Authors | Go Canada

Mayssam Samaha

Contributor

Mayssam Samaha is a food and travel writer and the founder of the Will Travel for Food blog. She travels the world in search of the next culinary discovery. From Iceland to South Africa, she’s already visited over 36 countries and there’s nothing she enjoys more than wandering around a farmers’ market in a foreign city.

Rae Kung

Contributor

Rae Kung is a cross-cultural marketing strategist and the Managing Director of the Chinese Restaurant Awards. Committed to elevating Chinese cuisine, she has pioneered programs that nurture chef talent and celebrate the artistry of Chinese culinary traditions, bridging cultures and sharing this rich heritage with a wider audience. Through her own PR and creative agency, Think X Blink Communications, Rae has helped major Asian brands establish a strong foothold in the Canadian market. But for Rae, work is only a side dish—she has a deep passion for travel and never stops exploring new horizons.

Lara Buchar

Contributor

Lara Buchar is a freelance writer, editor and recipe developer. Her work has appeared on Food Network Canada, The Toronto Star, MSN Canada, The Kit, HGTV Canada, Slice, Toronto.com and many other publications. When she’s not testing out a new recipe or food trend, you can find her taking her dog Boba out for a leisurely stroll, bubble tea in hand.

Alyssa Hirose

Contributor

Alyssa Hirose (she/her) is a writer, editor and illustrator based in Vancouver, BC. Her work focuses on food, travel, interior design, arts and culture, and her stories have been featured in Vancouver magazine, Western Living, BCLiving, BCBusiness, Nuvo and Avenue Calgary. She’s a regular contributor to Hootsuite’s blog for social media managers, and a regular goofball on her own social media and in real life.

Jennifer Foden

Contributor

Jennifer Foden is a Toronto-born freelance editor and writer whose work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, CBC, Canadian Living and more. She’s also one of the authors of a Toronto guidebook published by Fodor’s. Born in Scarborough, but now living in Cabbagetown, she loves biking, softball and hockey, cheering on the Jays (it’ll always be the SkyDome to her), riding the ferry over to Toronto Islands and taking her niece and nephew on adventures all over the city.

Zachary Baumann

Contributor

Zachary Baumann is a Métis writer and digital storyteller from Vancouver, British Columbia. With over a decade of experience in the travel media industry, Zachary has become a leading voice in promoting Indigenous destination awareness and advocating for ethical travel practices.

Katie Nanton

Contributor

Katie Nanton (she/her) is a Vancouver-based writer and editor with two decades of industry experience. Specializing in travel, food, and design, she has written hundreds of articles, published dozens of travel photos, and authored one book.

Joann Pai

Contributor

Joann Pai is a Canadian food, interior, and travel photographer based in Paris. She first discovered her passion for food photography when she realized her love for food didn’t match her skills in the kitchen. Since then, she has travelled around the world on assignments, discovering food cultures through her lens. Her work has been featured in esteemed publications such as Condé Nast Traveler, and The New York Times, Bon Appetit, and AFAR.

Phil Scarfone

Contributor

Phil Scarfone is the Culinary Director of Banda Volpi, the gang behind folkloric Vancouver neighbourhood spots Savio Volpe, La Tana, Pepino’s Spaghetti House, and the upcoming Elio Volpe. He grew up on the East Coast and moved to the West Coast in 2009, joining a variety of celebrated restaurants in Vancouver before his current pursuits. He loves foraging the local mountains and forests for wild mushrooms, hiking, and enjoying the great outdoors. Phil was runner-up in Top Chef Canada's seventh season.

Jonathan Gazze

Contributor

I'm a professional photographer based in Toronto. I specialize in visually stimulating photography. My goal is to draw the viewer in with interesting perspectives and enhance my work with advanced editing to have my images stand out from the pack. My work has been characterized by clients and viewers and vivid, sharp, and colourful. Perfect for attracting attention to beautiful locations, notable wildlife & nature, and exciting the mind's eye. My style of work has lead me to building amazing relationships with major institutions, brands and tourism. I've developed partnerships with major brands such as the CN Tower, Fairmont Royal York, Bloor Yorkville, and Jones Soda. My work has been growing in reach and I'm happy to utilize my photography and art style to showcase the best this city and world has to offer. Whether I'm shooting corporate work, cityscape, landscape, or wildlife... I will always strive to create memorable visuals which will create a connection with viewers, inspire creatives, and bring positive vibes.

Riaz Oozeer

Contributor

Riaz Oozeer is a Mauritius born, commercial lifestyle and documentary photographer now based on the East Coast of Canada. Today Riaz has infused a passion for capturing life into his work developing a unique street photography style driven by the need to capture meaningful everyday moments.

