All language subtitles for Evolving.Vegan.S01E06.720p.WEB.H264-SPAMnEGGS

♪

Toronto,
my home town,

the city my family and I
emigrated to,

arriving from Egypt
when I was just three years old.

The city where I grew up,
started acting,

and fell in love
with food.

It's a city famously known
for its diversity,

with almost half the population
made up of immigrants,

making it
one of the most

multicultural cities
on the planet.

And because it attracts
so many people,

it's accelerating
and transforming Toronto.

Growth is everywhere;
from construction cranes

to tech hubs to film studios,
the city's exploding.

And the plant-based
food scene's no different.

Because so many families
just like mine

immigrated here
from all over the globe,

it's created one of the most
unique gastronomies anywhere.

You name the dish,
we got it.

We are gonna dive in
to a Toronto food adventure

to check out how
this ever-changing town

and all
these cultures

put their own unique mark
on the city's palate.

This ain't Hogtown anymore,

and I cannot wait
to share it with you.

Welcome
to my house.

♪

I'm Mena Massoud.

I'm travelling
across North America

and eating my way through
some of the coolest cities

to show you how
beautiful meals,

talented chefs
and restaurateurs

are making plant-based living
delicious and attainable.

So join me
as I show you

how the world is
evolving vegan.

♪

We're jumping down
to a place

that exemplifies
the mix in the 6ix,

a food market called
Smorgasburg Toronto.

It's a snapshot
of the culinary mosaic

the city
has on tap,

and a spot where
many aspiring chefs

take fledgling steps towards
their very first restaurants.

It's not a fully
vegan festival.

Between
the scores of food carts,

there are so many
plant-based options

from vendors who are
absolutely killing it.

I'm with my friend
Matthew Ravenscroft,

an acclaimed chef
and culinary director

at the upscale plant-based
Italian eatery Gia,

where he's working to create
delicious veg-forward food.

You described yourself as
the imperfect vegan,

which is basically
Evolving Vegan's mantra.

I think any effort's
better than none.

That's kind of what
I try to do with food.

It's like, listen, you don't
have to get it right,

but if you try, we're going
to see some positive impacts.

And kind of
cooking vegetables

and showing people that
it can be done

and being like, this is an
astounding carrot, for instance.

Yeah.
We've made an impact.

Does end up trickling down
to our home.

So, Smorgasburg Toronto,
first year.

I think this is
a perfect glimpse into

what makes Toronto culinary
scenes so astounding,

is you can get everything
and everyone has a unique story

and everyone
has a unique narrative

of how they got to be
where they are.

It's a very beautifully
curated experience.

Yeah, Toronto's
in the summer,

best city in the world,
for sure.

Matt and I are hungry,
and we're on the hunt

for the festival's
best plant-based grub.

Carlos,
what's up, my man?

There's a dish,
pulled jackfruit sandwich,

and I think this is it
right here.

Whoa.
Carlos, am I right?

Is this
the jackfruit?
That's the jackfruit, yeah.

Just percolating
like that, too?

It looks
like pulled beef.

Green jackfruit,
so it's not sweet.

Gives it more of that
pulled pork texture.

I spent three years
trying to figure this out.

It's kind of just an ode
to Scarborough

and all my favourite
jerk chicken spots,

'cause I grew up
in Scarborough.

What have you got in there
spices-wise?

So, the dry marinade
is allspice,

garlic powder, onion powder,
little bit of brown sugar.

And then I do a wet marinade
with Scotch bonnet,

green onion, scallion,
garlic, ginger.

It's
a crazy list.

Food looks delicious.
Can't wait.
Thanks, guys.

I can't wait.
Thank you, man.

Cheers.
Cheers, cheers.

Just look at
this pulled jackfruit sandwich,

Scarborough dynamite.

(Happy grunt)
Whoa.

The moisture is
through the roof on this,

and the flavour
is incredible.

He's done this to emulate
a pulled jerk pork.

Yeah, his favourite,
the best of the best.

This texture,
this is wild.

Mm-hmm.

Alright, we are
just getting started.

This festival's so packed,
you can't take five steps

without someone
trying to feed you.

Chef Matt,
come try this with me.

So basically, we've got
some coconut meat here,

and you're saying this is
rice flour, kind of like a dosa?

Whoa.
Mmm.

The spice of it
is amazing.
Yeah, it's amazing.

And so light. Unreal.

Perfect
for a day like this.

I'm glad
you like it.

What I love about
having cameras here?

People just
bring you food.

Where are we going?

No idea.
Oh, right there.
Meena's Kitchen.

That seems
about right.

Meena?
I'm Mena.

Classic
Indian food?

We are doing
potato patties,

aloo tikki, and we also have
aloo paratha.

Dhokla as well?
With chickpea flour
and semolina flour.

Whoa.

What's the leaf?
Curry leaf.

I've never had
curry leaf.

And you've got some fried
mustard seeds in there,

which pop,
I love it.

