Over 65 alumni from McGill and Macdonald attended the Food for Life event on Saturday March 30 to celebrate the innovative research and programming undertaken in the Faculty.
Alumni were invited to participate in small group activities – using the Sensory Evaluation Lab to test new food products being developed in Food Science and Dietetics; learning from Chef Baptiste Peupion in the Helen Neilson Classroom how to use a cauliflower with zero waste with Principal Suzanne Fortier as his sous-chef; as well as visiting information booths hosted by professors and students on their research, projects or outreach initiatives. Guests were then served a meal prepared by students in Dietetics using food products that were locally sourced. In a special presentation during the meal, the Mac 3MT competition winners wowed the crowd – using the 3 minutes to deliver a compelling synopsis of the impact of their thesis/research to a non-specialist audience.
Paul Jensen, BScAgr’82, MSc’85 and his wife Diane were blown away by this wonderful event. Said Paul “It started with being introduced to research and new products being developed at Mac, including some amazing chocolate, nutritional effects on type-2 diabetes, and the effect of nano particles in food. Then a hands on experience in the Sensory Evaluation Labs, evaluating taste and texture of 4 different puddings. After that, we were treated to a cooking class by Baptiste Peupion, the Executive Chef at the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth Hotel and with Principal Fortier as sous-chef. He prepared a wonderful Cauliflower spaghetti, all from locally sourced ingredients and used 100% of the cauliflower including the leaves and stem! The event ended with a wonderful lunch prepared by students in the Dietetics Program as part of the 100-mile Meal Event. To top it off, between the main course and desert we were wowed by three wonderful 3MT thesis presentations by Mac finalists and McGill winners! An amazing lunch, an amazing day. I’m pleased and impressed at how Mac is continuing its special place in agriculture, the environment, and human nutrition!”
Photos by Owen Egan can be viewed on the Flickr page.