Review of "Take back the tray: Revolutionizing food in hospitals, schools, and other institutions"

Abstract

This book fills a gap that is decades old—the problem with institutional food. Long the butt of jokes, complaints, and recriminations, institutional food has often represented the epitome of the worst that food can be: unhealthy, bland, colourless, placeless, and joyless—an afterthought that is underfunded and overcooked. Enter Joshna Maharaj, a chef who is also a TEDx speaker and food activist. Her bona fides are impeccable—she has worked in institutional food settings in Toronto for over 10 years and has revolutionized the way food is served in those settings. In this highly readable volume, she espouses what those of us in Food Studies know well: “Food is never just food” (58).

Keywords

• institutional food
• social gastronomy
• hospitality
• social justice
• sustainability