Donna Strickland at the table

Donna Strickland's table doesn't follow a menu with courses. It's practical, convivial Ontario cooking, organized around moments rather than codified dishes: the quick breakfast grabbed at the campus cafeteria, the dinner shared with family, the potluck where everyone brings a dish to set in the middle, and the essential coffee carried between two lab experiments. You eat to warm up (Ontario winters are harsh), to fuel long days of research, and to celebrate together. When you leave Canada — as in Stockholm in December 2018 — the celebration takes the form of a grand banquet.

The absolute emblem of Ontario and Canada, harvested in spring when the sap rises in the maple trees. It sweetens both pastries and coffee, and marks the culinary identity of the region where Strickland grew up and built her career (Guelph, Waterloo). It's the sweet thread linking her everyday recipes to her celebratory moments.