Like too many other industries, the culinary scene has historically not done a great job spotlighting women. At Real Food for Real Kids, we know how crucial women are to the world of food. Without the inspiration of mothers, grandmothers, and professional culinary heavy-hitters, Real Food wouldn’t be here today, producing delicious and nutritious meals and snacks for kids on a daily basis! So to celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on some remarkable women who play a major role in shaping our nation’s food scene.
Lulu Cohen-Farnell
Let’s start by celebrating the culinary trailblazer closest to us! Cohen-Farnell founded Real Food for Real Kids over 20 years ago and in doing so, changed the future of child care catering.
Shortly after putting her own son in childcare she realized the pre-packaged convenience food catering model was the only game in town, not because it was the right way to feed kids, but because no one had challenged the status quo! So she did the only sensible thing, she quit her job at a brand design agency to fully dedicate herself to this cause: a full scale re-think of child care food service and how to feed real food to kids!
The goal was to provide kids in child care centres with deliciously prepared litter-less hot lunches and snacks with lots of fruits and vegetables, free of artificial ingredients, fake sweeteners, factory-farmed meats, and fillers of any kind.
Joshna Maharaj
Unlike other famous chefs, Joshna Maharaj’s main focus is what we’re all eating when we’re not at a restaurant. A proud activist for good food access for everyone, this talented Toronto native has been teaching us all about the joy of cooking.
Lynn Crawford
Born and raised in Scarborough, chef Lynn Crawford has put Canada on the culinary competition map. Not only has she competed on Top Chef Masters and was the executive chef at the Four Seasons Toronto, but Crawford also regularly promotes farm-to-table cooking and cherishes local ingredients and farmers markets. You’ll learn more about this in her book, Farm to Chef!
Melissa Brown
This Anishinaabe-Jamaican chef has put Jamaican and Indigenous cuisine on the map. Currently operating Brownees Urban Bistro and Brownees Bannock Delights in Winnipeg, Brown originally started her career journey studying psychology and sociology. After cementing her calling as a true culinary disrupter, Brown strives to provide a cultural experience to all of her guests. As big fans of globally-inspired cuisine, we can’t wait to see what she does next!
What other amazing woman food disruptors do you know? Leave us a comment!
*A big thanks to our RFRK’ers who sent in a photo inspired by this year’s IWD theme of #accelerateaction