Sometimes when you eat food
it makes you want to dance.

You know, like,
that's this.

You get like a little
rhythm going from it.

How you doing?
What have we got?

Black bean patty, and there's
only five ingredients.

Okay, yeah--
yeah, that's good.

It looks like-- it looks like
a burger, which is great.

Gluten-free as well.
Vegan, no binders.

It's just
simple ingredients.

Phenomenal, man.

Just as our tour
was ending,

we spotted
a colourful towering slaw,

and just had to make room
for one more.

Tell us a little bit about
what we've got here.

Dish is beautiful.

So this is
our prosperity slaw.

It's based off of a Lunar
New Year traditional dish.

The whole point
is just supposed to

toss all of these ingredients together,

get it as high as you can,
and you're

bringing prosperity
into the New Year.

So this is
a vegan version.

Beets, carrots,
jicama, cucumber,

papaya,
mango, cabbage,

and then we toss it
with rose petals,

crispy onions,
pickled ginger,

and crispy
taro and rice noodles. Nice.

The dressing itself
is a salted plum dressing,

so it's fresh plums and the
umeboshi paste mixed together.

And what is
umeboshi paste?

Oh, so that's
the salted plum paste.

Okay, that's what
you call it.

So it's really,
really, like,

salty and savoury
and strong.

And that's really
what that drying process

brings out
in the plums.

Okay, nice.
Can't wait to try it.

Thank you
very much.

♪

The crunch
is what I love,

the texture of it,
and that is something

that I find in a lot of
plant-based vegan things,

the texture can only be
very soft.

It's great to see people
innovating with it.

It's amazing
to see, like,

we get a little glimpse
of each culture,

what they're offering,
diversity, and the options.

It's overwhelming
in the best way.

There's so much
food options.

One row,
there was Chinese,

Malaysian, Indonesian,
Vietnamese--

Japanese
right beside it.

Yeah, that's just
one row.

That's what makes
Toronto special, you know?
I totally agree.

Toronto's probably the most
multicultural city in the world.

And you can
taste that.

For a city
once known as Hogtown,

Toronto's come
a long way.

It's got
an astounding culinary scene

that's increasingly adopting
and serving vegan dishes.

♪

♪

In the heart
of Little Italy,

amidst the pepperoni pizzas
and prosciutto,

is a hidden gem, a traditional
Mexican restaurant.

Actually,
a plant-based,

Michelin-recognised
Mexican restaurant.

Let that
settle in.

And the chef
who's making noise

with the meticulously crafted
vegan delights

he's brought from
his hometown of Mexico City

is Chef Ivan Castro
at his house: La Bartola.

Ivan: In Mexico City, I used
to watch my mom

and my grandma
cooking in the kitchen.

It was magical for me, and
I fell in love with cooking.

It's my way
to express love.

♪

Chef Ivan has invited me
to join him in his kitchen

to make a traditional
Oaxacan snack.

All right, Chef, so we're
making tetelas today?

Yeah. Tetela is
a traditional dish

from Oaxaca,
basically a tortilla.

The filling is refried beans
with poleo, and we serve that

with braised hibiscus flowers
and a little bit of salsa verde.

Should we make
some tetelas?

Ivan: Yeah,
absolutely, yeah!

Okay, let's do it.

We're gonna grab
a little bit of blue masa.

So we're gonna roll
the masa.

We make everything from scratch
here, so we make the tortillas.

We make our tamales.

Mena: You use purple,
black corn and then the red?

Ivan: We have blue,
we have pink.

We have even purple, yellow,
white corn, different colours.

Put in the centre
of our press tortilla.

Okay.

Ivan: After that,
another small piece of masa.

So you're going smaller
and smaller, basically.

Smaller yeah,
and you can make, like,

different shapes,
different colours.

This is one of our
signature dishes.

Mena: Oh, and you're
going one more.

Ivan: That's it.
And then we're gonna flip it.

Then we're gonna put our...

Refried beans. Beautiful.

Ivan: So we are gonna fold
this side first,

then the other one.

That's our tetela.
We're gonna put it here.

Mena: Very nice. So chef,
next we're gonna put

our braised hibiscus on
and heat it up?

This is a mix of hibiscus
flowers, shiitake mushrooms,

and caramelized onions.
So, this is ready to go.

All right!

Ivan: Then a little bit
of salsa here, jalapeno,

onions, garlic, salt,
jalapeno confit salsa.

And when you say confit,
is it because

you deep-fry the jalapenos
before you make it?

Yes. Yeah.

Wow.
So try that.

Mm!

My mom would make falafel.
It's a typical Egyptian dish.

Ivan: Mm-hmm.

And while she had the oil
in there and she was deep-frying

falafel, she would also
deep-fry jalapenos.

This tastes exactly like that.
That's, that's killer.

I think Mexico's
a lot like Egypt.

People eat with
their hands, right?

Ivan: Yeah.

