Watch as these panelists share their flavor experience and provide their insights on the delicious Tomato.

Meet Our Panelists

Renée Gan

Renée Gan has over 25 years as an R&D food scientist with Kraft Foods, Mondelez, Kellogg’s, Keebler and Rich Products. She has worked on a variety of product categories and is a bakery and flour expert. She was a contributing editor for the trade magazine Food Product Design, and authored a chapter for the Biscuit & Cracker Manufacturer’s Association textbook. In recent years, Renée has made the jump to freelance copywriting and is currently working on B2B communications and marketing materials—press releases, landing pages, emails, success stories. She lives in Montreal with her husband and three children. Renée has been identified as a ‘super taster’ and loves food!

Yvonne Pilon

Yvonne Pilon is the President and CEO of WEtech Alliance, 1 of 17 Regional Innovation Centres funded by the Province of Ontario. At the age of 24, she founded her first tech venture, AD2IT, and by the age of 29, she became the youngest female to lead a Regional Innovation Centre. Yvonne has over 10 years experience in the tech sector with a core focus on growing companies and building a thriving entrepreneurial community. In 2019, Yvonne took her love for tech to the airwaves as Host of the ‘Tech In The City’ podcast, as part of the MediaWorks Studios network, where she likes to consider herself the Carrie Bradshaw of tech. She was also recognized as a Top Social Media Influencer in Canadian Tech.

Phil Octavien

Chef and family man, Philippe Octavien, is owner of Black Magic Culinary Creations, a catering business that combines his love for the Caribbean and passion for food into a fine fusion of Caribbean flavors. Originally from the Bahamas, Phil has now settled in Windsor, Ontario, where he continues to bring the community together with the magic of his food.

Pina Cioltoli

Pina Ciotoli is the co-owner of WindsorEats and the Windsor Craft Beer Festival. WindsorEats is considered a leading influencer in the culinary tourism sector within the province. Pina, along with her brother and partner, Adriano, have positioned themselves as innovators and have become known for creating unique experiences that celebrate and showcase our region.

Dean Litster

Professor Zaaa, Dean Litster is Windsor's one and only pizza mad scientist. Dean got his start at 15 making pizzas with Armando's, and is now their corporate pizza chef. He has a passion for finding unusual ingredients for his pizzas and is always on the hunt for the best quality and most unique produce.

Amanda Keefer

Amanda is the mom of two girls, a very big boxer dog and two African Sulcata Tortoises. You can hear her as the host of the Healthy Family Project podcast, find her cooking alongside her girls in videos on the Produce for Kids social media feeds or spot her out volunteering with her family. When not working on a new Produce for Kids recipe, Amanda can be found with her family on the tennis courts or at the dance studio.

Edward Duffy

Ed Duffy is a father, husband, and a high school English teacher. As a self-taught home cook, Ed focuses on healthy family-friendly comfort food and believes that you can eat healthy without compromising flavor and joy. He and his family live in the Greater Philadelphia area, which they love to explore on weekends and throughout the summer.

Meg Burley

Meg Burley lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her husband and golden retriever. She is the owner of Blue Whale Goods, a polymer clay Jewelry Company that gives back 1% of sales to help clean up the oceans.

Chelsey Hendricksen

Chelsey is a wife and mom of two and the owner of Powerhouse Training Systems strength and conditioning facility which she has run with her husband Steve for the past decade. In addition to working with clients at their facility, she also coaches women in training and nutrition online. Helping women ditch the diet mentality is one of the things she's most passionate about and getting to be a part of someone's health and fitness journey is a huge honour.

Photo of Nancy Swatkow

Nancy Swatkow

Nancy Swatkow grew up on a Farm in Southwestern Ontario, at 18 she left the family farm to become a teacher. For 30 years she taught grade three. She felt this was one of the most important years in a child’s education and loved that the kids were old enough to tie their shoes yet young enough to still be cute. Nancy retired from teaching 25 years ago and, before the COVID19 restrictions, she spent her time traveling and with her grandchildren Tallulah and Finnegan. Nancy loves cooking and is an avid shopper. Having grown up on a farm she considers herself a connoisseur of fresh produce and loves a good tomato.