Episode 17: Alexis Goertz on Fermenting Foods and Edible Alchemy

For some, the idea of fermentation is relatively new and topical. For others, it’s a deeply engrained part of their cultural background. I’m relatively new to learning about the process of fermenting foods, and a lot of my appreciation comes from this week’s guest, Alexis Goertz! Alexis is a fermentation coach and expert, as well as the co-founder of Edible Alchemy CoLaboratory.

Edible Alchemy was founded in Winnipeg in January 2013 by Alexis and her friend and business partner Natalie Elizabeth, where they hosted workshops about the possibilities and inevitabilities of the microbial world. This led to a spread of exciting ventures, including the Probiotic Bacteria Bar, talks, discussions, tours, workshops, and more. Alexis moved to Berlin in 2014 and brought the first Bacteria Bar with her to see if there was any interest. Undoubtedly it brought a large following, and Alexis began to expand the Edible Alchemy CoLaboratory across two continents.

In our interview, Alexis shares her wealth of knowledge surrounding fermented foods and microbiome health. She explores the history and reasons that cultures ferment their foods worldwide, the importance of fermentation for gut health, and the ways in which fermentation scenes compare and differ between North America and Europe. We also talk all about how she’s helping to change the perspective on “scary” or “gross” words like bacteria, yeast and mould – so if those may you a bit squeamish, stay tuned, because she does an amazing job normalizing the idea of bacterias and moulds. She taught me SO much in our interview and has a natural passion and ease translating the science of fermentation in a fun, edu-taining way!

Listen to the episode in the player above, or download on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Music!

Resources:

Main website: http://ediblealchemy.co

Online courses: https://ediblealchemyacademy.com/courses

Sandor Katz's Art of Fermentation

Social:

Instagram: @ediblealchemydotco

Facebook: @EdibleAlchemyColaboratory

Episode 9: Dino Tinapay on the Art of Dining Solo

This week we're doubling up on AnthroDish episodes! We've been so fortunate to have a tremendous interest in guests and themes, and really didn't think it would be fair to keep these to ourselves for too long! 

This week's second episode features the inimitable Dino Tinapay, a self-taught expert of Toronto’s food scene and my go-to pal when I need a new restaurant recommendation. Dino sat down with me in my kitchen one evening to share his experiences dining solo and his tips and tricks to see cities through food.

We explore his early food influences growing up in the Philippines and how that shaped his food curiosity, then move into the ways in which atmosphere and time of day can shape solo food experiences. As Dino has worked in the restaurant industry for some time, we naturally move towards exploring how 9 to 5ers have shaped food culture in big cities (spoiler - there are some really fascinating ways this has shaped our culture!), how servers read table dynamics, and Dino’s tips for getting to know new cities through food. Dino is such a fun and insightful guest, I can’t wait for you to check out this interview!

Check out the episode (above) or download on Spotify, iTunes and Castbox. If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, rate, and review! 

Resources Mentioned: 

• Food Wars anime trailer
• The NY Times piece by Stephanie Rosenbloom that inspired this episode 

Episode 8: Aaron Schlein on Dramatic Travels and Food as Sensorial Memory

On this week's episode, I interview Aaron Schlein, the host of The Dramatic Travels Family podcast. Aaron got travel fever as a teenager while exploring the world with his grandmother, whom he credits with igniting his passion for travel. Becoming a father inspired Aaron to pay forward his grandmother’s generosity and become an advocate for youth travel.

On the Dramatic Travels podcast, Aaron chats with the world's most passionate and influential travellers, who share inspirational moments from their travels and insights gained from traveling with their kids. Aaron lives in Sacramento, CA with his wife and two children.

Today on AnthroDish we’re talking all things food and travel with Aaron, exploring his inspiration for his own podcast, some fun stories of food on the road, and he has some pretty brilliant tips on how to keep travel and food memories alive. Being a family man, we also naturally talk about travelling with kids, and when works or doesn’t work to introduce new foods to children on adventures. 

