FIERCE & Fascinating: Dana McCauley

Photo by Jenn Bartoli

This is the first in our FIERCE & Fascinating series which spotlights the amazing people I have come to know and adore online. Get to know someone new each week as I profile some of Social Media's most FASCINATING people! ~ tamara

Name: Dana McCauley

Job/Business: Director of Product Development and Innovation at janes Family Food/ Judge on Recipe to Riches


Get to know her on Twitter and Facebook 


Quick bio: Everyday Innovator. Food product development expert both in real life and on TV. Kitchen widow to chef Martin Kouprie and mom to a giant.

What’s the biggest misconception about you: That I’m classy and proper. Although I love nice clothes and fancy purses and cars, I’m actually pretty crass (I have a terrible potty mouth) and I love shocking people by quoting gangster rap lyrics. I think the fact that I have a good vocabulary and read a lot makes many people think that I’m boring. The truth is that when I call home from a business trip and tell my husband that I arm wrestled one of my male colleagues in the fine dining room at the resort, his first response isn't shock but "please tell me you kept your shirt on". Sad but true. OMG I fell in love a little more with  you Dana!! Who knew??

If you could tell your 16-year old self something what would it be: I’d tell her to relax and let life have a life of its own. I was so busy trying to plan my life and be cool that I often didn't really enjoy what was happening around me. Fortunately I out grew that problem and now I can look back and see that saying ‘yes’ to new things and new opportunities is probably the best career skill I've developed.


What are you doing to make a difference? Hopefully enough! I try to support sustainable seafood whenever I can by developing MSC fish products at work at Janes and by cooking only sustainable fish in my own home. It’s not always easy to make the right choices for the lakes and oceans. For instance, I love authentic Chinese food but because my husband and I have decided to boycott any restaurant or business that supports shark-finning, we have to make our own Chinese food even though we live near some of the best Chinese food restaurants in the country. We have had to stop going for Dim Sum because Oz has been blogging about the shark finning industry since he was 8 years old (he's 10 now). It's a big deal and an important topic that I am GLAD to see Jane's Family Foods on board with the Sustainable Seafood program. It's important to put an end to the shark-finning industry, WAY TO GO DANA!!!!!

What’s your belief when it comes to death? I’m not a religious person. None of the options others find so comforting make sense to me. I don’t see why people are any different than trees and flowers which grow, die and then decay into the earth. As a result, I treat this as my one and only life; That’s why I need to live it well and with honour and kindness. For me, I don’t think there is going to be a second chance to do the things I really want to do or to make amends for being a jerk to people. It’s a one shot deal.

Is there someone  you think should be featured for FIERCE & Fascinating? Let me know! 

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