Kathleen Mackintosh – Culinarium Founder

Meat Explorer, Cheese Expert, Wine Lover

In a past life Kathleen developed recipes for several of Canada’s large food corporations, edited recipes for cookbooks, conducted cooking demonstrations, and organized large scale food events. In 2008 she open the doors of Culinarium: Toronto’s only store dedicated to all foods Ontario. A whirl wind in the kitchen, Kathleen makes a mean fresh salsa and loads of dirty dishes! A dedicated foodie, you can find her chopping, crunching, munching, tasting or talking about food any chance she gets.

Favourite Ontario Food: I like them all! I can’t pick a favourite, it’s like picking a favourite child- that’s just not allowed!
Guiltiest Non-provincial Pleasure: Canned Potatoes fried in loads of butter until crispy and brown!

Lesley Stoyan

Vegetarian Chef, Beer Lover

Lesley Stoyan is the owner of Daily Apple, a lifestyle managment company in Toronto. Daily Apple grew out of Lesley Stoyan’s long-standing interest in fitness and health matters. After years of teaching exercise and yoga classes, illness required her also to investigate new ways of eating – macrobiotic, organic, local – and her passion as a ‘foodie’ pushed her to transform healthy ingredients into unequivocally delicious fare. She founded Daily Apple to promote ‘green living’ in 2006 and now exels both as an innovative cook and a vibrant fitness and holistic lifestyle presenter. In 2008, Lesley, with her partner Chris Trussell, founded AppleTree Markets, the only farmers' market in North Toronto.

Favourite Ontario Food: Tradition Miso Soup with Yin-Yin Tofu and fresh Ontario greens…oh and of course beer – Denison’s Weissbeer is my personal fave.!
Guiltiest Non-provincial Pleasure: Maynard’s Sour wine gums 

Krista Harrington

Preserving Expert

Krista’s culinary adventures began with an early interest in sustainable and urban agriculture. In her early teens she started an organic market garden called "This Little Piggie Market Garden" and since sales did not reflect her enthusiasm she was left with an abundance of produce at the end of the summer. Krista’s grandma taught her how to make that produce last all year long--through the art form of canning. Krista’s passion for ecology and cooking was brought together and “From these Roots”, a local jam & preserves company, was born! Krista’s motto: Canning is Cool.

Favourite Ontario Food: garden peas from the pod and tomatoes with fresh unripe goat cheese (usually from Rivers Edge)
Guiltiest Non-provincial Pleasure: 80% dark chocolate with a peppermint tea 

Dan Goudge

Our Resident Meat Man

Dan first learned to cook through a high school project where he and a friend interviewed great chefs around the city, such as Susur Lee and Jaime Kennedy, and then re-created a dish from their menus. Cooking professionally during the summers home from university, this passion for food aroused in high school has led Dan to The Healthy Butcher, where he is the chef at the Queen St. store

Favourite Ontario Food: all the stone fruits - peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, nectarines, mmmmmm!!!

Chef Paula Bambrick

Grain Expert, Bread Specialist

Paula has 25 years of professional cooking, teaching and food management experience. A Culinary Management honours graduate from George Brown College, Paula worked for 8 years as a baker and finisher, then on the management team at Dufflet Pastries, before moving into the world of teaching and the role of personal chef. An allotment garden in west end Toronto has made Paula a “100 mile diet” practitioner for the past 14 years. “Good food, good for you” and a true joy of cooking sums up her philosophy.

Favourite Ontario Food: Honey crisp apples
Guiltiest Non-provincial Pleasure: tie between olive oil and coffee

Chef Brenda Kwong Hing

Grain Expert, Meat Explorer

Brenda’s passion for all things food developed into a culinary carrier 15 years ago when she founded Delicious! Catering. She received her professional training at le Cordon Bleu in Paris, specializing in cuisine.  Currently, Brenda teaches both in the private and corporate worlds, caters events, and consults, sharing her extensive knowledge of ingredients and techniques. She admits her obsession for food, and loves to share this with everyone around her, making her classes informative, enjoyable, and delicious!

Favourite Ontario Food: Strawberries, Brenda and her girls go picking every June and make oooooodles of jam.

Guiltiest Non-provincial Pleasure: Callebaut chocolate. It is rumoured that Brenda makes the best hot chocolate in the world using said chocolate!

Chris Trussell

Carnivore Consultant, Pub food lover!

Chris Trussell is the co-founder of Daily Apple & AppleTree Markets. A professional singer, actor, children’s athletics coach, and self-taught chef, he contributes his confidence and dynamism to Daily Apple’s programs and has a knack for making people laugh as they learn important new lifestyle skills. He is devoted to creating new recipes for Daily Apple’s expanding repertoire and is the "carnivore" consultant for Daily Apple's primarily vegetarian recipes.

Favourite Ontario Food: Grilled Sirloin Steak with smashed potatoes and garlic roasted asparagus and a cold Mill Street Tankhouse
Guiltiest Non-provincial Pleasure: Caramilk bars

Angelo Bean

Pasta & Sausage Making Expert - Ontalia Specialist

Growing up near the historic culinary city of Naples, Italy, Angelo Bean was surrounded by the aromas and flavours of the land from an early age. Though he was eventually "replanted" in Toronto, Canada, he remained firmly grafted to his Italian roots. Today Angelo uses his enthusiasm, passion and love of food and wine to motivate and inspire those with similar interests. "Italian Roots in Local Soil" aptly describes Angelo's "Ontalia" philosophy...and Angelo himself.

Favourite Ontario Food: Pork and VQA wines
Guiltiest Non-provincial Pleasure: Olive oil, Vialone Nano rice and Lambrusco (wine)...all allowed by his ONTALIA philosophy