Flavours of the City

Chef Devan Rajkumar, aka “Chef Dev” is as dynamic a culinary personality as there is in the ever-changing food and lifestyle landscape. Classically trained, Chef Devan is embarking on a quest to research and create sensory experiences that modernizes the craft, traditions, and tastes of East and West Indian cuisines. Proudly Guyanese-Canadian with strong East Asian roots, Chef Devan seeks to share his lifelong personal love of culture and heritage through the story of food with the world. Devan’s highly anticipated debut cookbook, Mad Love: Big Flavors Made to Share, from South Asia to the West Indies, was released in May 2024.

Acclaimed Chef Joseph Shawana was born and raised in Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve located on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. Joseph’s cooking infuses Classical French techniques with Native American cuisine. Currently the chair of ICAN (the Indigenous Culinary of Association Nations) and a professor and the Indigenous culinary advisor at Ontario’s Centennial College, Joseph is committed to furthering the education of culinary to all communities.

Chef Suman is a Bahraini-Canadian culinary virtuoso whose remarkable journey is marked by a rich tapestry of International and Canadian culinary experiences. She is on a mission to educate and share what Middle Eastern culture and food heritage is about, and how food transcends geography and cultural boundaries to bring people together. In her current role as Culinary Partner at one of North America’s 50 Best Bars, Bar Mordecai, Chef Suman presents a menu highlighting local, sustainable Canadian ingredients through a lens of Bahraini flavours.

Born into a family of different Asian cultures in Hawaii, Chef Eva learned early on that food is the connection between people and the land. In 2013, she spent time in Hong Kong and China honing her skills and tapping into her heritage. Upon moving back to North America, Eva went on to work at restaurants in Portland and San Francisco before helming the kitchens at Vancouver’s Royal Dinette and Toronto’s Kōjin by Momofuku, among others. Currently, Eva is Culinary Director for The Highbell Group while overseeing her brand, The Soy Luck Club — Chef Eva’s love letter to Chinese cuisine.