Presenter 1:
"Creature Comforts: Food Science for the Common Good" by Meredith Broughton

Ever marveled at how a meal can stir up a memory, and break down barriers? Have you tried to deep-fry things -- or make a pie -- only to find a soggy mess at the end? Does it feel like people who make sourdough have their own... culture? Maybe you just want a few tips and tricks for baking well -- with permission to take every good shortcut you can find!

Meredith Broughton will present on the science of baking, cooking up community, and creating all sorts of good reactions in the kitchen (including the Maillard reaction!)

Bio:
Meredith loves ancient history, decades-old RPG systems, and the three young humans that she and her husband made (and now must feed… every day)!  

Whether playing D&D weekly, her day job as a communicator, or simply as a neighbour -- she’s always thinking about how to create community. As a former cardiac ultrasound tech and a long-time pastor... she’s all about the heart (and getting the facts right). And as a neurodivergent human, her hobby of “procrasti-baking” lets her skillfully avoid tasks on a fairly regular basis.

Presenter 2:
"Very Dark: The Great Maple Syrup Heist" by Peter Kuitenbrouwer, RPF

Many have heard of the Great Maple Syrup Heist, the biggest theft in Canadian history. But did you know that the conspirators planned the burglary at a truck-stop festooned with fiberglass dinosaurs and monster trucks?

Journalist and Forester Peter Kuitenbrouwer, author of Maple Syrup: A short history of Canada's sweetest obsession (Doubleday Canada) tells that story-- and explains why swimming pools worth of maple syrup, to this day, await buyers in vast warehouses controlled by Quebec's maple syrup cartel.

Bio:
Peter Kuitenbrouwer was born in B.C. and grew up on a farm in Quebec. His career as a journalist has taken him to jobs in Montreal, Ottawa, Mexico City, New York and Toronto. Among other adventures, he covered the Oka Crisis in Quebec, crossed the Atlantic on a container ship, sailed the Great Lakes on a bulk grain carrier, and was detained by guerillas in the forests of Chiapas, Mexico. In 2021 he became a Registered Professional Forester. At present he works as a journalist, teacher and forester. His family makes maple syrup in their sugar bush in Madoc, Ontario.