our family

Flavours of Hope serves as a gathering table and nexus of relationships. Meet the people who make Flavours of Hope who we are!

Trixie Ling, Founder & Executive Director (she/her)

Trixie Ling was born in Taipei, Taiwan and grew up in many places from Taiwan, Singapore, The United States, and Canada. She launched Flavours of Hope in March 2018 as a labour of love, stemming from her own migration journey and passion for bringing people together, breaking down barriers, building bridges between cultures through food, stories, and entrepreneurship. Trixie has a Masters in Public Policy and strives to create more accessible, inclusive, and equitable systems for newcomer women entrepreneurs to lead with cultural pride in the food industry. She finds much joy and hope in sharing food with friends, neighbours and strangers around a table.

Angeles Canedo, Co-Facilitator & Chef (she/her)

Angeles Canedo is from Guadalajara, Mexico, a cook, entrepreneur, and mother whose flavourful dishes have graced many Flavours of Hope pop-up food events and cooking classes. Angeles is a Co-Facilitator and part of our inaugural cohort for Dream Cuisines Food Business Program. Through her food business, Mis Cazuelas Mexican Food, Angeles hopes to bring her Mexican comfort dishes, regional flavours, and powerful stories to a wider audience. She wants to inspire more newcomer women to build their food businesses, share their culture, and connect with people in the community.

Jasmine Noble, Communications & Design Coordinator (she/her)

Jasmine Noble is a photographer and creative consultant with a post-grad in government relations and extensive experience in communications. Having spent half of her life growing up in the Philippines, food for her is a means to welcome people, show love, and foster community. She is the happiest while eating a spoonful of fresh warm rice dipped in sinigang (tamarind stew), eating with her hands, and finishing each meal with buko pandan (coconut dessert), while sharing stories with her loved ones. Jasmine is looking forward to being a part of a community that values storytelling, connection, and empowerment through food and culture.

Marialejandra Reyes Valerio, Co-Facilitator (she/her)

Marialejandra Reyes Valerio is from Maturin, a small city in Eastern Venezuela. She has loved cooking since she was a child, especially baking. Her favourite aspect of food is its power to connect people and build positive emotions like joy, warmth, and delight. Eating food has helped her learn about her own traditional roots, as well as other cultures around her. For Marialejandra, cooking is a way of taking care of others in the community. It is always an expression of love. She is a Co-Facilitator for Dream Cuisines Food Business Program and runs her own consulting company, Expansion Works, to support the social well-being of organizations, groups and individuals.

Alida Oegema Thomas, Board of Directors (she/her)

Alida Oegema Thomas is a second-generation Dutch-Canadian settler living on unceded Coast Salish lands in Vancouver, BC. A graduate student at UBC, studying public policy and global affairs, with a focus on intersectional gender equality, human rights, and climate justice, Alida is particularly passionate about advancing justice and equity in climate, environmental, and social policy. She is a mountain enthusiast a long-distance runner, an avid sports fan, and always on the hunt for high-quality matcha.

Tiffany Shen, Board of Directors (she/her)

Tiffany Shen is an entrepreneur and strategy consultant with a soft spot for purpose driven businesses, food startups and disruptive innovation. She is committed to empowering individuals to be the change they want to see by fostering better people and planet relationships and finding creative solutions to sticky challenges. Tiffany also brings her expertise as a Dream Cuisines mentor, and supports the cohort of newcomer women in navigating the start of launching their businesses.

Lina Chang, Board of Directors (she/her)

Lina Chang is originally from Taipei, Taiwan and she immigrated to Canada with her family in 2001. With a background in Psychology and Business Administration, Lina is currently completing her CPA designation while working for an international public practice firm in Vancouver, where she serves a diverse client base including non-profit organizations. Her passion for cooking stems from her love for different cultures and building community through storytelling.

Loren Balisky, Board of Directors (he/him)

Loren Balisky is co-founder and Director of Engagement of Kinbrace, BC’s first and longest-serving housing and support community for refugee claimants. Living as a neighbour among people in need of refugee protection, Loren regularly witnesses the transformation for good that happens when food, culture, and personal stories meet. Loren and Tama and their two young-adult children, Abigail and Oliver, live in New Westminster.

Stephanie Chan, Board of Directors (she/her)

Stephanie Chan is a lawyer turned entrepreneur who has a passion for helping seniors and family caregivers. Stephanie owns and operates two businesses in the senior living industry but has also been committed to volunteering in the non-profit sector for the last 18 years. She loves seeing how food brings people together and is looking forward to helping more women achieve their dreams.