Joshna Maharaj

FOTE2023 MC

Joshna Maharaj is a chef, instructor, two-time TEDx speaker, and activist who wants to help everyone have a better relationship with their food. She believes strongly in the power of chefs & social gastronomy to bring values of hospitality, sustainability, & social justice to the table. 

 Her first book entitled Take Back the Tray (May 2020), captures the lessons and experience from her work in changing institutional food systems in Toronto. Joshna is an enthusiastic teacher and public speaker, and she hosts Kitchen Helpdesk, a weekly call-in food show on CBC Radio,  

Take Back the Tray is a movement to reconnect food with health, wellness, education, and rehabilitation in public institutions around the globe. And it’s a story about how a chef took on the institution and tried to make change.