Mena: We put a little
bit of that jalapeno...

Ivan: Salsa on top.

Salsa, oh yeah, and we've got
the refried beans in there.

Beautiful fresh tortillas.

Mm. Mm!

Ivan:
Pretty good, right?

Wow. I could, I could eat
25 of these. Home run.

And you need to try our
signature taco,

which is the braised
hibiscus taco,

and it comes with
salsa macha,

which is like a crunchy
peanut butter with a kick.

Oh, whoa!

That is gonna be something.
You need to try it.

Really, wow.

First I'm gonna
take another bite.

Mm. Mm.

Home run, Chef.

Thank you.

Mena: Ivan's place has
been open to the public

for over two years now,
growing out of a series

of 10-person private
dinners he hosted

with his partner Pedro
in their condo.

Those homemade dinners
were so popular, the demand

evolved into a full-fledged
restaurant: La Bartola.

Right, wow.

Ivan: Hello.

So here we have
the black aguachile.

It is similar to ceviche.

On this side we have
hearts of palm

wrapped with cucumber ribbons,
and then on top

red pickled onions with
a little bit of habanero.

Kinda a bit spicy
but not super-spicy.

Then on this side,
king oyster mushrooms

and plum with a little bit
of black salt.

Mena: Wow. Beautiful,
And so, ceviche,

typically raw ingredients
just cured with acid?

So, similar idea here, right,
everything is raw, pretty much?

Yeah, everything is raw.

All right.
Well, cheers. Cheers.

Ivan: Cheers.

Mena:
Now let's dig in.

(Crunching)

Really, really
well-balanced

and delicious way
to start a meal.

Ivan: Thank you.

Toronto's the perfect city
for La Bartola, I feel like,

because it welcomes new ideas,
and it welcomes new cultures.

So not only do you have
a Mexican restaurant,

but you also have
a plant-based restaurant.

Yeah.
Everything is plant-based.

Everything is vegan, yeah.

And so these are...

Heirloom cherry tomatoes.

We serve it with guava
and mezcal vinaigrette.

Mena:
Tomatoes and cantaloupes.

Ivan: Yeah.

Mena: They feel soft, so
have they absorbed the syrup?

Ivan: Yeah. The syrup is
a mix of star anise, allspice,

a bit of piloncillo, which is
like Mexican raw sugar,

cinnamon,
a little bit of salt.

Mm!

Christmassy flavour,
like holidays.

Pumpkin spice in
a little cantaloupe.

Ah, it's amazing.

I feel very lucky to do this
here in the city which I love,

and I'm very grateful with
Canada and with Toronto

to giving me
this opportunity.

Mena: Chef, what do
we have here?

Ivan: This is one of
our signature tacos,

braised hibiscus taco
with caramelized onions

and shiitake mushrooms, and
on top there's salsa macha.

I like to describe it as crunchy
peanut butter with a kick.

It's not super-spicy.
It's very flavourful.

It's sweet. It's crunchy,
nutty at the same time.

It's really, really good.

This is one
of my favourite tacos.

The other hibiscus would
almost overpower the peanuts,

where here the peanuts are
the perfect complement to this.

Ivan: Yeah.

Really kinda adds a pop
of nuttiness. Beautiful.

This is like the first
dish made for La Bartola,

for the restaurant,
because it was my dream.

So to finally see my dream,
it is amazing.

Well, congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chef.

Ivan's journey is exactly
what makes Toronto special,

a welcoming metropolis that
attracts diverse individuals

searching for purpose, and
Ivan's purpose is crystal-clear:

to make me tetelas.

When I'm back in TO,
there's spots I gotta hit

to satisfy my sweet tooth,

and joining me,
my man Tesher.

Saskatchewan-born,
Toronto-living,

Tesher's single
Jalebi Baby

exploded to the tune of half
a billion views on YouTube.

♪ Baby let me see it ♪

♪ Jalebi baby ♪

♪ I just wanna eat it ♪

With a TikTok dance craze
pushing another billion streams,

he's a recording star on
the rise, and he has no idea,

but he's in for a sweet
surprise: Honey's.

This is Toronto's only premium,

100% plant-based
ice cream shop.

Ashley Wittig's the owner
and super-genius behind Honey's,

named after her puppy.

She's a prominent
vegan baker

who spent the last five years
reinventing ice cream.

Ashley, what's going on?

Hi!
Welcome to Honey's.

We make premium
plant-based ice cream.

We blend all the cashews
in-house.

We make everything in-house.
Just a very tasty place to be.

Tesh, have you had
vegan ice cream before?

'Cause you're not vegan, so.

No, I have never had
vegan ice cream.

No pressure, Ash.

(Laughs)

Okay. All right. What are
you gonna start with?

I feel like I have to
start with birthday cake.

Wow.
That is really good.

You nailed it!
You nailed it.

That's amazing. My god.

That's a birthday cake, yeah.

