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!---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

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?---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

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!----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

Mirella and Joshna discover what’s interesting about fast food ‘restaurants’: despite the fact they suffered financially in the early days of the pandemic, some of them have bounced back to record profits. Why is that?Next, they cover the disjoint between the increase in coffee consumption during the pandemic and decreased sales. This being said, it’s a good news story because coffee chains, like fast food chains, are doing just fine!---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

Mirella ad Joshna move through the Covid-19 timeline as it affected bars. Lockdowns and safety regulations made running bars very challenging, but legal changes were made in Ontario (and elsewhere in Canada) to help bars, alcohol producers, and restaurants. Many of these newly permissive laws are now permanent - like selling bottles with take-out! They’re sorely overdue, and will continue to positively impact the sector over the course of its long recovery. But there are still problems in the sector, and one in particular might surprise listeners.---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. ---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.--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?---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?---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!---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---Cauliflower Kale GratinServes 4-6This 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.Ingredients3 lb cauliflower (1 large head), cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch florets½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves sliced into ½-inch ribbons1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 1/2 cups whole milk6 oz sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (2 cups)1/2 cup finely chopped scallion greens1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon black pepper20 (2-inch) square saltine crackersMethod1. 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!---Sweet Potato CurryServes 4-6Yes…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.Ingredients3 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil1 tsp black mustard seedswhole dried red chilies, to taste4-5 fresh curry leaves1 onion, finely diced2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into a 1-inch dicekosher salt, to taste1 small handful fresh coriander, finely choppedMethod1. 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.---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.---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