Humane World Foundation Canada’s Forward Food program is excited to support the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC) culinary team as it works toward an exciting new goal for campus dining. Through the Forward Food Pledge, UTSC has committed to making at least 50% of its menus plant-based by the end of 2027.
As part of this commitment, Forward Food recently delivered a hands-on plant-based culinary training for the campus culinary team. The training focused on building practical skills, exploring plant-based recipe development and substitutions, and sharing strategies for successfully introducing and promoting more plant-rich options on campus.
The training was led by Chef Amy Symington, with the campus chefs spending the day preparing a diverse range of plant-based dishes, including tofu scramble breakfast burritos, chickpea salad sandwiches, lentil Bolognese and silken chocolate mousse. The training also included culinary demonstrations featuring vanilla French toast with coconut whipped cream and enchiladas made with lentil, mushroom and tempeh ground and plant-based queso.
Beyond the kitchen, the training covered how to effectively display, name and market plant-based menu items using proven strategies that can help increase their uptake. It also provided an opportunity for the culinary team to explore how plant-based foods can support healthier, more sustainable and compassionate food systems, while creating meals that are delicious, practical and inclusive.
Over the past eight years, Forward Food has delivered hands-on culinary trainings like this with foodservice teams across Canada, with UTSC marking the 44th training. In large-scale foodservice settings, even small menu changes can have a meaningful impact. When hundreds or thousands of meals are served each day, increasing plant-rich options can help move us toward a healthier, more sustainable and compassionate food system.
Forward Food looks forward to continuing to work alongside the campus culinary team, providing practical resources, culinary expertise and menu development support as they work toward achieving their goal and bringing more plant-rich choices to campus dining.
About Forward Food
Forward Food is an innovative culinary resource program that helps the foodservice industry – foodservice management companies, large-scale institutions such as universities and hospitals, restaurants, food distributors, and other operations – to put plants at the centre of the plate. The program offers culinary training, recipes, menu development support, guidance on marketing and communications, educational sessions, and greenhouse gas impact assessments to help foodservice professionals meet the increasing demand for delicious, accessible plant-based options. Forward Food provides services free of charge, and asks those they work with to sign the Forward Food pledge to make their menus or food purchasing more plant-based.