Eat North co-founder Dan Clapson is back in the More Than Maple Syrup booth this month and in an interesting twist, he’s joined by co-host Phil Wilson while Emma Waverman is away on a culinary adventure in Niagara.

The gentlemen kicked things off with a conversation about enRoute magazine’s longlist of Canada’s Best New Restaurants, breaking down the nuances of the nomination process and point out which provinces are leading the pack.

After making their predictions for who is likely to be frontrunners for the highly anticipated enRoute Top 10 shortlist, the duo discuss Eat North’s upcoming Prairie Grid Dinner Series and Clapson explains the roving pop-up’s theme of innovation, how the collaboration process will be implemented, and what he looks for in a Prairie Grid collaborator.

Lastly, Wilson chats with fellow Edmonton chef Christine Stanford of Biera about the Prairie culinary scene and what she is most looking forward to at this year’s Prairie Grid Dinner Series.