Conscientious Cooks is a periodic series that explores the foodservice industry and those who are making unique efforts to create more sustainable interactions between the field and the table.

On part three of this series, we visit with a unique concept that allows for a deconstructing of restaurants themselves. Whether it be cafes, diners, or five star restaurants, all are based on a very similar model that is rarely, if ever, examined critically. Maria Solakofski's Guerrilla Gourmet consists of upwards to 10 complete strangers coming together within her home, where she prepares 3-course meals or brunches and provides an educational experience that could certainly not be received at any other restaurant. Her passion for providing this is clear upon observing the source of her ingredients - her backyard garden and local farmers and producers she knows personally.

The intimate and human interactions integral to the Guerrilla Gourmet experience, helps suggest that the traditional restaurant experience does little to capture relationships with food and our surroundings. As one of her guests so succintly put it, "the Guerrilla Gourmet helps disengage minds conditioned by patterns of passive consumption"

The first half of the broadcast takes listeners on a tour of Toronto's Dufferin Grove Farmers' Market - an organic-only market having operated year-round for close to 5 years. Solakofski sources most of her ingredients from Toronto-area markets, and host Jon Steinman visited with Maria both at the market and in her home to learn more about her unique approach to "eating out". Guerrilla Gourmet is 'slow food' at its best!

Guests

Maria Solakofski - Guerrilla Gourmet (Toronto, ON) - In addition to her role as a Shiatsu therapist, Maria has her hands in many food awareness projects in the urban metropolis of Toronto. As part of the Real Food for Real Kids program, Maria leads children on tours of Toronto-area farmers' markets, educating them on the origins of their food. Maria is also very involved in the Kensington Market community of the city where she hosts Guerrilla Gourmet - the feature of this broadcast.

This series will explore what risks accompany the loss of such diversity and will expose the many farmers and organizations who are preserving Canada's heritage varieties of food and protecting our food supply from the exclusive control of multinational interests.

Part II - Gardens of Destiny
  On Part II, we meet with heritage seed saver Dan Jason of Salt Spring Seeds. Jason is exalted as a Canadian food security hero and icon in Gardens of Destiny - the recently released film by Vancouver filmmaker Jocelyn Demers.

Gardens of Destiny investigates many important issues related to pollution and health. These include genetic engineering, Terminator seeds and the pitfalls of industrial agriculture. Additionally, it examines how organic food has proven to be protective against cancer. The film weaves the viewer through Jason's seed sanctuary on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, and sprinkled throughout the film are interviews with well-known food security and organic advocates. This episode features a selection of audio segments from the film.

To help introduce the importance of Jason's work, Host Jon Steinman provides commentary on the role of the media in covering the recent global food crisis.

Guests/Voices

Jocelyn Demers - Producer/Director, Gardens of Destiny, (Vancouver, BC) - Jocelyn is a radio journalist-turned-filmmaker who, after becoming exhausted with the lack of interest by his employer to accomodate critical environmental pieces, embarked on a journey into independent filmmaking.

Dan Jason, Seed Saver, Salt Spring Seeds (Salt Spring Island, BC) - Dan is an organic gardener with a fantastic selection of seeds, vegetables, grains, medicinal plants and flowers. He is also the head of the grassroots organization the Seed and Plant Sanctuary for Canada, a network of Canadian gardeners who are preserving as much plant diversity as is possible. Dan has been a long time critic of the non-organic food system in North America.

Herb Barbolet - Associate, Simon Fraser University's Centre for Sustainable Community Development (CSCD) (Vancouver, BC) - The CSCD is a teaching and research unit of Simon Fraser University, established in 1989. The Centre uses the resources and talents of the University to teach and encourage accountable and sustainable community development. As Associate since 2003, Herb has co-authored food assessment studies for provincial health authorities and a guide to food assessments for the provincial health services authority. Herb farmed organically for ten years and was co-founder of FarmFolk/CityFolk, a nonprofit that works to create local, sustainable foor systems. He appears frequently on radio, in print, and on television. He remains an active food consultant.

