Toronto Guardian is up and running thanks to the contributions of many people and organizations who have a love for the city of Toronto. From historians to musicians, passionate fashion fans to photographers,  our team brings us all a taste of their worlds as they are in this city.

Two of those people are Ama Scriver and Yuli Sheildt, whose food column includes restaurant reviews, interviews with chefs, and food event coverage.

I chatted with Ama and Yuli about food writing and their own project Fat Girl Food Squad, a food blog that is spreading quickly from city to city.

Food writing has always been under the shroud of secrecy. What has this new “get to know the chef” way of reporting on food allowed you to unmask?

Amanda: Although we (the reader) always knew it, chefs are normal people.  Some of them have larger than life personalities (on the plate or perhaps in the kitchen) but at the core of it, some of the chefs we’ve had the opportunity to interview, and get to know (on a personal basis), are actually pretty shy. They really find their zone in the kitchen.

With chefs that we’ve been given the opportunity to interview, we try to just try to talk to them rather than interview them.  From what we’ve been told (by the chefs themselves), they absolutely hate being interviewed, and for me, having a one-on-one conversation talking about everything from food to spirit animals to hunting to reality TV creates calmness.  As such, many chefs have told us they love chatting with us because it is not the run of the mill interview.

I would rather grab beers and talk about being in the weeds in the kitchen rather than what the biggest food trend is. I think chefs respect that.

Tell us about imaging, and what you try and capture for your written accompaniment.

Yuli: I’m new to food photography. Fine art and photojournalistic is my background and where I feel comfortable. So, I think a lot of the high standards I place on my work in those vains I expect out of my food photography and I’d like to achieve that throughout the site. I want the writing on the site to be of the same high standard, but so long as the photos are beautiful I’m happy. The voice of the site is pretty casual and fun and I love that; that’s part of what makes FGFS what it is, but I want amazing visuals to be part of what we’re known for too. I’m developing a workshop on iPhonography for Bloggers, not just for our writers (who might not have experience or the money for a DSLR) but for people from other sites.

FGFS has a great brand and has seemed to gain interest outside of Toronto. What are some other cities we can expect to hear from?

Amanda:  Just over a year ago, I started hash-tagging things on Instagram #fatgirlfoodsquad. I had mentioned Fat Girl Food Squad to a few friends that I had wanted to start my own blog on food and body positivity.  Yuli and I had been talking about starting another blog together, but nothing came from it. One morning, I woke up and Yuli had sent me an e-mail saying she registered the domain for Fat Girl Food Squad and that our website was a real thing.  It was kind of like Christmas morning.

These last five months have been a little bit crazy. We worked on our branding for a number of weeks with Steve Rock from Good Kids. We wanted the brand to represent us in every sense of the word and thus, Food Baby was born. She’s a fun, fashionable, chubby food-babe. She’s the embodiment of the Fat Girl Food Squad brand. We’re planning on putting the Food Baby on everything. We are currently working on a huge project for t-shirts, patches and other amazing swag.

Yuli:  Doing this by ourselves we kind of have to be hands-off with the writers, especially with them being as far away as LA, or Denver, but that’s sort a larger reason for why we wanted to go out on our own with a site. We wanted to be different from the years of experience we had with writing for sites and I think that’s what people are responding to. The Squad aspect of the organization lends itself to franchising, for lack of a better word, really well. We’ve developed a Cadet’s Field Guide and just send new writers off with it and the work we’ve received back has been surprising and altogether wonderful. 8/10 times people write for us because they came to us. And I love that about the site.

Officially we have people in Denver, Hamilton, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg. Unofficially, we’ve been approached by people in New Zealand, Cleveland, Austin, and Calgary.

Are there any types of foods or restaurants that you try and avoid? Where do you see your focus being most at?

Amanda:  To be 100% honest, I will try anything once.  Hell, both Yuli and I ate the Cronut Burger and lived to tell about it.  That is saying something, right?  Food is supposed to be an experience, so why try to avoid anything.  If you try something and hate it, don’t eat it again.  Push yourself to the limit and go nuts.  I’ve eaten a serious amount of offal meats this year and loved them.

With Fat Girl Food Squad, Yuli and I really want people to build a relationship with food and their bodies.  I think that is where my focus is right now.  We want people to eat good food but also feel good about themselves, both inside their bodies and outside, mentally and physically.