My god. I can't even tell the
difference between this and,

like, non-vegan ice cream.

We're getting good.

And it's becoming so much more
accessible now, too, yeah.

High five, yes.

We're taking over, man!

Is this like a conversion?

Is this like an intervention?

This is an intervention.

We actually brought
you here for...

A few of my friends reached
out and said we've

got to do something about this.

Exactly.

Next, Ashley, we're
making a surprise flavour.

Making ice cream is
the best part, yeah.

So I'm gonna start by showing
you guys how we make

the base vegan.

First thing we're gonna start
with, most important thing

about ice cream, is the sugar.

So you're gonna
grab that sugar.

Put this whole thing in here?

Yeah. Dump it in.

Alright.

Oh yeah.

Ashley: Next up, we'll
add a little bit of water.

And let's grab
that sugar syrup.

All of it in?

Ashley: Yup.

Alright, here we go.

Ashley: So we give this
a stir, kind of

marry it together.

Nice.

And then we stick
it on our stovetop.

Okay!

I would've never believed
that this is how

you make ice cream.

Mena: Next up, we melt the
fat, boiling that beautiful

coconut oil and
cacao butter smooth.

Ashley cruises through the
process, but it took a lot

of hard work to make
it look this easy.

So I probably tested
this maybe 1000 times.

Tesher: 1000?

Ashley: Every single
day for over a year.

Serious?

I would make this base, what
we're making today, and I

would pop it out of the
freezer the next day,

close my eyes, have a taste.

And then from there I would
make the recipe for that day

to kind of like push it along.

So it was very time consuming.

Wow, I thought making
a cookbook was hard.

This sounds tedious.

Ashley: It's pretty tedious.

So next up we're gonna put our
creams into our big bucket.

So you're basically just
combining the sugar and fat.

Yeah.

And then we use the blender
to emulsify it all together.

Oh yeah, I see we've got
some heavy power tools here,

alright?

You don't mess with Ashley
when you come into the shop.

(Chuckling)

Let's go! Let's get it!

(Whirring)

Mena: So it's time
for the surprise!

We've got a surprise for you.

Yeah, we've got a little
bit of a surprise.

Oh, geez! Oh man.

Ashley: Ta-da!

We've making a jalebi
flavoured ice cream today.

You'd think I'd have had
Jalebi ice cream.

I have not had
jalebi ice cream.

Mena: Jalebi's a traditional
South Asian dessert, like

a neon funnel cake dipped in
syrup, a treat Tesher grew up

eating at home and the
inspiration for his hit song!

Oh yeah.

Ashley: It's good, hey?

You know what, I'll tell you,
whoever your jalebi guy is,

send me his number because
he's doing a great job.

They get the Tesher
stamp of approval.

They do get the Tesher
stamp of approval.

Mena: By now, the creamy
base is ready for that

sweet jalebi, baby...

Mena: When's enough, like...

Ashley: All of it.

All of it. Put it all in.

I think this just brought
us closer together, Tesh.

Oh, it absolutely did.

Grab your spatula
and then have at it.

Tesher: Okay.

When I made the song, I didn't
think I'd be making

jalebi ice cream.

Mena: Right.

This has to be my favourite
jalebi-related thing that

I've done so far.

Yes!

That makes me happy, man.

Tesher special, right here.

Jalebi baby.

♪

I like it.

I think it's a home run.

I like it.

Wow.

And the fact that it's vegan.

I just can't get
over that too.

I'm just in awe
that it's vegan.

Like, that's just the thing
that I cannot get over.

Right?

Toronto's, like, an
incredible city obviously

for music artists.

Artists overall,
but music artists.

I mean, we got you, we got
Drake, we got Bieber,

Shawn Mendes.

We've got all these
incredible music...

Yeah.

What about Toronto allows
Canadian artists in the music

scene specifically?

Because there's something
that's happened in the past

ten years where it's just--
Toronto's been a hot spot.

Man, I think it's really
the ethnic diversity.

I remember listening to
like some Weeknd songs.

And some of the riffs and
notes that he would hit,

I was like...

This kinda sounds
a little Indian.

When you're surrounded by
all those cultures,

you find ways to...

They subconsciously just melt
into what you do, and I think

you're better for it.

And you're also
more relatable too.

Yeah, it finds its way in
music, obviously, like we

talked about.

In food, of course.

Like, I think we have one of
the best food cities

in the world.

The diversity here and
how authentic it is.

You know what I always thought
was really interesting about

Toronto was that Indian
food in 'Sauga, Scarborough,

Brampton, even in Toronto that
will-- like, it's just as

good as you get in India.

Yeah, yeah.

Listen, if you can find a
vegan chilli chicken,

I will convert.

I will just become
a full time vegan.

I'm on it, man.

That's the only thing
holding me back is the Hakka.

Mena: Tesher, once we figure
out the Hakka,

we got you, bro.

(Train whoosh)

Now, I know the word vegan
has historically rubbed some

people the wrong way, but in
the last decade that

stigma's fading.

