As the story goes, tragedy inspires action: Joanna's death has inspired us to start this initiative to provide adequate training, awareness and education about the growing epidemic of life-threatening food allergies.

Our Mission

Although our organization was born out of tragedy, it quickly became clear that there was a significant lack of awareness and preparedness regarding food allergies—both among those affected and the people around them.

F.A.T.E. was established as a non-profit organization to offer free training and education, using our experience as a catalyst for change. We focus on raising awareness about the severity of food allergies, fostering understanding through knowledge and compassion, and promoting life-saving practices using readily available resources.

As a trusted provider of this training, F.A.T.E. is evolving into the leading platform for food allergy education across all sectors.

What We've Achieved

On September 24, 2018—exactly one month after Joanna's passing—The FATE Initiative held its first official #FATEForum with a small group of elementary school teachers in Markham, Ontario. Since then, F.A.T.E. has delivered these forums to thousands of students, educators, caregivers, and food-service workers across Canada and the United States. Participants have included foster care organizations, camp counselors, community groups, flight attendants, and individual families.

F.A.T.E. also specializes in training for the restaurant, hospitality, and food-service industries. With nearly two decades of experience as a chef and restaurateur, founder Joey Salmingo offers customized forums for kitchens of all sizes and service models—including quick service, high-volume, and fine dining.

Joey’s in-depth experience across front-of-house and back-of-house operations—spanning corporate, independent, hotel, banquet, and QSR environments—allows him to lead these sessions with a practical, passionate, and operations-minded approach. Forums are designed to deliver impactful messaging while respecting and adapting to each client’s existing policies and procedures.

Some restaurant partners also request confidential pre-forum audits to tailor their #FATEForumsForRestaurants more precisely to their business operations.