What is the best dish you think you have ever had in Toronto?

Amanda: I don’t know if I can commit to one dish but I can shout out a couple places where I have had awesome things.  For instance, Whippoorwill Tavern at Bloor and Lansdowne has the best brunch menu.  I am simply in love with their Breakfast Bruchetta.  It’s seasonal and fresh and just plain delicious.   Next up, the Surf & Turf Burger at Rock Lobster (on Queen) weighs in at 9 ounces of pure hunky delicious love and has lobster meat on top.  Just recently, I went to Big Crow and fell in love with their bbq on the wood-fire.  That is straight up deliciousness.

Yuli: I think I last had one of the Samuel J Moore’s oysters back in June and I’m still telling people how good it was. That watermelon vinaigrette! Plus it was really pretty to photograph. Like Ama said, it’s not really about The Best, it’s about the next best thing you’re going to try.

Tell us about these awesome events that you have coming up.

Our events are back-to-back September 26th & 27th.

Thursday, Sept. 26th we’re co-presenting with the Samuel J Moore a night of food, drink and entertainment we’re calling Roaring Not Boring. We’re converting the room under the Samuel J Moore into a 1920’s style speakeasy. Executive Chef Alexandra Feswick has really done her research to design a four-course meal typical of a dining experience in the era and Mixologist Derek Grandpre is going to concoct some drinks especially for the event.  We’re bringing in entertainment from the likes of burlesque performers Ester Deville, El Toro and Taco Belle, the vaudevillian act of Parker & Seville and it’s not a Fat Girl Food Squad without some drag, so Xtacy Love will make an appearance.

And if you’re still standing after that, you can join us at Scout’s Honour the next night (Friday Sept. 27th) for the official launch of Fat Girl Food Squad and Ama’s 30th birthday bash. We’re calling this one Spreadin’ the Thick & Juicy Word. There will be plenty of juicy burgers, thick doughnuts, Food Babes, and hip shaking. Plus, members of the Toronto Squad will be spinning all night.

Find FGFS on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FatGirlFoodSquad

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FatGrlFoodSquad

Instagram: http://instagram.com/FatGrlFoodSquad

Website: http://fatgirlfoodsquad.com

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I first met Candice Hutchings, the Edgy Veg, through Belmonte Raw (see article here) as the General Manager. After speaking with her for a few short minutes, it was clear that Candice wasn’t just “doing a job,” she really was passionate about raw vegan food.

Somehow it came up that Candice had a YouTube channel and blog called the Edgy Veg. Since I was interviewing about Belmonte Raw, we simply left it at that. But one evening while I was randomly watching YouTube videos, I decided to type in “Edgy Veg” to see what came up. After watching one video about vegan mac and cheese (um…yes!), I was hooked. These were REAL food recipes, not crazy granola “this tastes like something I pulled out of my lawn mower” stuff. I hopped over to her blog – theedgyveg.com – and found hangover cures and face masks and thought to myself, “Who the hell is this chick?! I need to talk to her.” So I did. Candice invited me over for a vegan cooking lesson and I was stoked!

We had the most amazing raw zucchini fettuccine with basil and spinach pesto AND zucchini pizza bread (inspired by pizza baguettes). The best surprise wasn’t that it tasted fantastic, because I figured it would, but that it was so easy to make! Seriously, just watch one video and you’ll see. And even as a meat-lover, I was totally satisfied and happy with my meal! What’s even more refreshing is that you can genuinely tell that Candice loves what she’s doing and wants to share with people this lifestyle that we previously thought was unattainable. It’s easy, delicious, healthy and fun. Ok, I’m going to stop tooting her horn so you can read the interview and check out her blog and videos.

What is the Edgy Veg all about? How did it get started and who is it for?

The Edgy Veg is a combination of all the things I love: the internet, YouTube, blogs and food! It started out as a way for me to keep an online diary about the food I was making and learning how to cook. It started off as a vegetarian blog and slowly developed into a vegan and raw food blog as my own journey developed.

Really it’s for anyone!!! But I seem to be targeting the young, hip, urbanite that lives in a tiny apartment and is more interested in their music, partying and wardrobe than they are in cooking. That being said it’s a website full of videos, recipes and blogs geared towards making vegan food easy to make but also delicious!

