Jason McCoy: Bringing Canadian Music Together for “We Are One”

What happens when a life-changing diagnosis, a difficult divorce and a backyard smoker lead to becoming a two-time world champion? On this episode of Boats, Beers & Backroads, Jamie Allison sits down with Sunny Moody, a two-time World Champion in steak and live-fire cooking, Food Network personality, nutrition coach and single mom of four daughters. Sunny's journey into competitive BBQ wasn't about chasing trophies. In 2017, while navigating a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, depression and major changes in her personal life, she discovered something unexpected: cooking over fire had given her a new sense of purpose. What started as an outlet quickly became a passion. Sunny combined her background in science with a fascination for meat, fire and flavour, eventually rising through the competitive BBQ world to become a two-time world champion and appear on Food Network shows including BBQ Brawl and Chopped Castaways. But Sunny's story goes well beyond the grill. After transforming her own health and losing 80 pounds, she became a certified nutrition coach and developed Grilled Fit, proving that incredible BBQ and healthy living don't have to be opposites. Jamie and Sunny dive into some championship-level grilling advice, including: The perfect steak: Understanding the science behind a great sear, temperature control and why resting your meat matters. Healthy BBQ: Why simple seasonings, fresh ingredients and a few smart techniques can make all the difference. Pitmaster secrets: From pickle juice brines to using sumac and keeping your grill clean. Behind the scenes at Food Network: Overcoming self-doubt and learning to embrace opportunities on television. Family and balance: Raising four daughters while building a successful career in competitive BBQ, coaching and television. The healing power of fire: How cooking and teaching BBQ have helped Sunny connect with others, including veterans.

What if the best part of dinner at the cottage was not having to cook it? On this episode of Boats, Beers & Backroads, Jamie Allison sits down with Julie Levitan, owner of The Muskoka Chef, to talk about building a private-chef business around one of Canada's most iconic cottage destinations—and what really happens when a professional chef takes over your cottage kitchen. Julie shares how moving to Muskoka helped her recognize an opportunity to create something different: a service that brings the restaurant experience directly to cottages, homes and vacation properties. The team arrives prepared, sets up, cooks on-site, serves the meal and handles the cleanup—allowing clients to spend less time worrying about dinner and more time enjoying the lake, their family and their guests. And in cottage country, flexibility is everything. The boat ride runs late. Guests don't come off the dock when expected. The kitchen isn't quite what the pictures suggested. Dinner for six suddenly feels like dinner for ten. Julie explains why being a successful private chef is about much more than knowing how to cook. It's about reading the room, adapting quickly, understanding what the client wants and creating an experience that feels effortless—even when plenty is happening behind the scenes. Jamie and Julie also get into the unique challenge of preparing meals for professional athletes spending time or training in cottage country, where food needs to support their nutritional requirements while still delivering the quality and enjoyment expected from a private chef. Julie also shares why Muskoka has become more than the location of her business. The lakes, nature, quieter pace and sense of community have become part of the lifestyle she wants for herself and her family. Plus, Julie offers some advice for anyone thinking about bringing a private chef into their cottage: decide what kind of experience you actually want, communicate it clearly—and then let the professionals do what they do best. It's a conversation about food, entrepreneurship, cottage life and creating memorable experiences around the table. 🎧 Watch & listen to Julie Levitan of The Muskoka Chef on Boats, Beers & Backroads.

Before Robert Rainford became one of Canada's most recognizable celebrity chefs and taught a generation how to get more out of their backyard grill, he was a picky kid growing up in a Jamaican household—and becoming a chef wasn't exactly the career his father had in mind. On this episode of Boats, Beers & Backroads, Jamie Allison sits down with Robert for a wide-ranging conversation about the unlikely journey that eventually put him in front of television cameras and made Licence to Grill a Canadian food-TV favourite. Robert takes us back to his childhood, his Jamaican food traditions, the influence of his mother and grandmother, and the cooking camp that first sparked something in him. He talks candidly about his father's initial resistance to cooking as a career, spending years working outside the industry, and finally deciding to enrol at George Brown Culinary School. And his first day didn't exactly suggest future celebrity-chef status. 🔥 He set his towel on fire making crêpes. Robert shares how persistence, ambition—and a willingness to think bigger than the opportunities immediately in front of him—eventually led him into professional kitchens and then television. He talks about working with chef Ned Bell, getting an early look behind the scenes of Cook Like a Chef, and learning how television actually worked before ultimately getting his own opportunity with Licence to Grill. But the episode isn't just nostalgia. Robert explains the philosophy that made the show work: take legitimate culinary technique and make it approachable enough that someone standing beside their backyard barbecue could actually use it. We get into charcoal versus gas, controlling heat, creating temperature zones, mise en place, burgers, marinades, dry rubs and why learning to manipulate heat may be the single biggest difference between simply owning a grill and knowing how to use one. And despite three decades in the culinary world, Robert makes one thing clear: He's still learning. The conversation also goes beyond the grill. Robert talks about earning respect as a chef after becoming known as a television personality, treating everyone the same whether they're famous or not, family, philanthropy, Born to Grill, and what he still wants to accomplish. And there's one particularly interesting possibility on the horizon... Robert Rainford wants to get back on television. He's been developing another television concept for years—and Jamie might just be ready to start the letter-writing campaign. From Jamaican family cooking to culinary school, professional kitchens, television fame and whatever comes next, this is the story behind the chef millions came to know simply as The Grillmaster.

