On October 14th, we (UGSRP) will be hosting a sustainability conference at our School of Hospitality, Food, and Tourism Management (HFTM) at the University of Guelph. The conference entitled “Future Proofing Foodservice” is a free event for hospitality and culinary students in Ontario. We anticipate approximately 100 students will be attending from six schools to listen to 14 speakers cover topics including; the circular economy, local food systems, food waste, sustainable fisheries, and many others. The program will feature keynote presentations from Chef Meeru Dhalwala, and André LaRivière
Meeru Dhalwala, Co-owner and Chef, Vijs Restaurant, Vancouver BC
Meeru Dhalwala was born in India and moved to Washington DC with her parents at a young age. In February 1995, she moved to Vancouver, BC and has since been cooking and running the kitchens and menus at Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants. (Rangoli closed after 17 years in May 2020 due to the Covid 19 pandemic). Meeru is a self-taught creative chef who erased traditional boundaries within Indian cooking. She holds a Master of Science in Development Studies from Bath University, UK, and brings her passion for humanity into her business and cooking practices. She is one of Vancouver’s most prominent promoters of women in business, climate change and sustainability, and healthy-elegant home cooking.
Meeru has spearheaded an annual international food fair called “Joy of Feeding” that is held at the UBC (University of British Columbia) Farm Centre for Sustainable Food Systems. Joy of Feeding is a celebration of sustainable foods, multiculturalism, farming, world music and brings in over 500 guests. It features 15 home cooks of various heritages and professions showcasing their cultural favorite foods. After a hiatus during the pandemic, Joy of Feeding was relaunched in autumn 2022.
Meeru’s kitchen is fully staffed by women—all of whom hail from villages in the Punjab, India—to experiment with various cooking techniques and spice combinations. All of Vij’s recipes are original and Meeru’s focus is to cook creative Indian dishes with local and sustainable ingredients.
Outside of Vij’s, Meeru is a member of many boards of organizations that focus on farming and farmers, and science and technology as it relates to our climate crisis. Notably, she is on the Faculty Advisory Board for Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia, and speaks regularly at many public events. Meeru also volunteers regularly with Vancouver Food Stash Foundation, a non-profit that deals with rescued fresh foods (produce, dairy, meats and poultry, seafood) from regional grocery stores, thereby preventing edible foods nearing their best before dates turning into food waste.
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André LaRivière, Principal SFP Sustainable Training Limited
After a first career in public broadcasting (CBC) in various locations across Canada, André traded his ‘passionate amateur’ status for that of professional chef at New York City’s French Culinary Institute. He later combined his kitchen and media experience to explore Canadian food and restaurant industries for consumer and trade magazines, notably Foodservice & Hospitality (Toronto). Following a relocation to Vancouver, André founded the Green Table Network, a not-for-profit enterprise fostering sustainability in
the foodservice industry, with more than 100 members around B.C.
At the request of BC Hydro and other government partners, he helped facilitate and document
‘The Next Course,’ the fully sustainable renovation of O’Doul’s on Robson Street into the Vancouver Magazine Green Award-winning Forage restaurant. That project spawned two others: Fish + River Consultants in partnership with fellow Manitoban Don Fisher, noted restaurant energy-efficiency expert and co-founder of the PG&E Food Service Technology Center (Fishnick) providing strategic analysis and efficiency programs for foodservice chains and public utilities; and The Next Course: Reinventing the Modern Urban Restaurant, a book based on the Forage project that explored the potential future of foodservice and sustainable urban dining.
Recently, at the request of culinary educators and operators, André adapted some of the content from his book and combined it with his years of experience to produce the SFP (Sustainable Foodservice Professional) Level 1 online course and certification, which has been adopted by several culinary/hospitality colleges as well as by leading foodservice operations. Being an advocate of good design as the foundation of real innovation, André also completed a ‘design thinking’ based Business Innovation Certificate from IDEO (Stanford) in March 2022.
Other speakers at the event are as follows:
Brad Lomanto, Conestoga College; Chef Vijay Nair, University of Guelph; Hilary Ducharme, Bondi Produce; Destiny Moser, Cedar Spoon Indigenous Catering; Christina Edworthy, Gordon Food Service; Chris Zielinski, MLSE; Matt Taylor, Affinity Fish; Emily Robinson, University of Guelph; Court Desautels, Neighbourhood Group of Restaurants; Madison Homewood, Civil Pours; Justin Sahota, Compass Group; Kayli Dale, Friendlier Company; Rebecca Gordon, Arrell Food Institute.
A free event put on for students, by students:
This event is part of an experiential learning course that two HFTM students are participating in. Addy Malpas (3rd year), and Jas Rubab Singh (4th year) are the student leaders responsible for the planning and execution of the event.
Addy Malpas is in her third year at LANG School of Business with a major in Hospitality and Tourism and an area of emphasis in Event Management. She has become involved in the HTM community by joining HTMSA and being appointed the Director of Charitable and Academic Events. Addy is from Bermuda and has grown up surrounded by tourism. Her passion started young by having a dad who also works in the hospitality industry and included her in on all his adventures. This past summer, Addy had the incredible opportunity to work with a local wedding planning company, Bermuda Bride, which sparked her passion for events. By living around tourism and seeing the effect that many people can have on the environment/her home, Addy gained an interest in responsible tourism and sustainability. When presented with the opportunity to student lead the Futureproofing Foodservice Conference, Addy could not turn down the chance to get involved and become a part of something bigger and more impactful.
Jasrubab Singh is an international student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in commerce, specializing in Hospitality and Tourism Management, with a focus on Hotel and Lodging. Actively involved in numerous extracurricular activities throughout his academic journey, he has held various leadership roles in university clubs. Presently, he serves as the Co-Director of the Hotel Association of Canada’s Guelph student chapter, playing a pivotal role in fostering industry connections and promoting peer professional development. With significant industry experience across hotel brands, he’s the Lead Guest Experience Expert at Delta in Guelph, consistently delivering exceptional service. His commitment to academic excellence, strong leadership skills, and extensive industry experience position him as a valuable asset in the field of Hospitality and Tourism Industry.
The cost of the event has been covered by corporate sponsorship. We’d like to thank the following organizations for their support: Arrell Food Institute, Toast, Dana Hospitality, Compass Group, MLSE, Gordon Food Service, Civil Pours, The School of Hospitality, Food, and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph.
For more information about the event please contact Bruce McAdams at bmcadams@uoguelph.ca
University of Guelph Sustainable Restaurant Project 