Blog  August 4, 2011

Top chefs tell us how they support sustainable food systems

Chef Joshna Maharaj gets ready to enjoy something tasty at the 2010 Picnic. Photo: Ed Pond.

As we get set for the Picnic at the Brick Works this October 2, 2011, we turned the microphone over to our participants who have supported this event from the beginning.

We asked some of Toronto’s top chefs to tell us what they do, and what we all can do, to support a sustainable food system. Their responses are below, along with some beautiful portraits taken by photographer Edward Pond.

Rocco Agostino (Photo: Ed Pond)

Rocco Agostino
Enoteca Sociale, Pizza Libretto

What are five things you do to support a sustainable food system?

• Build relationships with local farmers.
• Continue to take part in events that promote the same ideas and philosophy.
• Just speaking to guests that come in to the restaurants on a daily basis and talking about what we do, and how we do it.
• We have created our own small herb garden to be able to walk out our kitchen door and have some produce available on hand.
• Bring what I learn on a daily basis home to my family. My wife is an avid gardener and it is always amazing to be able to enjoy the fruits of her labour by going into the garden and picking what is available.

Miriam Strieman (Photo: Ed Pond)

Miriam Strieman
Mad Maple Kitchens

What are five things you do to support a sustainable food system?

• Purchase food directly from local, sustainable, small-scale producers.
• Connect farmers with chefs, and rural with urban communities.
• Grow food from heirloom seeds.
• Cook meat that has roamed outdoors, and is free of hormones, antibiotics and GMO feed, and cook fish that is fished or farmed locally and sustainably.
• Drink and conserve clean fresh tap water in Ontario.

What do we need to do to continue this work so that we’re in a better place in the next five years?

We need to take responsibility for the food that we eat and share at our tables. As chefs and as "eaters," we have a responsibility to support the people that dedicate their lives to growing and raising food for us. It’s important to appreciate the integrity of ingredients, engage with our food and preserve culinary traditions within our families and communities for future generations. And if we can, pay more attention to our food and be mindful that producers are compensated fairly. As citizens of Ontario, we should express our concerns to our elected officials to protect our natural resources and ensure sound local sustainable distribution systems.

Jamie Kennedy (Photo: Ed Pond)

Jamie Kennedy
Jamie Kennedy Kitchens

What do we need to do to continue this work so that we’re in a better place in the next five years?

Continue to improve. It’s all about education, awareness, and consumers speaking up for what they want. Tell your grocer you want local apples, tell your fishmonger you want local, sustainably caught fish. We need easier access to the why’s, who’s and how’s, so everyone can make similar efforts toward sustainable living in their own homes, in a convenient way.