Kitchen Tours: Sydney Grier
On studying nutrition, grocery shopping, and her favourite spots in Toronto
Sydney Grier is a dietitian and food content creator based in Toronto. You may know her on Instagram as @scienceoffoods, where she posts healthy recipes and fresh produce hauls. In today’s edition of Kitchen Tours, I ask Grier what made her want to study nutrition, grocery shopping, her favourite places in Toronto, and more.
When did you start cooking?
I am grateful to have grown up in a family that appreciates cooking, so I have been present in the kitchen from a young age. In high school, I was interested in health and the human body, which led me to pursue nutrition in post-secondary. I didn’t start exploring the kitchen more seriously until my first year of university, seven years ago, when I started living on my own. The pandemic brought a silver lining for me, like many others, some free time. I began by using online recipes, buying a few cookbooks, and making more ‘elaborate’ meals — at that time, gathering specific ingredients and following a recipe felt elaborate.
After spending about a year by the books, steps got skipped, ingredients got swapped out, and eventually, I was using recipes solely as inspiration. During this time, I also fell in love with plating my food and would send photos of the meals I created to my friends and family. It is the artistic and creative aspect I love so much about food styling, but there is also the feeling and experience of diving into a beautiful plate of food that is so wonderful. My deep-rooted creative side, which was somewhat suppressed while studying sciences at university, began to re-emerge when looking at food. I would love to have some formal culinary training in the future — my dream is to travel for this!
Do you plan your meals ahead or just wing it in the kitchen?
Although I would consider myself a super meticulous and organized person in all aspects of my life, cooking is truly the one area in which I just wing it! I usually decide what I will eat no more than 24 hours before, and oftentimes just moments before I eat.
Food serves as such a comforting and pleasurable experience for me, and to achieve that, I like to make exactly what I am craving. I also find that ‘winging it’ produces the best food combinations and unexpected recipe ideas stemming from random things I have in my fridge and pantry. When it comes to cooking for work, on the other hand, so much planning is involved — Notion is my life, and I use it for everything.
What made you want to study nutrition?
I grew up in a creative household. My dad works in media, and my mom is an artist. I was very active as a kid, but I was also always engaging in creative endeavours, whether it was drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, or frequently on Tumblr.
That said, I loved the sciences as well and became interested in health as an athlete in high school. My passion for nutrition stemmed from my fascination with how the human body interacts with food. I was initially drawn more towards the science side and thought I would pursue something clinical. I learned more about how we connect with food in our society, beyond the biological function of food — about why and how we eat, the food industry, and politics.
Eventually, I got an internship in product development for a small health-focused food start-up in my last years of undergrad. This was around the same time my interest in cooking grew, and it solidified my desire to work in the food industry. I ended up pursuing my master’s degree in nutrition communication and hope to continue to work in the food industry through creative endeavours.
How do you shop for groceries?
I am quite a homebody and work from home, so the grocery store is usually my excuse to leave the house and one of my favourite parts of the day. Because I don’t plan meals ahead, I find that I go to the grocery store or a food market every day. I like to have a strong pantry roster filled with beans, grains, oils, spices, nuts, seeds and pasta — I get these from the bulk food store or St. Lawrence Market. For the daily shops, it’s picking up fresh produce, meat and seafood from my local grocery store, butcher and fishmonger.
What’s a typical balanced breakfast for you?
Lunch and dinner are always different, but I have the same breakfast every day. Usually, it’s a bowl of thick yogurt (my favourite is Skyr). I top it with warmed frozen blueberries, blackberries or raspberries, and then raid my pantry for a bunch of toppings, like nuts and nut butter, hemp hearts, cinnamon, cardamom, crunchy buckwheat and homemade granola.
You have 30 minutes to prepare dinner for an unexpected guest. What would you make?
I love this question. Probably a simple pasta and a big green salad, sourdough and olives — my favourite meal ever!
Do you have go-to kitchen tools?
First, I cannot live without my 4L stainless steel saute pan — it is definitely my most used kitchen item. I use it to cook everything from pasta sauces, meat and fish, vegetables, and egg dishes. It has the perfect depth, and I love how things can’t fly over the sides. I also use my immersion blender quite a bit for salad dressings, sauces and soups. It’s so easy to whip out and blend anything and everything without having to take out and wash a full blender. Lastly, I love my microplane for zesting and grating cheese. It’s super sharp and, again, easy to whip out!
What’s something you’ll always have in your pantry?
So many different oils. Olive oil is my favourite and most used cooking ingredient. I have a few different kinds at all times for different occasions — one from Graza that is meant for cooking, and usually a few finishing oils of varying quality. I love perusing the olive oil section and finding ones from different places like Spain, Greece, and Italy. I want to learn more about the tasting notes and specific regions where the olives are grown. I find it fascinating how old olive trees are! I also always have avocado oil for high-heat cooking, sesame for flavouring, and chilli oil for garnish.
What are some of your favourite places to visit in Toronto?
I grew up in an east-end suburb and currently live downtown on the east end. I think the east end is underrated — there are so many gems! I love Leslieville because there are tons of great restaurants, bakeries and independent shops, including a Cookery location, which I visit too often. Goods and Provisions is a new favourite. There is also a great farmer’s market on River Street under the Gardiner Expressway on Thursday nights. There is something about an evening farmer’s market that is so magical in the summer.
What does food mean to you?
Food is always the highlight of my day, and to me, that means a lot. It’s something that ignites passion in me, consistently sparks curiosity and connects me with loved ones. So many of my best and most treasured memories involve food. It fascinates me how our bodies metabolize food for energy and how feel-good chemicals are released when enjoying a delicious meal. Food is pleasure, joy, passion and art. I am so grateful for my access to fresh, delicious, nourishing food. It is such a privilege.
This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.