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Okay, all of you foodies in Toronto! Super-chef Anna Olson kindly did a quick Q&A with me, which you’ll see in Tuesday’s Daily Now, but meanwhile, here’s a taste of some of her other advice for meeting planners hungry for memorable events. And check our meeting’s Twitter stream—we’re tweeting one of Olson’s ice-wine-based desserts (yup, in 140 characters!). (Her book, Fresh with Anna Olson: Seasonally Inspired Recipes to Share with Family and Friends, releases September 15.)

Favorite dish for large crowds?

Olson: What I’m known for mainly is my home-spun cooking, and I like to do something as simple as a roasted rack of pork with maple beer glaze in the fall and serve that with an apple-onion chutney on the side. From a caterer’s perspective, it’s easy to execute and deliver hot and consistently in a timely way. If you’ve got to plate for thousands, it’s got to come out the same every time and very fast.

Favorite question that meeting planners should ask potential caterers?

I like to be asked—and this is a question that, as chefs, my husband and I put to our suppliers—‘What are you eating for dinner?’ … That will give you an idea of their focus, what they like to do, how they’re thinking eating-wise. It’s a good way to get a sense of the chef.

Favorite ways to use your cooking knowledge to help others?

I am a co-chair on a capital campaign for Niagara College, a culinary and wine school. We’re renovating a major campus in a city that’s been really hard hit by the economy, so this has immediate and long-term effects. I also am spokesperson for Eat for the Beat, an event for breast cancer [research], and for the Ontario Association of Food Banks, because it’s responsible that when we indulge, we always give back to those who don’t.

Favorite quick tips on incorporating hot culinary trends into large-scale meal events?

[Focus] on ‘home flavors.’ I use fresh herbs wherever I can, and we do cater our menus to the seasons. If you see me in Niagara in September, it’s all about the apples. If you see me from June to August, it’s going to be about berries and peaches. In spring it’s going to be rhubarb and strawberries. And even when it comes to desserts, … while the basic dessert remains the same, I tailor the accents to suit the season.

[Also, use lots of chutneys and sides], because “it’s great fun. I’m a chef and pastry chef, and living in such a wonderful fruit zone, you might as well put it in wherever you can. We’re actually doing a large event this weekend, and one of the salads is a corn, blueberry, and pepper salad. It’s colorful, and it sparkles on the plate…. I do a lot of relishes and preserves, and I think chefs are jumping on to that, too. We’re making our own pickles, pickled tomatoes, and chutneys now.