Guy Dauncey - Speaker/Author/Organizer, Earth Future (Victoria, BC) Guy Dauncey is a speaker, author, and organizer who works to develop a positive vision of a sustainable future, and to translate that vision into action. He is author of the award-winning book Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change; Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic, and 9 other titles. He is President of the BC Sustainable Energy Association, Co-chair of Prevent Cancer Now; Executive Director of The Solutions Project; and Publisher of EcoNews, a monthly newsletter that promotes the vision of a sustainable Vancouver Island.

Omega-3s are indeed a hot topic, although it appears that all we North Americans really know, is that Omega-3 eggs, fish and fish oils, and flax products, are all good sources. Consuming these products as we've been told, reduces the risk of heart disease.

Of course the responsible thing to do is to remain skeptical and question any new diet craze that hits our culinarily confused culture. As for Omega-3s, it appears some critical information has evaded the radar of North American media and hence the eating public.

In a fascinating book by Author Susan Allport, the history, science and hype surrounding Omega-3s is laid out for all to see. Titled "The Queen of Fats - Why Omega-3s Were Removed From the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them", Allport reveals that our collective understanding of these vital fatty acids is way off.

According to Allport, lacking in exposure has been Omega-6s, another family of essential fatty acids that compete with Omega-3s. And so if both are in competition, why is it we never hear about the 6s?

In October 2007, CBC's The National aired a segment on the increasing confusion surrounding Omega-3s and questioned how much fish new and expecting mothers should be consuming. After a read through The Queen of Fats, it appears that not only has the CBC deepened this collective confusion, it has equally encouraged the further pillaging of our already vulnerable oceans.

Unlike most media coverage on diet and nutrition, this episode will not so much suggest what you should or should not be eating, but will instead look to capture how our lifestyles and the industrialization of our food has had devastating impacts on our health.

We also hear segments from a September 2007 interview between Host Jon Steinman and Cargill Canada President, Len Penner.

Guests/Voices

Susan Allport, Author, The Queen of Fats (Katonah, NY) - An award-winning writer for publications such as the New York Times and Gastronomica, Susan Allport has spent the past decade exploring how food shapes behavior and health. In 2006, University of Calfornia Press published her book The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them.

JoAnne Buth - President, Canola Council of Canada (Winnipeg, MB) - A national trade association representing producers, input suppliers, processors and marketers of canola and its products.

Len Penner - President, Cargill Canada (Winnipeg, MB) - One of Canada's largest agricultural merchandisers and processors with interests in meat, egg, malt and oilseed processing, livestock feed, salt manufacturing, as well as crop input products, grain handling and merchandizing. The company is a subsidiary of Cargill Limited based in the United States. In February 2007, Deconstructing Dinner ran a 2-part series on the operations of the company.

We also listen in on a workshop hosted at the COABC conference by Biodynamic farmer and egg producer Karl Hann. Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that treats the farm as a unified and individual organism, emphasizing balancing the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants and animals as a closed, self-nourishing system. Hann's presentation was titled "The Good, The Bad and The Balance". He explored the importance of microorganisms in the soil and uses the biodynamic farming philosophy to convincingly illustrate how disruptive and destructive most dominant farming practices are today.

Voices/Guests

Rebecca Kneen, Craft Brewer / Farmer, Crannòg Ales (Sorrento, BC) - Crannograve;g Ales is Canada's only Certified Organic farmhouse microbrewery, one of only a handful of such breweries in the world. They brew unfiltered, unpasteurized ales using only organic ingredients, some of which come right from their own farm - Left Fields. Located on the farm is a hopyard, which is home to over seven varieties of hops. The hopyard forms the basis for ongoing research into organic small-scale hop production.

Karl Hann, Farmer, Biota Farm (Abbotsford, BC) - Karl is a biodynamic farmer and egg producer. He was a Green Party candidate for the Abbotsford riding during the 2004 federal election. Karl was born and raised in Romania and has been living and farming in Canada for over 20 years.

While GE-crops remain a heated concern on the prairies, the debate over their presence in Canada's food supply took an important step in Ottawa on April 3, 2008. Canadians have long been demanding that foods containing genetically-engineered ingredients be labelled. Since 1993, over six Bills have now been introduced by Members of Parliament, with the most recent being Bill C-517. First introduced into the House of Commons on February 2008 by the Bloc Québécois's Gilles-A. Perron, the Bill is calling for the mandatory labelling of foods containing genetically-engineered ingredients. On April 3, 2008, C-517 was debated in the House by members of all parties. Deconstructing Dinner recorded the debate and followed up with Conservative MP Bruce Stanton who opposes the Bill.