Tell us about your involvement with CoralTV.

CoralTV is a women’s network on YouTube run by women! I am currently hosting a weekly vegan cooking show that teaches my audience how to make healthy vegan choices easy and affordable! It’s fun and upbeat (and totally not granola)! I even get to drink on camera!

Were you always a vegan? If not, what motivated you to become vegan and how long as it been?

I was not always a vegan, in fact I grew up German and mostly we ate very traditionally. What set me apart from the other kids at school was my somewhat vegetarian and very into alternative health Mother. We always ate weird food and were really into alternative healing remedies.
This is where my love for the natural really started but it was my horrific acne that gave me the push. After trying absolutely every drug, cream and injection, I was still suffering from horrible acne into my 20s. I, one day, decided to conduct an experiment on myself and voila! It worked. After 30 days of eating only raw food I noticed a significant change in my skin – I knew the answer was sitting literally in front of my face the entire time. I started to read every nutrition and health book I could get my hands on and began experimenting with cooking and preparing this amazing plant based food. My eyes were opened to the importance of food and I was hooked. It has now been 3 years since I became vegan.

What is the hardest thing about being vegan? Alternatively, what is the most rewarding thing about being vegan?

The hardest thing about vegan is the social aspect of life. It is getting easier but there is still that difficulty of going out to dinner worrying about what you will be able to eat at a restaurant. In the beginning it was tough for me to go out and watch my friends eat the food I loved. But after doing it and being strong, the love for that food just vanished. It’s really quite amazing.
The most rewarding thing about being vegan is that I no longer have belly bloat! I am not a big girl my any means but I used to have a permanent bloated, pregnant belly and it looked horrible and I was horribly self conscious about it! I used to wake up with this belly and nothing I did would help… until I did this!!! That and of course my clear skin!!! Yay!

Your website isn’t just about food, tell us what else you blog about?

I love to blog about sex and relationships. I think that might have been the influence many teen years of reading sexy columns and watching Sex and the City. I love to write them in a very bold, almost satire and humorous tone; mainly because I think we women are all thinking it but no one is saying it…so I do!
I also write about various tips and tricks that can be used in the kitchen and often blog about events in my own life. It’s fun to get personal with my readers, I find it very liberating.

How do you stay healthy?

I’m vegan!!!! I know, it’s the obvious answer, but it’s true. I stay healthy by taking care of my most important asset, by body. But I also do yoga and have a glass of wine every evening—I call that balance.

Name your all time favourite health foods (and how to use it…assuming we won’t know what the heck it is). What can’t you live without?

I AM OBSESSED WITH NUTRITIONAL YEAST! It’s cheesy and buttery and makes everything taste better! You can make vegan cheese sauces and butters with it or just sprinkle it on salads and pastas. It is very high in vitamin B12 so it’s a great ingredient for vegans and vegetarians to consume every day. I also need kale and avocados in my life; I eat these items daily.

What local businesses, personalities and vegans inspire you?

Carol Belmonte from Belmonte Raw inspires me. She is a genius when it comes to raw food and juicing. I love when companies refuse to sellout and compromise their products for mass consumption. It makes me so sad when I see my favourite products’ quality diminish.
I also really love the local vegan bakeries like Bunners and Tori’s Bakeshop for committing to staying vegan and gluten free without using unhealthy but vegan ingredients like refined sugars and flours.

Where do you do most of your grocery shopping?

In Kensington market and at farmers markets. It is so important to support your local farmers and eat organic!

Tell us about your raw protein bars (and balls). Where can we find it?

I am currently selling my own line of vegan protein bar mix and power balls. They are all vegan protein products that give you the energy to go about your day or refuel after a workout without the bloat, chemicals or GMOs.
Protein bars are one of the easiest ways to add convenience to your diet. On those days you simply do not have the time to prepare your meal in advance, just grab a bar and go. The protein bar mixes and power balls are made with all natural, organic ingredients and are made fresh each week by hand the same day you order. To find out more information you can email edgyveg@email.com.

What’s in store for the Edgy Veg in the future?

Loaded question! I want to take this show on the road, literally. I have a dream of travelling the world and sharing my story and my passion for the importance of food with people everywhere. I have huge goals as a YouTuber and just go where the wind blows… I am a terrible planner; I’m more into spontaneity.

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