Lindsay Cameron Wilson

Writer, Host of The Food Podcast

Bachelor of Arts, History, 1995; Bachelor of Journalism, 1999

By sharing a recipe and talking about why I’ve shared it – then someone else can make it and that way we are connected.

‘Finding the story in the everyday’ is the guiding and core principle of Lindsay Cameron Wilson’s work.

As a food writer, recipe developer and host of The Food Podcast, Lindsay has been leaning on this core principle more than ever, with COVID-19 preventing travel and in-person gatherings. “It’s about making connections to things I’m paying attention to in life and how that weaves into the kitchen.”

“The really special thing when you’re a writer is when someone reads your story, and then thinks about their own story and goes into their own memory bank and explores it.” Whilst it may not be in real time, Lindsay is still finding ways to connect with others and build community.

Writing has been a source of comfort for many throughout the pandemic, and Lindsay has been using her newsletter as a way to stay connected with others. “I think what you’re missing by just being on a screen in the sensory experience – like the aroma of your mother’s kitchen.” Lindsay explains, “By sharing a recipe and talking about why I’ve shared it – then someone else can make it and that way we are connected.”

Lindsay first fell in love with food writing during a trip to France. She had attended King’s for the Foundation Year Program (FYP), got her BA in history and then studied French for a year in the south of France, thinking she’d later apply for a master’s in museum studies at the University of Toronto. In her time there, Lindsay says she abandoned museums and just, “ate and wrote about food”.

Writing about the food in journals, Lindsay knew that she wanted to become a better writer, so returned to King’s to complete the one-year journalism program. She had also gone to cooking school to become a better chef. Food, stories and writing combined into a growing career as a food author and broadcaster.

While her time in France was key, Lindsay believes it all began with that first year at King’s.

“Being a student at King’s, particularly of the Foundation Year Program, blew open my world…it was a real springboard for me. A true foundation of sorts. “

Lindsay also reflects on her time in the journalism program fondly – and jokes that it would have been a very different experience had she been a student when online blogging and iPhones were as prominent as they are today. Overall, though, she notes how many different opportunities were available to her and her peers.

“What I take from it all is how different we all were; how many paths you can take with that core knowledge you are given and having faith in that. That you are learning just how to be a good writer, the ethics behind it and the responsibility of it. You can harness that and can take it in many different directions.”

And Lindsay has applied her training at King’s throughout her career.

Since 2017, Lindsay has been focusing her time on her podcast. Devoting time to her family, she decided to zone in on what was important and what fit best for her. “I started focusing on the podcast and doing a lot more photography, zoning in on how I myself could steer my own brand with my own work… I really love creating the podcast – I’m always thinking about the next episode!”

In addition to the successful podcast and weekly newsletter, Lindsay has a new cookbook, FOOD + REFLECTION, inspired by her time in isolation during the pandemic, creating simple, everyday recipes and shared connection through socially distanced visits from a photographer friend through her kitchen window.

“You don’t have to go far away to find inspiration,” she explains, “you start looking closer at your small space and finding more meaning in the smaller things. That’s really what the book is all about.”

In the same way that Lindsay creates structure in her recipes, she creates structure in her writing, through routine and discipline. “Routine is critical… I really thought that the creative mind didn’t need structure. These days when we’re working from home, we need structure like never before,” Lindsay says. “The more engaged you stay in your work, the more familiar it will be, and the easier it will be to flow back in. Just like a recipe – there’s a structure to it.”

Updated: January 2021