Chef Sam Medeiros: The Art Of Food And Cultural Diversity
Story Previously Published on Kenzieosborne.com
Canada is a mosaic. And, it’s a beautiful one at that. Our country is a beautiful piece of art, featuring people of all cultures, backgrounds, genders, and identities. Toronto, is a particularly “colourful” mosaic — featuring what seems like thousands of different countries and millions of unique people.
Chef Sam Medeiros is no stranger to the art and beauty of cultural diversity. Featuring global cuisines and taking inspiration from her travels are her two secrets to creating jaw-droppingly delicious meals that come with a side of excitement, knowledge, and love.
Chef Sam grew up in a bit of a busy household… Her family meals certainly weren’t composed of “grandma’s homemade pasta from scratch” or “dad’s signature 8-hour stewed roast beef”. Rather, it was more-so of a “let chef Michalinas do her magic, and call it a day”.
To be honest — food wasn’t really a huge part of Sam’s childhood. But, as she moved into high school, she discovered a passion for watching the Food Network. She’s flick on the TV and watch a few episodes of Alton Brown’s “good eats”. She was intrigued by the science behind food, and she was fascinated by the possibilities of building incredible flavours with raw ingredients.
The Food Network exposed Sam to the wonders of REAL food (as opposed to chef Michalena’s mystery microwave boxes…). The shows featured different cultures, techniques, ingredients, and styles that she never knew existed. As she continued to watch, she learned one huge lesson: the world has so much flavour to offer, and she HAD to experience it ALL.
As Sam moved along through her elementary school days, she longed to have the opportunity to travel. Her friends would always fly off to the tropics for winter vacation, or go somewhere exotic for summer vacation… Sam didn’t have those opportunities growing up — and travelling became her top-priority as soon as she was old enough to branch out on her own.
At the age of 19, Sam decided to take a leap of faith and begin her travels around the world. Destination A? France. Sam decided to move on over to Grignan, in the region of Provence. On the way to Grignan, she made a few stops to visit Barcelona, London and Rome. Each spot offered a brand new experience — and exposed her to a new type of cuisine, unique ingredients, and different styles of cooking and eating. Rather than sticking to her comfort-zone and her “normal daily routine”, Sam jumped right into each new culture — embracing everything the new city or country had to offer.
“I didn’t want to go and eat at fast food chains or eat on my regular schedule — I wanted the whole experience. I wanted to eat how they ate, when they ate, and what they ate. Immersing myself in each culture allowed me to fully understand their way of life, and incorporate it in my own cooking back home.”
Travelling across the globe was a leap-and-a-half. Hopping on over to France at the age of 19 was a bit of a shock. How do you manage your budget? How do you do your own laundry? What are the important things in life? So many questions… annnnd Sam needed to fast-track her life to find the answers.
“Travelling obviously allowed me to improve as a chef — but more so, it allowed me to grow as a person. Experiencing different cultures and living on my own taught me what was truly important in life. It made me realize that all of the little things in culinary school and highschool didn’t matter. You quickly realize who your real friends are, what memories are most important, and which souvenirs you’ll cherish forever.”
Stepping out of her norm in Canada allowed Sam to gain a new appreciation and perspective on life. She took things day-by-day and lived 100% in the moment. It was terrifying to start over and step outside of her comfort zone — but it was exciting, challenging, and oh-so-life-changing.
After travelling to France and touring Europe, Sam had caught the travel bug. Like, a MAJOR travel bug. She wanted to see everything and anything, and soon enough, she began her trek across Asia.
After living in Hong Kong for a year, Sam was eager to experience more cultures and diversity around Asia… So, over the span of just 3 months, Sam and her boyfriend travelled across Asia — moving from city to city every 3–4 days. They met countless people, were exposed to a variety of cultures, dug into plenty of food, and gained a world of knowledge wayyy beyond what a textbook could tell ya.