What happens when a painter, poet and bestselling author picks up a guitar during COVID and discovers an entirely new way to tell stories? On this episode of Boats, Beers & Backroads, Jamie sits down with singer-songwriter Jenna Rose for a conversation about creativity, country roots, songwriting and building a music career on her own terms. Growing up in a small town, Jenna developed the connection to nature, independence and rural life that still follows her today—even as she splits her creative world with the big city. Interestingly, music wasn't where her story started. Jenna was already expressing herself through painting, poetry and writing before picking up a guitar during COVID and writing her first song. She talks about the transition from poetry to songwriting, why music gave her the opportunity to connect with a much larger audience, and the feeling of watching people react to something she created. The conversation also gets into the less glamorous side of being an independent artist—from social media and technology to balancing creativity with the business of building a career. Jenna shares what she's learned about letting go of perfectionism, how studying art therapy changed the way she approaches creativity, and why she's learned to value the process rather than constantly chasing the perfect result. She also talks about finding her sound: a mix of nostalgia, country and contemporary pop, and reveals that she's currently developing two different EPs—one country and one pop—with several new country songs already waiting to be released. Plus, Jenna talks about performing everywhere from intimate rooms of around 20 people to stages in front of thousands, why she loves playing with a full band, her dream collaborations with Taylor Swift and Bob Dylan, and why she'd still choose nature, a dive bar and the backroads whenever she can. It's a conversation about taking creative chances, finding your voice and discovering that sometimes your next chapter starts simply by picking up a guitar. 🎧 Watch & listen to Jenna Rose on Boats, Beers & Backroads.

Clayton Bellamy: The Roadhammers, 20 Years of Music & Getting Back to What Matters From small-town Alberta to stages around the world, Clayton Bellamy has spent decades building a career around great songs, loud guitars and doing things his own way. On this episode of Boats, Beers & Backroads, host Jamie Allison sits down with the award-winning singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer best known as a member of The Roadhammers. Clayton takes us back to his beginnings in northern Alberta — singing in church, entering local contests and eventually spending years on the road playing six nights a week. He also tells the unlikely story of how an audition for what was supposed to be a one-project band turned into 20 years with The Roadhammers. The conversation digs into Clayton's musical DNA: Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Steve Earle, roots rock, country storytelling and loud guitars — and why songs need to have something that cuts a little deeper. Clayton and Jamie also get into today's music industry and whether viral moments and social media can replace the years it takes to develop real musicianship. Clayton shares a great analogy about building a lasting career one brick at a time rather than betting everything on one big moment. There's plenty happening next for Clayton, too. His new solo album Soft Kind of Loud arrives August 28, along with its first single, "I Miss Tom Petty." He also talks about launching Sky Song Records alongside Jason McCoy, Jason Blaine, Dan Davidson and Craig Seneca. And because this is Boats, Beers & Backroads, we eventually get off the stage and head to Moose Lake in Alberta for pontoon boats, lake life and the music Clayton would put on for the perfect Canadian road trip. In this episode: ​Growing up in small-town northern Alberta ​Clayton's earliest days performing and writing songs ​Years spent touring North America six nights a week ​The unlikely audition that led to The Roadhammers ​Why the band's different musical personalities worked ​20 years of The Roadhammers ​The difference between writing for a band and writing for himself ​Tom Petty, Steve Earle and the artists who shaped his sound ​Why musicianship still matters in the TikTok era ​Building a career "one brick at a time" ​The realities of today's music business ​Launching Sky Song Records ​His new solo album Soft Kind of Loud ​The story behind "I Miss Tom Petty" ​Life on Moose Lake ​His ultimate road-trip records ​Canadian artists he'd recommend seeing live