Setting the Table: On Food & Friendship

Speakers for this event

• Rachel Phan

  Rachel Phan

  Rachel Phan is a Chinese Canadian author born and raised in a small town in Southern Ontario, where she was one of only two racialized people in her class. Growing up, Rachel always felt a little lost and a lot lonely. She sought escapism from her life by writing the stories she desperately wanted to see, ones where a Chinese-Vietnamese girl like her was the main character. It was no surprise, then, when she got two journalism degrees and became a professional writer. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Master of Journalism program, she’s shared her stories on CBC, HuffPost, the National Post and Maclean’s. Rachel’s work often explores the impacts of racism, assimilation, fetishization, and forced displacement on one’s feelings of identity, belonging, and self-worth. Her debut book, Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family and Belonging, published in 2025 by Douglas & McIntyre. Restaurant Kid has been a best-seller, and a conversation point for media and readers across Canada.Rachel now lives in Toronto with her partner and their genius dog.

  URL https://www.rachelphan.com

• Wanda Taylor

  Wanda Taylor

  WANDA TAYLOR is the author of fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults. She  is also a screenwriter, a journalist and a college professor. Her articles have appeared in  numerous publications including Quill & Quire and the Globe and Mail. Taylor’s middle  grade non-fiction book Birchtown and the Black Loyalists was listed as one of the top Black  history books for young readers by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Her recent novel  The Grover School Pledge won the Northern Lights Middle Grade Book of the Year Award in 2023.

  URL http:/www.wandataylor.squarespace.com

• Wayne Ng

  Wayne Ng

  Wayne Ng was born in downtown Toronto, on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe people, to Chinese immigrant parents who fuelled his imagination with a steady diet of bitter melon and kung fu movies.His most recent novel, Johnny Delivers, joins a growing list of accomplishments, including The Family Code (shortlisted for the Guernica Prize in 2021 and the Ottawa Book Award in 2024) and Letters From Johnny (winner of the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Best Novella Award and a finalist for the 2022 Ottawa Book Award). He is currently working on a speculative novel.Wayne lives in Ottawa with his wife and their goldfish, always searching for new ways to nourish both body and soul. Connect with him at WayneNgWrites.com.

  URL WayneNgWrites.com

• Zehra Allibhai

  Zehra Allibhai

  Zehra Allibhai is a health & wellness expert with a background in kinesiology and fitness. With over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry her passion is helping women feel strong and confident in their own skin. Along with her passion for fitness, Zehra understands the importance of flavorful & healthy food to nourish the body and soul. She loves sharing quick & easy to follow recipes and workouts with her community around the world across her different social media platforms. She lives just outside of Toronto with her husband and two kids.

  URL https://thefitnest.ca/