Voices/Guests

Gilles-A. Perron, MP Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, Bloc Québécois (Saint-Eustache, QC) - Gilles-A. was first elected as Member of Parliament in 1997 and was re-elected in 2000, 2004 and 2006. He currently serves as the Critic on Veterans Affairs.

Bruce Stanton, MP Simcoe North, Conservative Party of Canada (Orillia, ON) - Bruce was first elected to the House Of Commons in January 2006.

Robert Thibault, MP West Nova, Liberal Party of Canada (Yarmouth, NS) - Robert Thibault was first elected to the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for West Nova in November 2000 and was re-elected in 2004 and again in 2006. In July 2004, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health. He currently serves as the Health Critic.

Nathan Cullen, MP Skeena-Bulkley Valley, New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) (Smithers, BC) - Nathan Cullen was elected to his first term as Member of Parliament for Skeena�Bulkley Valley at the age of 31, on June 28, 2004. He was soon named the New Democratic Party�s national critic for three key portfolios: Environment, National Parks and Youth.

Marcel Lussier, MP Brossard-La-Prairie, Bloc Québécois (Brossard, QC) - Lussier ran for office as a member of the Bloc Qu�b�cois in the 2004 election, but was defeated by Jacques Saada. In the 2006 he ran again, defeating Saada by approximately 2% of the vote. Lussier has been appointed as the environment critic by Bloc's leader, Gilles Duceppe.

While the content of his presentation was focused on BC, his message is important to all Provinces and States throughout North America, as the scenario that has played out in BC, can be seen as an extreme version of what is playing out across the continent.

We round off the show with a recording from the March 2008 conference of the Certified Organic Associations of BC hosted in Sidney. Presented at the conference were the winners of the COABC's Fresh Voices contest. The contest solicited submissions from anyone wishing to share their vision of how "sustainable organic production and marketing systems could improve profitability, stewardship of the land and water, and quality of life for farmers, ranchers and their communities". The winner of that contest was Jordan Marr who has been embarking on a path towards becoming a farmer. He presented his winning essay to those in attendance at the conference.

Voices

Corky Evans, MLA Nelson-Creston / NDP Opposition Critic for Agriculture and Lands, "New Democratic Party of British Columbia" (Winlaw, BC) - Corky Evans was elected as the MLA for Nelson Creston in 1991, and was re-elected in 1996. He was once again elected to represent his constituents on May 17, 2005. Corky has ten years experience as an MLA, during which time he served in many cabinet portfolios, including Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. He now serves as Opposition Critic for Agriculture and Lands.

Jordan Marr - Wanna-Be-Farmer (Sooke, BC) - Jordan is a 26-year-old self-titled "wanna-be farmer" who has been visiting farms throughout BC hoping to learn more about the practical and political aspects of farming. In the span of five years, Jordan has, as he says, gone from being a suburban kid completely clueless about food to a smug university student convinced he knew everything about food, to a humbled farm apprentice who realized he knew very little about it. In 2006 Jordan graduated from a bachelor program in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia, and then apprenticed for seven months on an organic farm in Nova Scotia. Today, Jordan is considering farming as a career.

A special Podcast and Internet-only feature on Deconstructing Dinner. On February 29, 2008, Bloc Quebecois Member of Parliament Gilles Andre Perron tabled Bill C-517 in the House of Commons; calling for the mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods. On April 3, the 2nd reading debate took place involving Members of Parliament from all four political parties. The following is an unedited recording of that debate.

As practical and environmentally responsible as growing food within a city can be, the art of gardening has seemingly disappeared in many urban settings. As current farming practices are proving to be unsustainable in the long-term, urban agriculture is looked upon by many as being a critical shift that needs to take place if we are to ensure a level of food security in the near and distant future.

