Shawna Wagman: Bio

After completing an undergraduate degree in Communications at McGill University and a year at Ryerson’s Journalism School, Shawna launched her freelance writing career. Whether telling tales about tweens , slippery sandwiches or the mainstreaing of kosher food, Shawna's writing is a reflection of her curious nature, picky palate and trend-sniffing sensibility. She has contributed to many of Canada’s top publications including Chatelaine,Saturday Night, Ottawa Citizen and The Globe & Mail. Shawna’s article “Tween Power” published in Canadian Business magazine, was the first to identify a trend in marketing that targeted the pre-teen set. It was awarded the Maclean Hunter Award for best feature article of the year.

After a hiatus from journalism that allowed Shawna to explore such industries as online book retailing (Indigo.ca), documentary film (Galafilm.com) and luxury travel (butterfield.com), Shawna returned to her primary passion: journalism. Meanwhile her personal and professional life took her on a journey that allowed her to compare renters markets in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.

During her European travels and time spent in Montreal, Shawna awoke to her passion for food. From the quintessential bowl of café au lait, the plate-licking lure of peanut butter dumplings, to the perfectly charred churrasco chicken, this one-time picky eater keeps herself busy reading the food essays of M.F.K. Fisher and Calvin Trillin and dreaming about the next time she’ll taste socca in the South of France.

Now living in Ottawa with her husband Ira and a boisterous black labradoodle named Saidye, Shawna divides her time between the computer, the kitchen and the quest for the tasty hidden gems of the nation’s capital.

Want to know more? Contact Shawna.