Do you remember what you were doing in January 2020?  Seems like a lifetime ago, and it was a full 3 months before this ongoing global event came down on us.However, it was also the month we presented Season 1,  Episode 1 of this very podcast,  and  the first of many created to set-up our end goal -  COOKSCAMP 2020....which sadly became the outdoor jamboree that jammed out due to CoVid. However, you can’t keep a good idea on the back burner too long.  So, the Chefs’  Table Society of British Columbia organized COOKSCAMP 2021 as a new-normal version on ZOOM.More than 300 cooks and other foodservice professionals from across Canada and beyond logged in to see a stellar line-up of guests discuss a wide range of topics relevant to culinary careers and futures.This is Part One (of 3) featuring highlights of  COOKSCAMP,  starting with Vancouver chef Johnny Bridge talking about the support services at Mind the Bar, and owner/operator Calen McNeil discussing the new business models he and his colleagues are exploring in Victoria. 

Mise-en-Place

Episode 5 - COOKSCAMP 2021 Part One

According to award-winning chef and podcast host Robert Belcham,  charting a new way forward for the restaurant industry is simple, because it all comes down to money. However.  money is one thing, economic systems are another.  And when  it comes to the food system that manages the world&apos;s bounty, from fecund fields to well-stocked walk-ins,  it gets a lot more complicated.  In this episode, chef Belcham gets expert insight into that system from farmer Jacob Slosberg (Washington State),  leading macroeconomist Nicoletta Batini, editor of The Economics of Sustainable Food (Elba, Italy) and veteran chef/purchaser Jeff Hetherington (Victoria, BC).All the numbers in this episode are guaranteed to be crunchy,  eye-opening and practical.

The True Cost of Food, or Farm-to-Table, the Beancounters' Edition

We’re giving the full field guide treatment to something that’s been a core element of professional restaurant operations for over 135 years. We’re looking at Escoffier’s Big Idea, the brigade system - the military-style hierarchy that serves to organize kitchen work into distinct stations. and sets up a leadership system responsible for making it all work efficiently. For a lot of reasons, the ongoing need for this foundational piece of modern restaurant culture is being questioned, mostly as to its value and relevance to the state of our industry in 2021. But can we overhaul it, or should it simply be replaced? Are there any viable alternatives?Just a few of the questions host Robert Belcham will put to author Michael Ruhlman, chef/educator Julian Bond, industry activist Hassel Aviles and chef/operator Dave Gunawan.  Grab your toque, take your station and tune in.

The Brigade System

Making tasty food. Making friends. Never hard to do in the restaurant business.  But making a living?  Never as easy.  However,  there&apos;s a relatively simple solution available to every chef/operator most anywhere.This edition of the Mise-en-Place Field Guide examines the living wage... what it can mean to everyone who works in this industry and how it can help establish the kind of fair and sustainable compensation everyone needs to thrive in their professional career. Host Robert Belcham gets a tour of living wage principles from Anastasia French of the Living Wage for Families Campaign of BC.  He&apos;ll also be guided through the key steps two operators,  Paul Hadfield of Spinnakers (Victoria, BC) and Court Desautels (Neighbourhood Group, Guelph, ON) have used to successfully incorporate the living wage.All this valuable peer-to-peer advice is also available for download in the free e-book edition of this Field Guide. 

It's a Living (Wage)

A fresh batch of podcasts demands a fresh goal.  Our sophomore season aims to do more than produce stimulating dialogue about progressive change - we aim to produce results.Each episode will produce a field guide to the evolution of a key element in the career and workplace of the professional cook... also available as a downloadable e-book.  The ideal topic to kick off this new approach is the one we talked about the most last season - the service-included or no tipping business model. Host Robert Belcham welcomes back some familiar voices, Carl Heinrich of Richmond Station (Toronto) and Todd Perrin of Mallard Cottage (St.John's) to take stock of their progress for the field guide.  Also joining the show is Margot Baloro, GM and F&B director at Forage Restaurant (Vancouver) to explore a hypothetical scenario or two. COOKSCAMP - The Mise-en-Place Podcast is produced in Vancouver by the Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia, with support of media sponsor SCOUT Magazine.