The Farming in the City series will now be incorporating a new focus on urban backyard chickens. Raising poultry within an urban setting provides eggs, fertilizer, garden help and meat with a minimal environmental footprint. Having suffered decades of disconnection from our food, bringing the farm into the city, and in this case animals, can provide a much needed dose of agricultural and food awareness. It's this very disconnection that has allowed for the appalling conditions now found in factory egg and chicken barns.

Helping guide this series will be Bucky Buckaw and his Backyard Chicken Broadcast. Produced in Boise, Idaho at Radio Boise, Bucky hosts weekly segments on backyard chickening. His experience and knowledge can help guide any urbanite wishing to set up some backyard chickens. On this broadcast, we listen in on four Bucky Buckaw episodes: Intro, Shelter, Feed and Winter.

Backyard Chickens can present a controversial issue in many parts of North America. While many cities do indeed permit the raising of poultry within city limits, some cities do not. One of these "no chicken" cities is Nelson, BC. We will visit with one Nelsonite who has been working to reduce his ecological footprint, and in doing so, is defying the environmentally irresponsible City of Nelson bylaw.

Guests/Voices

Bucky Buckaw - Host, Bucky Buckaw's Backyard Chicken Broadcast (Boise, ID) - Bucky Buckaw gives advice on raising backyard chickens, as just one example of how a locally based economy can work. Through this segment, he informs listeners about the downside of factory farming and what kinds of toxic chemicals you can expect to find in the resultant livestock. He promotes organic gardening and composting, and supporting local farmers. He shares fascinating chicken lore from the millennia that will fascinate even those with no interest in birds.

Christoph Martens - Backyard Chicken Farmer (Nelson, BC) - Christoph has spent the last three years working towards greater self-sufficiency. He grows food year-round on his small city property and discovered that chickens are, among other benefits, an ideal pest management tool. He accomodates chickens, ducks and rabbits. Christoph believes the long-standing notion that city-life should be separated from farming has "run it's course" and it's time to move on from this "pseudo-royalty".

www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/032008.htm

It is an honour to conicidentally feature two of Canada's finest on this broadcast. Both are recipients of The Right Livelihood Award (the "Alternative Nobel"). Water, The Blood of the Earth
Water has long been taken for granted throughout the Global North. We use it in seemingly ever-increasing ways without thinking much about where it comes from, where it goes, and how much water was used to produce the many products/services we use daily. The food system is just one of these significant users of water, and the current state of water around the world is of significant concern. The Council of Canadians' National Chairperson, Maude Barlow, believes water is the greatest ecological and human rights crisis of our time. In March 2008, Deconstructing Dinner recorded her speak in Castlegar, British Columbia. This segment will mark the beginning of a more concentrated focus on water issues on shows to come. Monsanto Pays Percy Schmeiser
Saskatchewan Farmer, Percy Schmeiser, spent between 1998 and 2004 standing up to one of the most influential agricultural companies in the world - Monsanto. While it was Monsanto that took Schmesier to court on that occasion, the roles were reversed on Wednesday March 19, 2008, when Monsanto found itself being taken to court by Schmeiser. It was the first case between Monsanto and Schmeiser that led to the 2004 Supreme Court of Canada Decision that ruled in favour of Monsanto. While the decision assured that regardless of contamination, a farmer cannot grow patented seeds, Schmeiser recognized that if the company is indeed the owner of the plant, then they should be liable for the damages that their property causes others. There is yet no legal precedent in Canada that has determined who maintains the liability for damages caused by patented plants. Monsanto does however accept moral responsiblity for what are known as "volunteers" (unwanted plants appearing on farmers fields). The company employs a program that offers to remove volunteer plants from farmers fields. In October 2005, Schmeiser's farm was visited yet again by Monsanto, and again, in the form of their RoundUp Ready Canola. Schmeiser took advantage of the company's removal program, but discovered that they would only remove the plants if he signed a release form that contained a confidentiality clause, which he disapproved of. What followed led to an out of court settlement on March 19, 2008, and Monsanto paid Schmeiser the $660 it cost him to have the plants removed. Tune in to this broadcast to hear an exclusive interview with Percy by CFCR Don Kossick - the only media standing outside the courthouse on that momentous day. Guests/Voices Percy Schmeiser, Farmer, www.percyschmeiser.com (Bruno, SK) Schmeiser is a 77-year old farmer who, along with his wife Louise, have received global recognition for their passion and devotion to standing up for the rights of farmers. In December 2007, the Schmeisers were awarded the Right Livelihood Award (also known as the "Alternative Nobel"). "I have always campaigned on the right of a farmer to save and re-use his own seed. This is what I have been doing for the last 50 years. I will continue to support any efforts to strengthen the rights of a farmer to save and re-use his own seed." Maude Barlow, National Chairperson, Council of Canadians (Ottawa, ON) - The Council of Canadians is Canada’s largest public advocacy organization. Barlow is also the co-founder of the Blue Planet Project, which is working internationally for the right to water. She serves on the boards of the International Forum on Globalization and Food and Water Watch, as well as being a Councillor with the Hamburg-based World Future Council. Maude is the recipient of six honorary doctorates, the 2005/2006 Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowship Award, and the 2005 Right Livelihood Award (known as the “Alternative Nobel”) for her global water justice work. She is also the best-selling author or co-author of sixteen books, including Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop Corporate Theft of the World’s Water and the recently released Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water.