I've had a lot of
conversations about food

since I went plant-based.

We may all have different
POVs but ideally we have

a dialogue, and we try to
learn from each other.

So I wanted to make this next
stop for that very reason;

to extend an olive branch to
someone with a different

point of view.

Antler, localvore resto run
by chef Michael Hunter.

Chef Michael normally features
wild game on his menu;

anything from duck
to deer to wild-boar.

The hunter Chef is also
huge into foraging, crawling

through the woods looking
for mushrooms and berries.

For him, the forest
is his pantry.

But in 2018, Antler was the
site of an explosive dust-up

between animal-activists and
the meat-forward restaurateur.

It started over foie gras and
ended in a counter-protest

where Chef carved a
deer leg in the window.

It was international headline
material, but it wasn't a

great moment for the dialogue.

Now, I'm not the type of vegan
who beefs with meat eaters.

A big part of my journey is
listening to opposing views,

so I reached out to the
Chef and said, real talk.

Let's do this.

And he kindly offered to cook
me a vegan meal,

at his house, Antler.

Cheers, chef.

All great conversations need
to start with a drink, Chef.

Thank you for having me.

So I can't wait
to dig into this.

What do we have here?

Michael: This is a vegan
corn and chantrelle risotto.

Arborio rice, creamed corn in
there, whole corn that I've

sautéed, shallot, garlic.

Mena: The risotto's
incredibly creamy.

Obviously, the
mushrooms are delicious.

And the colour
is beautiful too.

Michael: And the salad,
it's a panzanella salad.

There's heirloom tomatoes
that we've charred

on a charcoal grill.

Heirloom cherry tomatoes,
some shaved onion in, like,

a gazpacho vinaigrette.

Focaccia croutons in there
that are baked with

an olive oil.

That focaccia bread is just
absorbing that gazpacho,

and the flavour in
there, oh my gosh.

So you're probably thinking
what's a vegan show doing

in my restaurant?

(Laughing)

But honestly, I grew up
eating a ton of meat.

I great up Egyptian, so I've
eaten every part of an

animal you can think of.

From cow hooves to
stomach lining, the brain.

All the fun stuff!

Yeah, I've eaten it all.

I want people to eat more
plant-based, there's no doubt

about it.

And I truly believe that
to really make a difference

we have to understand each
other's points of view, and

I think we just have to vow to
eat more plants, which you do,

obviously.

You forage in the
forest, you know.

You're using ingredients that
are local, you know,

from the area.

As a chef and a hunter, you
know, I think myself and a lot

of vegans have a lot in common
that, you know, not a lot of

people necessarily know.

How animals are treated and
how they live in the wild is

really important to me.

As a hunter, I prefer rifle
hunting or shotgun hunting.

For the most part
it's instant.

You know, to me that--
that's really important.

Unlike factory farming, which
we all know is torturous and

just brutal and disgusting...

Michael: They're standing in
line, waiting to be killed.

That is what really
drives me to hunt.

You know, and to feed my
family with wild, natural,

organic, you know,
meat and fish.

The way I choose to live and
eat is very important to me,

and with Antler I wanted to
share that with our customers.

You know, I have a lot of
respect for everyone's diet,

and whether you're, you know,
vegan, vegetarian, halal,

kosher, whatever it is,
you're welcome in our home.

We're a very small place.

I like to think that we're
all like family, and you know,

people are guests in our home.

And you know, all are welcome.

You put a lot of thought
into how you eat,

and I think
that's important.

I think that's kind of the
most important thing nowadays,

is researching where your
food comes from, and if you're

putting thought into it, and
making that choice, then

I have to respect
that, you know?

Likewise.

Yeah, I can't
not respect that.

You go out and you see where
your food is coming from.

Yeah.

Unlike a lot of people, that,
you know, end up going to

a fast food establishment,
they're having a burger, they

don't really ever think about
what that burger is or where

it comes from or how it's
processed or any of that.

At the grocery store, how many
people's hands it's actually

been through before it goes
into your body is shocking.

When did this philosophy
start for you?

I grew up on a horse farm, so,
you know, being in nature and

respecting nature was
a big part of my life.

The documentary Food Inc. had
a really big impact on me.

So the look into the factory
farm was pretty shocking

to me.

So like actually seeing
it for the first time.

What Evolving Vegan is all
about is to understand what

your food is coming from,
what you're consuming.

And you know, that everything
you put into your body has an

impact, whether it's on the
animals, the environment,

your health.

And as long as you understand
those three things, then you

can make whatever
choice you want, man.

Because it's your
body, it's your life.

Like, who am I to
tell you how to eat?

And who are you to tell me
how to eat, and what to

put into my body?

I don't think the whole
world is gonna become vegan.

I don't think we're gonna
stop eating animals.

But I think there's a
lot of common ground of

a conversation of how we can
change some of the regulations

and maybe make it
better for the animals.

