EP9: From the farm to table to farm (with Ivan Wadgymar, Maizal)

Summary

In this episode, our guest Ivan Wadgymar (Maizal) shares his insights and experiences on the other side of farming: eating and the restaurant industry. He talks about how the pandemic has affected his own food business and what he sees as the role of restaurants in food security. Antonio and Janice also share how Cavaleiro Farm’s relationship with Ivan and his restaurant has impacted the farm and created a beneficial circular economy.

Resources:

• This Mexican Restaurant In Toronto Is Leading The Way For Zero Food Waste (Narcity)
• This might be Toronto’s first zero waste restaurant (BlogTO)
• People just like you are stewarding zero waste meals from seed to table (David Suzuki Foundation)
• 2021 Nourish Trend Report (Nourish Network)

Connect with us on:

• Instagram: @cavaleirofarm
• Facebook: @cavaleirofarm
• Website (Cavaleiro Farm): http://cavaleiro.farm/
• Website (Urban Crops): https://urbancrops.ca/
• Email: antonio@cavaleiro.farm

Connect with Ivan Wadgymar and Maizal on:

• Instagram: @maizalto
• Facebook: @maizalTO
• Website: www.maizal.ca

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Timestamps:

2:12: Ivan shares: What’s the current vibe in the city (Toronto)?

3:10: What motivated Ivan to start Maizal, a restaurant in Toronto serving authentic Mexican cuisine (later named Libertad)

4:45: How market and demand shaped Ivan’s next venture: a tortilleria (Maizal) producing handmade tortillas made from farm-grown corn

6:17: How the pandemic has impacted Ivan’s restaurant

8:03: How Ivan works with Cavaleiro Farm and other farms to support his business

13:35: Why Ivan started his Zero Food Waste initiative with our farm (which has been recognized in the press and by the City of Toronto)

17:47: How food waste has positively contributed to our farm and farm animals

19:52: Current customer trends Ivan is seeing in the city in terms of local food, sustainability, and culturally appropriate food

21:47: What Ivan thinks works in terms of food businesses successfully connecting with their customers

24:13: The key thing Ivan thinks people need to know about food (and his intriguing perspective on restaurants being a luxury, not a necessity)

25:59: How COVID has actually helped people reconnect with their food more

26:47: “Restaurants don’t fit into food security”: Ivan and Antonio’s differing perspectives on the role of restaurants in our food system

30:05: Ivan’s future projections on the role of restaurants and how eaters access food, given the pandemic

33:28: Why it’s been important for Ivan to connect to farms and food systems outside of Canada

37:00: Why Antonio has found interacting with farmers from different cultures to be a perspective-shifting and rewarding experience (and how Ivan has helped to bridge that gap)

39:48: What Ivan sees as the opportunity in urban businesses connecting with peri-urban farms or farmland

41:30: How you can connect with Ivan and Maizal