that protect them. Visit non-profits that are fighting for good, clean food like the Environmental Working Group and Slow Food USA to get started.

10. Enjoy! Eating can and should be the simplest joy we all have. Sharing a meal brings people together in a way that little else does. Knowing that the food you eat is grown with care for the environment, farmers, animals, and your own health will only add to your joyful food experience. For tips on creating a loving food environment, check out Laurie David’s new book “The Family Dinner.”

ORGANIZATIONS
A simple way to help change the way you eat is to support local and nonprofit sustainable groups around the country. Below are affiliated with, and recommended by, our speakers and sponsors.