I try and tell my kids that,
you know,

meat doesn't come
from the grocery store

in a little pretty
Styrofoam package.

And you know, I think that if,
you know, people eat meat,

they should slaughter a chicken
once in their life

because I think if people
actually saw

what they're eating and
how it's being processed,

I think they wouldn't eat
as much, and I think

they would really value it
and respect it a lot more.

I think there's a huge
disconnect that, you know,

that was an animal
that was alive.

And, you know, if they
actually had to kill

that animal themselves,
I don't think

they'd be throwing meat
in the garbage.

Mena: You sounded like
a vegan there for a second.

(Chuckling)

Because a lot of vegans have
said that to me before, that

you know, when we're having
this discussion, that they're

okay with people eating meat,
as long as they slaughter

it themselves, because then
they are a part of, you know,

taking that animal's life
away, and you know, butchering

it and processing it.

Yeah.

So what you just said actually
has been said to me by a lot

of vegans, so that's
very interesting.

Dialogue is important, right?

And it's not just about
plant-based or not

plant-based, it comes down
to politics, whether you're

arguing with your wife or
your husband or your partner.

When we don't take the time to
try and understand where each

other are coming from, then we
end up pushing each other away

even further.

I can't control what you
believe or don't believe.

Yeah, you can inspire someone.

Yeah, I can try to inspire
you, but that's it.

For me, a win is if people
just, you know, put a little

more thought in their food.

And maybe research
what they're eating.

You know, for
me, that's a win.

Thank you for the food.

It's truly delicious, and I
love that it's seasonal,

I love that it's local.

And it was just a great
meal, great conversation.

Well, thank you, it's been
a pleasure having you, and

a really fun conversation.

Thanks, chef, thank you.

Thank you, Chef, for the food,
the dialogue and the common

ground.

Where we differ on eating
meat, we agreed on one thing:

be thoughtful about your food.

(Distant siren)

What we eat and where
it comes from matters!

Living in a metropolis with
millions of people, there can

be a disconnect between where
your food is sourced and what

you're consuming.

If anyone is pressing to
re-connect rural and urban,

the farm and city, the land
and its roots, it's Cheyenne

Sundance, and her eponymous
urban farm: Sundance Harvest.

The values of eating vegan
and eating local aren't

necessarily the same thing,
but they're often aligned;

better for the environment
and lower carbon footprint.

And come on, local's
fresher, and more delicious!

At only 25, Cheyenne has
Toronto and the entire

country talking.

She's a food justice advocate,
a leader, a teacher, an

inspiration in the food
sovereignty movement,

and chiefly, a farmer.

(Soft music)

Cheyenne, Maya,
what's going on?

Hey!

Cheyenne, harvesting
radish, very nice.

I saw the kale back
there, the tomatoes there.

We've got some tomatoes, we've
got lots of greens happening

because we're
coming into fall.

So the cooler time of the
year, so we need to take

the hot crops out and bring
the cool crops in.

But I'm gonna show you around
this way so you can

see the beans and you can see
the sunflowers,

and the colours.

I love it, let's do it.

Let's go.

Cheyenne started this
ground-breaking year-round

urban farm just north of
the city to provide organic,

healthy food to her
local community.

You've had this farm now
for about three years?

Cheyenne: Yeah, so I started
with half of my first

greenhouse, and then every
year kind of just expanded.

So 1.5 acres.

♪

In retrospect, wearing white
shoes was not the move.

It was not the move today.

Cheyenne: We have
some sunflowers.

It's really important for
us to plant some flowers,

especially for our beehives,
since they need pollen.

Yeah, yeah.

And we've got lots of carrots
that are growing for fall,

because they kind of
blend well

with that seasonal flavour,

and then a diversified array
of cut flowers

because we sell them
at the farmer's market.

Something I wanted to
actually show you...

Yeah.

...is that we have sunchokes.

And it grows
through the winter,

and it tastes like
a potato.

Potato, right.

Sunchokes, kind of
like artichokes, right?

They're kind of in the
middle between artichokes

and potatoes.
And they're small, right?

They're small, so
let me show you.

I love artichokes-- oh!

So they grow exactly
like a potato.

It's a beautiful crop,
perennial, and it's native to

this climate.

Mena: You're only 25.

Yeah, I'm 25.

Mena: So tell me about
how'd you get this property?

It's beautiful.

So I have a long-term
lease, which is great.

For a lot of my friends, and
myself, I can't afford to buy

land in South-western Ontario.

So doing things like community
land trusts, or cooperative

land models, to actually like
make it more affordable for

young people to farm.

This is a Black and
Indigenous-run farm.

And it's really important
to, you know, have space and

agriculture where historically
we haven't been included.

And I'm actually
the president

of the National Farmers Union
BIPOC Caucus.

So It's kind of like
within my duties

to like make space
for community.

Because the more farmers
we have in general,

no matter the race,
the better.