Meet the Field Guide

For the final episode of Season One of Mise-en-Place,  chef/host Robert Belcham looks back on the extraordinary Year That Was with the help of some returning guests. They include: from  Episode 1,  professor Bruce McAdams of the University of Guelph (ONT); Andrea Carlson, the award-winning chef-owner of Vancouver&apos;s Burdock & Co.: Todd Perrin, chef-owner of Mallard Cottage in St,Johns (NFLD) and chef Carl Heinrich of Richmond Station in Toronto. Mise-en-Place returns for Season Two in early 2021. 

Episode 9 - Go ahead, back up

Just because the entire restaurant industry has been thrown for a giant loop by the pandemic, it doesn&apos;t mean that it can&apos;t come out smarter and stronger on the other side.For Episode 8 of Mise-en-Place, chef/host Robert Belcham returns to a topic that can make a lot of that happen -  a no-tipping or &apos;hospitality-included&apos; business model. Already on the road to the Big Reset is chef Carl Heinrich, co-owner of Richmond Station, one of the bright lights of Toronto&apos;s Financial District. His iteration of hospitality-included restaurant operations has been receiving lots of attention...and not all of it welcomed. Carl and Robert walk through the challenges still on the table. Someone who has publicly supported Carl&apos;s efforts is Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, an academic researcher in food systems at Dalhousie University, op-ed columnist for The Globe and Mail a/k/a The Food Professor.  He offers Robert his perspective on how this model also supports the socioeconomic recovery of the foodservice sector.

Episode 8 - The Big Reset Redux

Ask any cook what led them to undertake this always-challenging profession and you'll hear a variety of answers...from a memorable restaurant meal to an inspiring book. Host Robert Belcham's featured guest, Michael Ruhlman, is the author of many staples of the professional cook's bookshelf, including the French Laundry Cookbook, Charcuterie, Ratio and The Making of a Chef. The conversation ranges from the future of culinary education to the post-pandemic evolution of fine dining to the type of career 'toolkit' cooks need to thrive in an industry that, from certain perspectives, has changed irrevocably in 2020. Mise-en-Place is produced by the Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia, with the generous support of RATIONAL Canada and media partner SCOUT Magazine. 

Episode 7 - The Makings of a Future

When staring down the challenges wrought by this miserable disruption to both our communities and restaurant operations, Mise-en-Place, the podcast for pro cooks by pro cooks, recommends copping an attitude, i.e. "Go big, or stay home."In part 2 of a mini-series we're calling The Big Reset, chef/restaurateur/host Robert Belcham keeps both his mission and lively dialogue flowing on how to best update the restaurant industry's business model...the flaws of which are all too clear at this moment. Joining him for this Zoom-enabled session are three Vancouver pros whose notable career success takes the front-of-house POV.  James Langford-Smith left Perth, Australia on his way through a varied hospitality career, which currently sees him as GM of two local hotspots,  BaoBei Chinese Brasserie and Kissa Tanto. Karri Green-Schuermans is the driving force behind one of the city's best bistro/bars, Chambar. Rounding out the group is Tim Pittman, Robert's management partner at Campagnolo, and a veteran of some of Vancouver's best tables. The conversation also took place in the context of an online "Social" hosted regularly by the Chefs' Table Society of BC, who are pleased to present Mise-en-Place with the generous support of RATIONAL Canada and SCOUT Magazine. 

Episode 6 - The Big Reset Pt.2

Even with Cooks Camp 2020, the Chefs'Table Society's culinary jamboree, now moved to 2021, we're keeping its core mission alive with this podcast.  What is that mission? To enable and foster some long overdue dialogue about a sustainable future for both the professional cook and the restaurant/hospitality industry.And, as many business leaders have already remarked, the current pandemic crisis, often called The Great Pause, may also provide an unprecedented opportunity to advance some of that positive change. Chef/host Robert Belcham calls it The Big Reset. To kick-off our exploration of how that the typical restaurant business model can evolve, we've invited three leading chef/owners to discuss the Big Reset models they've already tested and installed.  Ottawa-born Amanda Cohen is chef/owner of Dirt Candy, a leading vegetable-only restaurant in New York City; chef Todd Perrin runs Mallard Cottage and the Inn at Mallard Cottage in St.John's, Newfoundland; and Australian native Adam Hynam-Smith brings his global culinary and business experience to Dispatch, a leading-edge sustainable restaurant in St.Catherines, Ontario. Join us for some thought-provoking, challenging and, yes, inspiring conversation about a better way forward for cooks and the business we love. 