Obviously, through her travels, Sam was able to experience cultural diversity at its finest. But she also realized that most of the cities were living in a world of their own…
“Toronto is so great in terms of exposure. Other cities around the globe don’t have the same cultural diversity as we do in Toronto. When I travelled to Greece, we couldn’t find anything other than greek food. Sure there was one sushi restaurant a few km away, but it was very sub-par… at best…”
Sam knew the endless value of being exposed to new cultures and cuisines — and she was somewhat saddened by the lack of cultural diversity in other cities across the globe. “The first time I envisioned myself opening a restaurant was when I visited Greece. I thought to myself wow, they’re really missing out on indulging in the world of flavour from different cuisines. It would be so cool to open a spot and give them a taste of somewhere NEW and different — a peek into my own world.”
It was at this point that Sam knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted nothing more than to share her knowledge, experiences and memories through her beautifully crafted dishes and complex flavours.
“When I serve food to someone, I want to transport them to another country, or introduce them to one of my favourite memories. I love to recreate dishes that I’ve tasted around the globe — and allow someone to experience being in a completely new country.”
Through the pandemic, the importance of serving memories and emotions on a plate of food has become VERY obvious. “Food has allowed me the opportunity to recreate memories and connect with my family — even in isolation. If I’m longing for a trip to the tropics, I’ll recreate a dish inspired by those flavours. When I’m missing my family, I’ll recreate a childhood favourite and indulge in a comforting meal that’s close to my heart. If it’s raining outside, I’ll make a rainy-day sort of meal to cheer me up. It’s become clear that food can remind us of those uplifting memories — and when you create a meal, you’re doing so much than just putting a few ingredients together on a plate.”
Thank you SO MUCH to Chef Sam for taking the time to speak with me. Your passion for expressing cultural diversity through food is oh-so-inspiring and oh-so-uplifting (especially in these difficult times). I’m SO proud to have had the opportunity to meet such a strong women in the food industry. You’re an incredible role model — and you’re making a huge stance in the global food scene ❤
Head on over to Sam’s instagram to check out her most recent food-ventures and delicious sweets n’ savoury eats. If you’re in the GTA, be SURE to check out La Palma (where you’ll find Sam cooking up some magic as a proud sous chef!) for a plateful of memories, love, and a brand new exciting experience.
Before I let Sam pick her next must-try food destination, I had a few Quickfire questions to ask…
Quickfire Questions
What Is Your Favourite Food?
“Tacos. Or desserts — I have the biggest sweet tooth. If there’s a plate of cookies in front of me, they won’t be there for too long.”
What Is Your Favourite Dish To Cook?
“Lately, I’ve been obsessed with cooking breakfast foods. When I’m at the restaurant, I work late nights and often don’t feel like making anything extravagant in the morning. Now, I get up earlier and spend time making a meal. I’ve been making alot of bread — not sourdough hehe — but other breads that I don’t usually have the time to make. Annnd, of course, I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of egg dishes — dutch babies, frittatas, omelettes — all that good stuff.”
What Are Three Ingredients You Always Have On Hand?
“Lemons, olive oil, and butter. But honestly, I always have everything on hand — i’m ready for the apocalypse hehe.”
What Is Your Favourite Food Memory?
“All of the BBQs at aunt’s house. My aunt on my mom’s side of the family was ALWAYS excited about food. Every time we went to her house for a BBQ, she’d try out a brand new ingredient — like octopus or something else out-of-the-norm at the St. Lawrence market. As a kid, I always so impressed at her tenacity to try new things — and she would always let me get involved in the preparation of the meal. It was so much fun to try a new ingredient — and we’d put the “featured food” in EVERYTHING. It got me more excited about food, and encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone. I was the kid who wouldn’t let anything touch on the plate — but she helped me branch out of my shell and appreciate trying new flavours.”
In One Word (Or Two), What Does Food Mean To You?
“Sharing memories.”