Having spaces like this is
important because we get to

show youth of all ages, really
that you can farm, and it can

be a living.

(Upbeat instrumental music)

Mena: Sundance Harvest is also
home to dozens of beehives and

a healthy population of
pollinators making sweet,

sweet honey.

Which in the vegan world,
is actually a hot-button,

controversial topic.

Honey is technically an
animal product.

Or by-product, depending
on how you look at it.

The onsite beekeeper Selina
Rachel Mendez dedicates her

time to keeping these hives
healthy and sustainable.

Selina!

Mena!

How are you?

What's going on,
Selina and Mena!

Yes!

Mena: I really wanted to do
this with you because honey

can be very controversial
of course, right?

For vegans.

Some vegans consider
honey not vegan.

Some do.

Honeybees tend to make
a surplus of honey.

But of course, it's
nourishment for the hive.

So they continue to eat it
throughout the winter and

through the months where there
aren't any-- there isn't

any available nectar.

So unlike dairy farming, for
example, like, you're not

forcing the bees to be here.

You're not feeding
them excess, right?

Exactly.

They're in their
natural state.

Right.

So they would hive up
and colonize anyway.

So I'm just providing
the space for them to be.

There are a lot of commercial
beekeepers who don't

necessarily use ethical
practices and I wanted to do

something a little different.

Yeah, no, I'm glad we're
having this conversation,

because knowing that about
commercial honey and what

the differences are, I mean,
that's what it's all about.

Part of the reason that I
started beekeeping was because

I wanted to know more about
where my food came from.

I went through this whole
process and culturally,

honey's huge for me.

There aren't a lot
of Black beekeepers.

I started looking into bees
and their societies and

I fell in love with it.

(Upbeat instrumental music)

Mena: I've always wanted
to see how this works.

Selina: I try my best to only
do my beekeeping in a place

that I find is sustainable.

So this is an organic farm.

In this colony, we
just have honeybees.

Honeybees are hyper social,
which is what we call them.

And so they can only operate
in a large colony like this.

So you give them a
little bit of smoke.

Sorry.

Are you smoking me or the
bees, come on, Selina!

Come on!

I heard a rumour when I was a
kid that honey is like

bees' spit?

So they take nectar and to
take the water out, they put

it between each
other's mouths.

Mena: So they're making out?

These bees are getting busy!

(Chuckling)

Whoa!

Selina: Okay, so this is
a frame of capped honey.

This is how we know it's
been stored and it's ready

to harvest.

I don't take any nectar, I
don't force anything before

it's ready.

But this capped honey means,
like, we're putting this to

the side.

It's not necessary
for right now.

Okay, interesting.

Do you want to hold this?

Yeah, I'd love to.

It's heavier than it looks.

Oh wow, yes.

It's so dense with honey
that that makes sense.

Selina: Right.

♪

(Light buzzing)

The thing I find most
extraordinary about this,

obviously we've only spent

a very short amount
of time here.

But the honey you're buying,
that people are buying at

home, it can differ so greatly
from how it's being colonized,

harvested, you know,
all that kind of stuff.

And it really has to do with
the beekeeper and, you know,

the brand per se.

Right.

And so it's important I think
for people to really realize

that the differences are so
small but they have such

a vast impact.

And if they do decide to eat
honey, just be cognisant of

where they're getting it from.

Exactly.

Thank you so much.

This has been incredible.

Let's get out of here
before I get stung, okay?

(Chuckling)

Selina's clearly weighed the
pros and cons of keeping bees,

and that thoughtfulness is all
you can really ask of anyone

who decides to grow
their own food.

♪

(Upbeat instrumental music)

No matter how short my visit
to Toronto, there's no way

I'm leaving without some of
my Mom's home cooking.

And even though my family's
lived here for decades now,

her traditional Egyptian
dishes keep us connected

to our roots.

Everyone is welcome
at our table.

So welcome...

Toronto is my house,
but this is my home.

(Light music)

Look at these beautiful
ladies in the kitchen here.

Oh hello!

Hi Mena!

How are you, buddy,
how's it going?

Hi Mena!

Hi.

So I brought you some
eggplant for your mahshi.

Oh, so nice.

You love the small ones.

I love them.

Where'd you find them?

The Indian market,
the Indian market.

And this is some honey.

Oh, I need this.

Yeah?

We went to this amazing
beekeeping farm.

When I come home,
I feel comfort.

And I really do think the
comfort of my family home

is connected to the food I grew
up with, the smells,

the action, the constant swirl
of watching my Mom cook

for our big family.

How many times have
we cooked falafel?

Countless.

Every Sunday for 25 years.

While it might've been tough
for my Mom to wrap her head

around me going plant-based,
Egyptian food is incredibly

vegan friendly: it's full of
staples like Baba Ganoush,

and Egyptian-style falafel.

And nobody does it
better than her.

The falafel, you
press it down.

It's not like a ball.

