About Voula Halliday

Voula is a Cordon Bleu certified chef, food expert and consultant, cookbook author, illustrator, independent publisher, college curriculum developer and educator.

Her writing has appeared in print and digital formats in a variety of publications, including Bon Appétit, Canadian Living, National Post, Zoomer, Fresh Juice, Reader’s Digest Canada, Best Health, Food & Drink, and Chatelaine, where she was a contributing editor and associate culinary expert in their test kitchen for several years.

From 2012 to 2016, Voula was an In-House Chef Expert on CBC television’s award-winning show Steven and Chris. She showcased her fuss-free cooking concepts and launched the Flavour FixÒ brand to national and syndicated audiences.

She is the author of a cookbook, Eat at Home, featuring more than 150 recipes. Currently, she’s expanding her publishing business with additional food-focused books, including an illustrated recipe card collection (the first series is available at the shop Watson + Lou in Peterborough, Ontario). Her second cookbook, Flavour Fix Everything, is in the final edit stage and will be coming out soon.

Other information about Voula:

Voula was Co-Chair of the advisory board that launched the Food Media post-graduate program at Centennial College School of Hospitality and Tourism, Toronto. She developed curricula for the program and taught for several years as an Adjunct Professor. Currently, she offers private online food media coaching, consultation services, and one-on-one customized cooking workshops.

Voula has worked with various clients and brands promoting good food, sustainable food systems, and healthy living. She was on the team of experts that launched the world’s first eco-points program - Green Rewards. The successful team behind the AIR MILES® loyalty program, Loyalty One, acquired Green Rewards. Voula was invited to join their Corporate Communications team to launch the rebranded Green Rewards “My Planet” rewards program, “an environmental initiative designed to inspire and enable Collectors to take simple steps toward environmental sustainability by learning more about sustainable choices and redeeming their reward miles for a selection of over 100 new rewards that are better for the planet.”

Voula likes to offer her help and expertise to her community by volunteering. Currently, she is a trustee on the Art Gallery of Peterborough (AGP) board and the AGP Fundraising and Development committee chair.

For many years Voula has been an active member of Slow Food International. She has hosted workshops, led fundraising events, and participated in events globally. She represented Canada at the 6th Slow Food International Congress Meeting in Turin, Italy, and served as volunteer Chair on both the Toronto and Canada boards of Slow Food.

Voula is one of five founding members that launched the globally renowned annual Terroir Symposium in 2007. Voula has participated as an on-site chef expert and educator and an event coordinator supporting Terroir’s gastrodiplomacy experiential experiences in countries around the world. While the pandemic changed for a time the format for activities, she continues to collaborate with the team as needed.

Several years ago, Voula had the opportunity to lead a team of staff, volunteers, and apprentices in a commercial kitchen as the executive chef and program coordinator for a local Toronto District School Public School. She built a strong team of staff and volunteers and was able to expand the program. Voula and her team provided delicious nutrient-rich morning meals/snacks and lunch to the students and teachers every day. The dishes, prepared from scratch, featured all-natural ingredients primarily sourced from local producers. She worked closely with partners committed to community and school programs and who support a healthy food system. These partners included Rowe Farms, The Toronto Foundation for Student Success, and FoodShare.

Voula is committed to small businesses and supports local and sustainable food systems. In this spirit, she engages with her community to get to know her local Farmer’s Markets, independent shops and small businesses, and the people who work within her community, prioritizing spending on local goods as a first choice.

Through this challenging time, Voula has volunteered her marketing and writing skills, fundraising efforts, and strategic planning to the SaveHospitality.ca team since the earliest days of the pandemic. She has worked with the team to support their mission, build outreach and awareness, and communicate to all levels of government with urgency about the crisis brought on by the pandemic that has shuttered independent restaurants, pushed small business owners into debt, and caused industry workers throughout the country employment and income loss.

Voula lives with her husband in Peterborough, Ontario, a beautiful city in the Kawartha Lake District. Living in Peterborough, she can easily visit the Peterborough Lift Lock, a sight she loves to see and one of the most magnificent structures in the world.