Loved hearing Aaron’s story? Check out his podcast for more travel and family conversations at dramatictravels.com, contact him at aaron@dramatictravels.com, or find him on Instagram @aaronschlein

Fun fact! Aaron took a huge chance on me before I launched my podcast, and kindly agreed to guest swap on our respective shows. You can check out my Dramatic Travels interview here - and be sure to check out his other episodes! Lots of great information and inspiring conversations about what it means to be family and how to keep travelling inspired. 

Episode 7: Owen Campbell on Gender and Food Security for Winnipeg Youth

So excited to share today's interview with Owen Campbell! Ok, I probably say I'm ridiculously excited for every episode of AnthroDish, but I really do mean it! 

Owen is a trans man with a passion for cooking, baking, and za'atar spice. He currently works in Food Skills and Education at Food Matters Manitoba. Owen started his culinary journey with a small fib in order to get a job at a soon-to-be-open restaurant on the west coast. After landing it and working his way up, he left the restaurant industry to cook for a housing program in Vancouver’s downtown east side, where he remained until he and his husband decided to move to Manitoba. After a brief “retirement” from the food industry (to start and finish a BA and then a Masters in Linguistics), he came back to the food world to find a career in food security at Food Matters Manitoba.

Today we talk about his experiences working with youth in Winnipeg at Food Matters Manitoba, exploring some of the barriers they face when accessing food and creating meals, and who is most at risk for food insecurity in Winnipeg. We speak about the gendering that goes on in different food realms, and how these impact queer and trans youth particularly. We also look at the food landscape in Winnipeg and discuss some of the challenges and creative ways he teaches youth to overcome these barriers.

Check out the episode above, or download on iTunes and Spotify! 

Resources: 

You can find the Dan Jurafsky lecture he was referring to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_tceXVOcls 

Want to learn more about Owen? Contact him here: owenrcampbell@gmail.com or check out some of his work with Food Matters Manitoba here:  http://www.foodmattersmanitoba.ca/2018/07/a-queer-cook-off/ 

Episode 5: Brian Rankin on Punk Food & Growing Up Rankin

Today I am interviewing Brian Rankin. Brian is a professional photographer living in Toronto, Canada. He currently works as a photographer for Holt Renfrew, and his work was recently featured in an editorial for Yoko Mag, entitled “Tangled Up In Blue.” He grew up in a small town in Ontario and spent his summers out east in an even smaller town. He moved to Toronto when he was 18 to pursue a degree in English at the University of Toronto and somehow found his way into professional photography through this. When he’s not doing cool photography work, he’s playing guitar in a punk band or riding his bike without a helmet.

Today we sit down and talk about his personal experiences with food, how his upbringing *sort of* shaped his art and cooking, and what it’s like to be a photographer during the ride of social media food photos. Check out his episode below, or download on iTunes and Spotify. 

Want more Brian? Check out his band here, or his photography here. Find him on Instagram @brianrankin to see all his food stories - and some mishaps ;) 

Episode 4: Syd Boyes on High Performance Sport and Body Shaming

Today’s guest is Syd Boyes. Syd is currently the Sport Development Coordinator for RowOntario and is a former professional rower for Canada. In 2011, Syd made the under 23 Canadian rowing team (lightweight women’s double) and in 2016 she made the senior team that went on to compete at the World Championships. Throughout her rowing career, she has faced good and bad years making weight categories, which lead her to develop a complicated relationship with food and her body. Since quitting rowing, she has become an amazing advocate for women in sports. Today we talk all about nutritional demands of high performance athleticism, body image and food restriction issues arising from weight categories in rowing, and self-love and recovery tactics for young athletes struggling with these issues.

This is a must-listen for anyone out there who is going through this or who has been through this. Syd’s commitment to empowering young athletes never ceases to amaze me, and I can’t wait for you to learn more about her! Check out the episode below, or download on iTunes and Spotify.