Is that how they
do it in Egypt?

Yeah.

Lebanese way is just the
dough with the chickpeas only.

But in Egypt we do
with-- Fava beans.

But you always make it with
fava beans and chickpeas,

the two...

Yes.

Look at that, right here.

Egyptian falafel.

♪

We're excited for falafel.

Mena: Sharing food at the
Massoud home is bigger than

just putting something
in your belly.

It's about tradition, it's
culture, it's hospitality.

And like everyone, everywhere,
sharing food is about making

memories, laughing, and
sometimes welcoming strangers.

Or film crews.

I mean, the boys are hungry.

Get in here!

(Chuckling)

♪

Mena: Good?

This is classic Egyptians here,

when everybody fights
over the cleaning.

That's the thing.

Everybody's just
going in for it.

Well, I'm gonna let them
fight it out

because I have important
business to do, okay?

I have a very
important job to do.

♪

So...

Mom, who is the best
helper in the kitchen?

Me!

None of us!

No, it was me!

(Talking over each other)

Getting together was so
important for us, right?

It was a big part of what we
did and sharing things,

and just bonding over food.

Food was a time where we
all kind of caught up.

Get together.

Yeah.

Mena: One of the many things
I really appreciate about my

Mom, about my family, is that
after the tears, there was

acceptance. And I love that.

Our final dish is mahshi.

It's the Egyptian version of
the common cabbage roll but it

uses many other vegetables,
like grape leaves, my

favourite, and bell peppers
with the same rice mix.

It's delicious.

So mahshi is one of those
dishes that, you know, you

like to do as a family,
because everyone can chip

in, you know?

And it's not that hard.

Like, you fill these peppers.

Mom bosses you
around a little bit.

It's all good.

Usually the grape leaf, you
do it with the ground meat.

But because Mena's vegan,
we do it with the rice.

As we put the finishing
touches on the mahshi,

the table is set with all the
foods I grew up eating. Like

Koshari-an Egyptian staple
of lentils, noodles and rice

piled high and topped
with spicy tomato sauce.

Baba ganoush, pita, falafel,
fried onions,

plus all the smell,
the chaotic chatter

and the laughter I remember.

(Laughter)

All the things
that make a house a home.

Before I say goodbye
to my hometown,

I meeting up with some
of my closest friends

to reconnect and treat them
to a five-course

fine dining experience
at Avelo.

Their ever-changing tasting menu
is all plant-based.

And while not everyone here
is vegan,

we're all down
for a unique experience.

Avelo's menu delivers innovative
takes on high-end classics

like this plant-based tartare.

Roasted watermelon
marinated in Kampuchea,

topped with an endive
and parsley brunoise.

I have never had a fine dining
vegan experience before.

So, this is my first one.

The palates are unique.

It's not trying
to mimic meat, really.

It just tastes
something original.

Mena: And this decadent
buckwheat gnocchi

tossed in a fermented
porcini sauce

with sautéed chanterelles.

You can taste the vegetables.

I think that my main complaint
of most vegan places

is that it's deep-fried
or doused in so much sauce

that you can't actually taste
the veggies.

But you could really taste how
fresh all these veggies were.

Mena: Finally, this incredible
pina colada tart

with a pineapple
upside down cake,

fresh coconut mousse
and the pineapple purée.

Oh, my gosh.

That doesn't taste vegan, right?

No, it doesn't.

This is amazing.

There's no way this is vegan.

Come on!

(Laughter)

Mena:
Even a few years ago,

I find it nearly impossible
to take my friends out

for a full-on vegan
haute cuisine.

But tastes are changing,
options expanding

and I love seeing it evolve.

As me and the crew
grab a game of pickup

before our next adventure,

I have to reflect on
what a great food town

Toronto's become.

Diverse, plant forward,

echoing its multicultural base.

For me, it'll always be
the city where I grew up,

where I began my
acting career,

where my mom taught me
to cook.

And it's the city
where I evolved vegan.

And every time I come back,

I witness the city
growing and changing

and it reminds me how
we can all evolve.

Should we be adventurous?

I think we should because this
is what this is all about.

We challenged four people
to evolve their eats

and try going plant-based
for one week.

This week, try one of your
family's favourite meals

plant-based and some recipes
that I'm sure you're gonna love.

I'm really excited about this.

The best kind of surprise.

Are you excited?

Uh-huh.

Going plant-based
doesn't mean

you need to be all in
or nothing at all.

Health is wealth,

so I'm looking forward
to showing my children

that healthy food
can be fun and good.

It's family fare cooking.

It can be about
making small changes

that work with your lifestyle.

Moment of truth coming up.

That was the most surprising.

That's a really good
on-the-go type of food

that they like,
so I'm glad.

Lasagna!

They were so delicious that they
even had them later for dinner.

It's easier
than I thought it would be.

That's amazing!

See how they did at
ctv.ca/shows/evolving-vegan.

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

(Clicking)

(Soft music)