Table Talks are an informal culinary salon hosted by The Depanneur. Every month we invite a local food personality to talk about something that interests them while Dep founder Len Senater cooks dinner.

There are more than 2 million post-secondary students in Canada, and they all need to eat lunch. What innovative social and transformational possibilities might this afford?

Lori and Jennifer have been collaborating on research and academic integration of research at George Brown Polytechnic to engage students, faculty and administration in the action of campus food systems and food culture transformation. This collaboration began with the second NSERC-funded Communal Lunch Project and continued with the Communal Lunch Program, established at George Brown in 2023. It has now grown into the beginnings of a Sustainable Food Systems Hub.

The vision is to establish a hub that recognizes Canada’s post-secondary institutions and their campuses as microcosms of food systems and, therefore, engines for food systems transformation. Our system-level change approach includes shifting procurement, education, and workforce practices toward sustainability, equity, and resilience at scale to accelerate food systems change beyond any single institution.

Jennifer Mitsche teaches in the Honours Bachelor of Food Studies program at George Brown Polytechnic and is the founder of the NSERC-funded Communal Lunch Project. As a researcher and project lead at George Brown, she has launched communal food programming that integrates access to nourishing food and opportunities to develop food literacy into the post-secondary learning environment.

Dr. Lori Stahlbrand is an award-winning Professor at George Brown College (GBC) where she co-developed, teaches, and coordinates the Honours Bachelor in Food Studies – the first and only degree of its kind in Canada that combines culinary training with a food studies curriculum that focuses on sustainability, equity, health, and policy.

Dinner by Len Senater

Tonight's menu borrows inspiration (and a few recipes) from chef, author and activist Joshna Maharaj's work with the Communal Lunch Project.

Elotes-Miso soup - Japanese and Mexican flavours collide in this simple yet complex mix of savoury miso with sweet corn, chile and lime.

Pad Gra Prow - A classic Thai lunch: ground meat, often pork or chicken — I'll be using an "Impossible" plant-based protein, which works exceptionally well for this recipe — stir-fried with holy basil leaves, long beans and chilis in a mix of fish, oyster and soy sauces, served with jasmine rice and topped with a crispy fried egg (optional)

Pear Gingersnap Crumble - ginger cookies give this fragrant fruit bake extra warmth. Served with vanilla ice cream. 

#vegan options available on request

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Len Senater is the founder and proprietor of The Depanneur, who happily cooks for his friends and neighbours. @TheDepanneur