BONUS EPISODE LIVE FROM SIAL 2023: Gurth Pretty, Master of Cheeses

Welcome to a special summer bonus episode of The Food Professor podcast recorded live in our on-site podcasting studio at the SIAL Food Innovation show in Toronto.  Over three great days in May, Sylvain and I met dozens of food innovators and thought leaders; these are their stories.  We're sure you will enjoy hearing these incredible interviews as much as we enjoy hosting the conversations. Stay tuned for season four of The Food Professor podcast, Canada's top food industry and Canadian-produced independent management podcasts, when we return live on the mic Thursday, September 21st

On this episode meet Gurth Pretty, Cheese Professional, owner, Lakeview Cheese Galore in Mississauga.

If you like what you heard, please follow us on Apple, Spotify, or your favourite podcast platform so that you can catch up with all our great interviews, including celebrity chef, restauranteur and entrepreneur Chuck Hughes from Montreal.

Have a safe summer, everyone.

About Gurth

Gurth M. Pretty is a passionate Canadian cheese professional.

He is a member of the Toronto Cheese Education Guild Class of 2006, the first class of cheese professionals.

Gurth’s knowledge of cheese was developed during his research for his first book, The Definitive Guide to Canadian Artisanal and Fine Cheese (Whitecap Books 2006), soon followed by The Definitive Canadian Wine and Cheese Cookbook (Whitecap Books 2007), co-authored with writer and wine judge Tony Aspler.

Canadian cheese received more international attention when he was asked to contribute to The World Book of Cheese (DK Books 2009). The book includes his entries on 24 Canadian cheeses.

He has participated as a judge in the following competitions

* Canadian Cheese Grand Prix 2009, 2011 and 2013
* American Cheese Society competitions in 2011, 2018 and 2019.
* Judge at the 2016 and 2018 Canadian Cheese Awards and
* the 2016 and 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison, Wisconsin.
His involvement in the Canadian cheese industry has included the following positions

* Treasurer of the Toronto Cheese Guild
* Board member of the Ontario Cheese Society, and
* President of the Canadian Cheese Society.

In 2018, Gurth was recognized for his efforts by being invited to become a member of La Guilde Internationale des Fromagers, an international association of professional cheesemakers, ripeners, dairy processors and cheese makers. It has over 6,000 members in 33 countries.

From 2011 to 2019, Gurth was the corporate cheese expert and senior specialist – deli cheese, for the Marketplace division of Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s largest food retailer.

 

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.

He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.

Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre’s Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa.

 

About Michael

Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada and the Bank of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, Today's Shopping Choice and Pandora Jewellery.   

Michael has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. ReThink Retail has added Michael to their prestigious Top Global Retail Influencers list for 2023 for the third year in a row. 

Michael is also the president of Maven Media, producing a network of leading trade podcasts, including Remarkable Retail , with best-selling author Steve Dennis, now ranked one of the top retail podcasts in the world. 

Based in San Francisco, Global eCommerce Leaders podcast explores global cross-border issues and opportunities for eCommerce brands and retailers. 

Last but not least, Michael is the producer and host of the "Last Request Barbeque" channel on YouTube, where he cooks meals to die for - and collaborates with top brands as a food and product influencer across North America

 

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Visiting Professor in Food Policy and Distribution at McGill University and a Professor in Food Distribution and Policy in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University.

Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. He is one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability with over 775 published peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Charlebois is also an editor for the prestigious Trends in Food Science Technology journal. 

He co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries and which is the most listened Canadian management podcast in Canada. 

Every year since 2012, he has published the now highly anticipated Canadian Food Price Report, which provides an overview of food price trends for the coming year. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, nationally as well as internationally. He has testified on several occasions before parliamentary committees on food policy-related issues as an expert witness. He has been asked to act as an advisor on food and agricultural policies in many Canadian provinces and other countries.

With extensive experience collaborating with businesses, governments, and NGOs, Dr. Charlebois combines academic rigor with practical expertise, making him one of the most influential voices in the global agri-food landscape. His work continues to advance the understanding of food systems, fostering innovation and resilience in a rapidly evolving industry. In 2025, he received the prestigious Charles III medal recognizing his tremendous work in informing Canadians about food issues.

 Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.