Chef/restauranteur, longtime CTS Board Member (currently CTS Marketing Co-Chair) and Mise En Place Podcast host, Robert Belcham represented Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia as a panelist at the 3rd annual Taste of Place Summit in Markham, Ontario, on May 13-14, 2025. Hosted by the Culinary Tourism Alliance, the Summit gathered North American tourism professionals to advance Canada’s culinary and agritourism landscape. The panel was called "The Power of Chef Collectives in Leading Culinary Tourism".
Joined by fellow panelists, Patrick St-Vincent of La Table Ronde and Keith Pears of Bocuse d’Or Canada, the panel discussed how small not-for-profits are transforming the culinary industry. Belcham addressed industry challenges while highlighting the impact of grassroots organizations.
Showcasing Chefs’ Table Society, Belcham emphasized its mission of collaboration, sustainability, and education. He showcased CooksCamp, a platform where chefs exchange skills and tackle issues like staffing shortages, mental health, and gender disparities. Belcham also outlined the Society’s vision for a Culinary Centre, a future hub for community engagement, training, and innovation, designed to address industry needs with practical solutions
The Summit’s learning journeys through Toronto’s surrounding culinary scenes—local farms and diverse eateries—mirrored Chefs’ Table’s commitment to connecting chefs with producers for authentic, culturally rich experiences. Belcham’s fellow panelists, St-Vincent and Pears, reinforced this, stressing how not-for-profits amplify marginalized voices and drive systemic change. They explored how culinary tourism, increasingly central to leisure travel, fuels economic and cultural growth, with small organizations leading the way.
The panel highlighted that not-for-profits prioritize people and planet, redefining the culinary landscape. The Summit buzzed with shared vision among the Chefs’ Table Society, La Table Ronde, and Bocuse d’Or Canada. For Belcham, it’s clear the industry is about more than cooking and eating; it’s about cultivating a sustainable, equitable future for Canadian cuisine, one community at a time.
2026 Taste of Place is taking place in Edmonton July 15-16, 2026