Hayley Gendron

Contributor

Hayley Gendron (she/her) is an Indigenous law student, outdoor athlete and content creator based on W̱SÁNEĆ territory (Vancouver Island, BC). She is of Omamíwínini (Algonquin) and English descent, and a member of Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation.

Sophia Cheng

Contributor

Based in Vancouver, Sophia Cheng is the founder of her own PR consultancy, representing clients in the hospitality, arts, and retail industries. Whenever she can, she loves travelling to explore new cities, savour food of all kinds and sip her favourite wines. In fact she has leveraged her passion for culinary experiences into a storied career working with a lengthy portfolio of notable, cutting edge and award-winning restaurants. When downtime allows, Sophia loves to unwind at home with a good TV series binge.

Andrea Yu

Contributor

Andrea Yu is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. Her travel writing has been published in the Globe and Mail, CAA Magazine, Escapism and the Toronto Star. After stints living abroad, in Copenhagen and Hong Kong, she's excited to explore more of her home country by bike, kayak and on foot.

Go Canada Staff

Editorial

Go Canada is a digital travel publication dedicated to being a trusted resource for information and inspiration for those traveling to and within Canada. Our mission is to showcase the very best Canada has to offer while making travel planning and trip preparation enjoyable and easy. Our staff is a diverse group of travel experts, writers, and content creators who are passionate about sharing their knowledge and love for Canada.

Tom Cochrane

Contributor

Tom is a photographer, videographer, and digital storyteller based in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He has worked with organizations like Adventure Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism, Destination Canada, Go Western Newfoundland, and Adventure Central Newfoundland and has been featured in publications like The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and Enroute Magazine.

Mitchell Leong

Contributor

Born and raised in the beautiful yet unforgiving Canadian Rockies, these mountains have sculpted a relentless attitude for storytelling and conservation photography. From the lost corners of the frigid Icefields, the tallest of peaks that tower over the valleys, to the scorching hot deserts. Its my creed to come back with images and create art that has yet to exist. l am no content creator, influencer, or photographer; but a naturalist, who happens to tell visual stories. I never thought of myself as a photographer, instead, someone with the privilege to photograph. Using visual media as a bridge of empathy and understanding to others. With a minor in biological science, and a major in geoscience this knowledge has fostered a change in my perspective of not just imperative. Thus, bolstering the meaning and purpose to the art i choose to create. This mindset has opened doors to work with top brands, nonprofits, and magazines. From National Geographic to Tourism Canada, Mountain life magazine to Arc'teryx. I specialize in powerful adventure photography, whilst blending art, science, and conservation. This, to me, is what it truly means to have the camera to my eye.

Josh McCabe

Contributor

I am a Travel photographer who focuses on partnering with adventurous tourism boards to help tell their story and showcase what makes their destination unique with timeless imagery. My recent projects include work with Travel Alberta, Fernie Tourism, and Golden Tourism.

Lola Augustine Brown

Contributor

Lola Augustine Brown is a Nova Scotia-based travel writer who delights in exploring her massive, diverse, and beautiful home country. You'll find her stories in National Geographic, Travel+Leisure, The Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and many other publications.

Lucas Aykroyd

Contributor

Lucas Aykroyd is an award-winning Canadian travel and sports journalist who's written about polar bears in Manitoba, Viking history in Newfoundland, and Indigenous culture in Haida Gwaii. He's covered six Winter Olympics and close to 50 men's & women's world hockey championships. Born in Victoria and based in Vancouver, Lucas also contributes to publications like the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and Explore Magazine.

Renée S. Suen

Contributor

Renée S. Suen is a Toronto-based restaurant and travel journalist and photographer who searches the world for memorable tastes and the stories behind the plate. She is a columnist at SingTao’s EliteGen, and a contributor to Toronto Star, Chatelaine, re:Porter and more. Known for her insatiable appetite, the former academic scientist has been covering the Canadian food scene for over a decade and serves as the Mid-USA and Mid-Canada Academy Chair for The World's 50 Best Restaurants and is the head Toronto judge for the Canadian Culinary Championship.

Maurice Li

Editor

Raised in Vancouver, Maurice Li spent ten years as a venture capitalist in the technology space in BC prior to making a leap to follow his passions for global travel and content creation. Identifying gaps in the emerging world of social media and incumbent agency services at the time, he founded renowned content agency Stay & Wander in 2013 to help bridge the gap between creators, creative and brands while the ideas of social media marketing, social-first asset libraries, influencers and sponsored content were not yet mainstream. After a decade of travelling the world while producing world class projects for hundreds of brands, Maurice is now channeling his learnings and energy into developing the ultimate resource for travel inspiration and information for travel to or within Canada with Go Canada.