Food Stories

In our last episode of the season, Barb sits down at the kitchen table with Alberta rancher and manager of Shipwheel Cattle Feeders about regenerative Agriculture and holistic management of the land and the animals. A fascinating episode filled with stories, history, and lessons about regen ag that you may not have considered before.

Barb welcomes Dr. Kris Nichols to her kitchen table this week, and they talk all things regenerative agriculture and soil science.

Dr. Kris Nichols is the Lead Soil Scientist with Food Water Wellness Foundation, the Regenerative Alberta Living Lab, and Research Director at MyLand Company Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona. She founded KRIS (Knowledge for Regeneration and Innovation in Soils) Systems and was a Senior Science Advisor with Canadian Organic Growers, the Chief Scientist at Rodale Institute, and a Research (Soil) Microbiologist with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. Kris was an advisor for the Real Organic Project; Savory Institute’s...

Barb and Miriam are long-time friends who are used to talking about food together. In this frank conversation about food justice, Food Security expert Miram Bankey highlights the inequity of our food system and some incredible initiatives she is working on to bring dignity and food access to our community.

Miriam's CBC article

Miriam's Interview on the Current

Some food security resources for you:

Community Food Centres Canada

Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids

The State of World Food and Nutrition 2022

In this fabulous episode, Barb shares the Food Stories kitchen table with Metis speculative fiction writer, Lareina Abbott. Lareina pens Métis themed spec fiction, essays and memoir. A year ago, she received a Calgary Arts Development Grant to write a memoir about reconnecting with her Métis family and the story of her aunt who is a Métis elder. She received the 2023 Howard O’Hagan Short Story award for her short story “Ma Soeur Marie” published in the Prairie Witch Anthology, and was a member of the 2023 Audible Indigenous Writers Circle. She originates from a cattle ranch in northern...

In Episode 3 of Season 2, the beautiful and brilliant Anda Fabrig (She/Her/Siya) joins us at the Food Stories kitchen table for a fascinating chat. Anda is queer Filipina educator and a diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist in Mohkinstsis (Calgary, AB). She holds a BA in Communications and a BEd in inclusive education. Anda works as an anti-oppressive and anti-racist consultant and educator, working alongside adults to create equitable spaces. 

Anda and I discuss her diverse food background growing up in Filipino/Italian household, the incredible food that surrounded her from both sides of her family, growing u...

In Episode 2 of Season 2 we dive deep into the issues of food security and food dignity with Food Resilience Specialist Syma Habib. Syma works for the Climate Adaptation | Climate & Environment department at The City of Calgary, and has spent her life seeing the connections between food, belonging, and resilience. Check out her thought-provoking Substack newsletter at Whole Systems Healing, and learn more about how she makes connections between the body, the community, and food. Syma and I discuss the book "Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice" by Rupa Marya and Raj Patel
Here is Syma's recipe for her...

In the much-anticipated Season Two Opener, Barb welcomes the founder of the Food Literacy Center, Amber Stott to her kitchen table.

Passionate about fruits and veggies, Amber grew up cooking and growing her own food, a joy she wants every child to experience.

In 2011, Amber responded to the rising childhood obesity crisis by starting the nonprofit Food Literacy Center to inspire children to eat their vegetables. The nonprofit does this by teaching cooking and nutrition classes to elementary kids in low-income schools, helping them develop healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Amber uniquely understands...

In the last episode of season one, we are celebrating the holidays and all things cozy and hygge with our dear friend Olympian, Co-Founder of Send Bars, Whole Foods Chef, and Nutrition Gal Arianne Jones. Arianne and Barb sit down to chat about the pivotal role food played in Arianne's recovery from Lyme disease and a life-altering broken back. They talk Gypsy Kings, lighting all the candles, Ice Cream Cake, and of course, the infinite power of soup.

Long-time friends and culinary co-instructors Barb and Christina sit down at Barb's kitchen table to talk about the power of food and connection, the enlightenment that caring for a mom with Alzheimer's has brought to Christina's life, her love of a good burger, and why she wrote her cookbook,

Introducing our next guest, author of the brand-new book The Modern Trauma Toolkit, Dr. Christy Gibson (she/her). Christy joins me at the kitchen table to discuss the gentle softness of her grandmother's cooking, the connection between food, trauma, flexibility, and its role in healing, and the joy of wild blueberries! 

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Canada with a background in justice work, medical education, and global health. A skilled facilitator and speaker, she is engaged in building individual and community resilience. Her writing creates the woven narrative between her interests – wellbeing, trauma recovery, and...

HIstamine Haven Maven Luka Symons talks to Barb about her ancestors and how they ate, radical ways to see food, and why senses are crucial for maximum food joy.

Find out more about Luka at https://www.histaminehaven.com/

http://www.lukasymons.com/

Luka's Low Histamine Acadian Tortiere

Recipe by Luka Symons

Serves: 8 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes, most of it spent stewing the meat

Freshness Tip: Cooking meat from partially frozen will help reduce the histamine. Using your Instant

Pot to cook...

Founder of Stump Kitchen, Alexis Hillyard (she/her) joins Barb at the kitchen table to talk about joy in the kitchen, removing barriers to cooking, using her stump as a kitchen tool, and her memories of her dad's tomato sauce.

Alexis is passionate about speaking with audiences of all ages about the importance of disability representation, accessibility, cooking, and cosplays, and sharing stories that centre her experience as a disabled, queer creator.

Here's the recipe for Alexis' Coconut Bacon!

Ingredients

2 tbsp tamari

1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tablespoon neutral...

In episode one, we meet Canadian photographer Josie Chu, who grew up in her family's Chinese Western restaurant in the Alberta prairies, working alongside her multi-generational family, cooking food the locals wanted, but then going home to eat the good stuff. With a penchant for dipping her fingers in spices and listening to NKOTB, Josie's food story was anything but typical!

JChu Photography: https://jchuphotography.com/

Josie's favorite recipe:

Black Bean Sea Bass

INGREDIENTS

    •    3-4 Chilean sea bass steaks

    •    3 stalks green onions julienned

    •    1 thumb-sized ginger peeled and julienned

    •   ...

Welcome to Food Stories! Food has the remarkable ability to weave narratives that shape who we are. What we cook and eat, and whom we share it with, tells the story of our life.

So each Sunday, grab a cup of something cozy and join host Barb Sheldon at her kitchen table as beautiful people tell her the story of their lives, through food. Each guest will share memories and views on food that are comforting, surprising, and maybe even a little subversive! They'll share their top 5 food story songs for you to cook along to, and...