Centennial College students re-create their favourite dishes with Muskoka Lodge Maple Syrup during COVID-19

Centennial College public relations students have partnered with Muskoka Lodge Maple Syrup through Storyworks, a program that allows them to gain industry experience while completing their studies. The students were tasked with developing a unique campaign using that oh-so-Canadian staple, maple syrup.

The students, many of whom have been unable to return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, represent more than 12 countries including India, Ukraine, Russia and Jamaica. They were thrilled to participate in this project by creating their favourite hometown dish using Ontario-made Muskoka Lodge Maple Syrup instead of traditional sweeteners.

Recipes and images have been published in an e-cookbook format now available on Muskoka Lodge Maple Syrup’s site to invite everyone to try out these international recipes.

“The students were able to analyze the maple syrup industry and put an international twist on traditional recipes to come up with a fresh and delicious way to promote maple syrup,” says Landon French, owner and founder of Muskoka Lodge Maple Syrup. “I hope people the world over look at this e-cookbook and see how maple syrup can be used in daily cooking by any culture.”

Despite the pandemic, Centennial students were able to collaborate with fellow public relations students at the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Spain, further expanding their international reach. The Spanish students provided insights into the maple syrup market in their country and suggested some traditional recipes for the campaign, such as Spanish chorizo corn cakes.

Muskoka Lodge Maple Syrup is posting these international recipes on Instagram and TikTok. The team also coordinated an Instagram Live cooking demonstration with Chef Paolo Zinatelli, a Centennial College instructor (@paolothinksaboutfood). He skilfully demonstrated how to prepare a maple mint vodka spritzer and a maple coconut curry using Muskoka Lodge Maple Syrup products.

Maple syrup is a natural sweetener that offers many health benefits including antioxidants, manganese, calcium, riboflavin and potassium, and can be a substitute for sugar where ¾ of a cup of maple syrup can be used in place of one cup of sugar.

Source: Centennial College