Episode 5 - The Big Reset pt.1

Even though the restaurant industry may not be returning to 'normal' after this current and unprecedented global event, some substantial changes were already on the agenda.It's hard to overlook is how technology allows us to stay connected during the pandemic. And some of that connectivity is already available to help cooks get more work done…often in a low-carbon, future-friendly way. More high-tech, low-carbon gear is coming to commercial kitchens, both sooner than later and with consequences cooks need to talk about e.g. are the days of 'cooking with gas' numbered?Host Robert Belcham started a physically-distanced conversation on that topic with Welbert Choi, executive chef of Forage Restaurant at The Listel Hotel, winner of several awards for its sustainable operations and menu, and Calgary-based Tyler Schwarz brings years of knowledge and experience in restaurant and hotel kitchens to his role as Director of Sales, Western Canada for RATIONAL Canada.  There's also an update on COOKS CAMP 2020.  

Episode 4 - Tech Talk

There's no doubt that putting Episode 3 of Mise-en-Place together was a challenge, mostly because its featured elements were recorded in late February before the world changed, especially for all of us in the restaurant industry. Regardless, this episode discusses a very necessary change needed in the career path of all professional cooks: a shift away from the overheated, overworked 'macho' kitchen culture (epitomized by Gordon Ramsey et al) to one that welcomes diversity and supports a healthy work/life balance.  Chef/host Robert Belcham explores this topic with Toronto-based trade journalist Ivy Knight, who hosts a series of travellng seminars titled The Industry Sessions, that have culture shifting and related upgrades as its primary goals.  Bringing another and more personal approach to eliminating 'bad-ass chef culture' is Vancouver chef/restaurateur Trevor Bird, who joins Robert along with his colleague Josh Gale. And while Cooks Camp 2020 remains a go, there may be even more urgent need for the participation of Mind The Bar, a Vancouver-based organization created to help foodservice and hospitality staff find timely information and support with mental health and other workplace issues. Jonny Bridge talks about what his team will bring to camp. 

Episode 3 - Culture Shift

In this episode, chef/host Robert Belcham is joined by Andrea Carlson (Burdock & Co., Harvest Community Foods) and Brian Luptak (The Acorn, Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts) for a feature conversation on the future of local food systems...and the professional cook's role in securing that future. For the view from the farm gate, Robert calls Susan Davidson (Glorious Organics) to get an explanation of modern agriculture in five minutes or less.  For a deep-dive into another tasty resource,  chef Poyan Danesh (Ocean Mama Seafood) steps into the Walk-in Confessional to testify to the future of ocean-to-table menus. And Top Chef Canada champion Nicole Gomes (Cluck'n'Cleaver) drops by to share her hopes and plans for CooksCamp 2020. Mise-en-Place, the Cooks Camp podcast, is presented by the Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia with the generous support of RATIONAL Canada and media partner SCOUT Magazine. 

Episode 2 - Local Flavours

In this episode's featured conversation, chef/host Robert Belcham talks about the changes coming (and needed) to education for the next-generation of professional cooks. His guests are Tony Minichiello, chef/owner of Northwest Culinary Academy (Vancouver, BC) and Bruce McAdams, Associate Professor at the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph (Guelph, ON).  Plus, it's the debut edition of the Walk-in Confessional, a share-what's-on-your-mind opportunity for chefs everywhere.  First one in is well-known Vancouver chef/opinionator Robert Clark (C, The Fish Counter).And Shawna Gardham, executive director of the Chefs' Table Society of BC, offers a preview of a special event for all Canadian cooks, CooksCamp2020.

Episode 1 - Culinary Futures

“Like the process for which it’s named, Mise-en-Place is dedicated to preparing all the components of a healthy, sustainable future for our profession in our rapidly-changing world. That kind of future requires a lot of healthy, sustained dialogue, which is why you’ll hear ‘deep dive’ conversations with Canadian cooks about career, business and issues that define the life of the professional cook. And because Mise-en-Place is all about dialogue, you can do more than just listen, you can make your voice heard.” Mise-en-Place, a podcast by cooks for cooks created by the Chefs’ Table Society of BC, and brought to you through the generous support of Rational Canada.

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Mise-en-Place

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