The Local Grain Revolution I
For most Canadians wishing to adopt a more local diet, the overwhelming rise in demand in just the past year has left a large question mark hovering over the heads of many; where is all this local food so many are demanding?

The state of farming and food production in North America has clearly evolved into such a poor state of affairs, little infrastructure and incentive remain to respond to this current demand for local product. While fruits and vegetables may be the most easily accessible local foods at farmers' markets and select grocery stores, grains are not often referred to when speaking of local food. When we start to envision what plant-based foods we're still missing out on in sufficient local quantities, we can list off wheat, oats, barley, rye, spelt, flax, hemp, corn, and leguminous plants such as beans and lentils.

On this exciting broadcast, we explore the creation of a project launched by two conservation groups wishing to experiment with the creation of a local grain market in the middle of the mountains of British Columbia. Matt Lowe of Nelson's West Kootenay EcoSociety and Brenda Bruns of the Creston branch of Wildsight have teamed up with a number of farmers, processors, bakers and eaters, to see if such an idea is indeed possible.

The project will see three Creston-area farmers commit to growing three types of grain in the coming 2008 season. Two-hundred member shares will be issued to residents of Nelson and Creston, and come harvest time, those two-hundred members, will hopefully, receive 100lbs of whole grains. If requested, a miller in Creston and Nelson will be on hand to turn those grains into flour or flakes. This will ensure members are only using the freshest, tastiest and most nutritious product available.

Deconstructing Dinner in Our Schools II
How do food and agricultural issues make their way into educational settings? On this episode of Deconstructing Dinner in Our Schools, we hear from 10-year old Kodiak Morasky who chose a very unique topic to present to his grade 4 classmates in Nelson, B.C. Kodiak was introduced to the world of factory animal farms through the on-line animated series of short films known as The Meatrix. The film had a profound impact on Kodiak, and we listen in on his in-class presentation. Upon learning of the horrific stories coming out of North America's factory farms, we hear one child ask, "can I sue the government"?

Guests/Voices (The Local Grain Revolution)

Matt Lowe, Climate Change Campaigner, West Kootenay EcoSociety (Nelson, BC) - The West Kootenay EcoSociety promotes ecologically and socially sound communities while protecting species and ecosystems in the Southern Columbia Mountains ecoregion. The organization hosted a highly successful Regional Climate Change conference in 2007.

Drew Gailius, Farmer, Full Circle Farm (Canyon, BC) - Drew and Joanne Gailius are new farmers. They sell most of their product at the farmgate. In the past two years they have successfully grown wheat and oats and are eager to find a local market to supply.

Other Voices: Keith Huscroft (Lister, BC), Brenda Bruns (Creston, BC), Jenny Truscott (Creston, BC), David Everest (Nelson, BC)

Guests/Voices (Deconstructing Dinner in Our Schools)

Kodiak Morasky, 10-Year Old Student, Blewett Elementary School (Nelson, BC) - Kodiak's 10 years of age shouldn't fool you. He is deeply concerned with the state of Canada's food supply. His concerns include factory animal farms, genetic engineering and chemical pesticides among others. He is passionate about sharing this information with his friends and classmates.