From classroom to Dragons' Den: How a UCalgary alum tasted and teched her way to the top

Adrenaline. Joy. Practice. 

Those are the three words Joanna Pariseau, BA’24, co-founder of Taste the City, uses to describe her experience in the Dragons’ Den lair. 

Facing the Dragons on the popular business-based competition reality TV show was a defining moment for the University of Calgary alum. 

But, long before the bright studio lights and cameras, Pariseau’s journey began at UCalgary, where an idea — and her drive to make a difference — first took shape.

Building local cultural resilience, one tasting at a time

The core concept behind Taste the City, founded by Pariseau and her business partner, Melissa Ninaber, is that local food culture plays a critical role in supporting a city’s cultural resiliency. 

Taste the City invites customers to enjoy a thoughtfully curated tasting experience. Phone text-led, each tasting allows guests to visit multiple restaurants in one evening, all within walking distance. 

When booking, diners do not know where they’ll be going, or what they’ll be eating, but by removing the need to decide, the experience becomes effortless and free from decision fatigue. Every stop is carefully timed, prepaid and designed to showcase the best of the local dining scene while fostering connection through food.

“There’s such simplicity in what we’ve created with Taste the City,” says Pariseau. 

“When I think about the Ubers and Airbnbs of the world, they were really just creating a small convenience for people – and that’s what we’ve done. We’ve created a convenience that doesn’t exist in food exploration. We keep it simple for both customers and restaurant partners. 

“We tell (restaurants): this is your ideal client on a platter – someone who’s never been to your restaurant before and is out exploring. And, the majority of the time, our tasters say, ‘I'm going to be back for a full reservation.’ People truly love the concept – and our community is fully behind us.”

How UCalgary provided the ingredients for entrepreneurial success

Since launching in Calgary in January 2024, Taste the City has expanded to Toronto, Vancouver, Banff, Victoria, Edmonton and Niagara Falls, with international growth on the horizon, and an ambitious goal of reaching 1,000 cities in 24 months. 

Pariseau admits it’s a wild goal, but she says her confidence as an entrepreneur has grown exponentially since her early university days. 

“I’m so thankful for my University of Calgary experience,” she says. 

“From the resources at Hunter Hub, to Leah Bortolin presenting pitch competitions and connecting us with the Haskayne Entrepreneurial Advisor Team (HEAT)… to Katy Atherholt, our HEAT advisor… and my former professor, Justin Knibbe… I attribute so much of my success to my education and the support I received.”

Pariseau says Knibbe, BComm’17, MBA’20, who taught ENTI 201: Introduction to Business Venturing at the Haskayne School of Business, played a pivotal role in her entrepreneurial journey.

“After showing Justin how motivated I was to build something, I got such a response from him,” she says. 

“He always found me connections and provided really solid advice. 

"Honestly, our Dragons’ Den episode is so good because of him. He was the reason we had such an entertaining pitch – it was all Justin’s mentorship and guidance.”

Mentorship is often seen as one-sided, but Knibbe disputes this. 

“This is why teachers do what they do – to work with brilliant students and be a part of their journey,” he says. 

“Joanna would come to me with challenges she was facing, and brainstorming solutions with such engaged, energetic students is a blast. She taught me that the best thing an educator can do with highly motivated students is get out of the way and be a guide on the side. 

“Mentoring Joanna and Melissa has become less about giving answers and more about being a sounding board and cheerleader for two strong women who were always going to find their path.”

Finding their fire in the Den

The road to Dragons’ Den began in 2023 when they drew the attention of the producers. 

At the time, Taste the City was in its early stages, so they begged them to apply for the following year. 

“We ended up giving them a link to one of our sales videos on our Instagram and wrote a couple of sentences asking them to put us on the show,” Pariseau says.

“And we got on! It just goes to show that sometimes you just need to be authentically yourself, be a little weird and wild and crazy – and that can be enough.”

But, when it came to their actual pitch, they didn’t wing it. 

“Me and Melissa literally practiced everywhere that week,” says Pariseau.

 “We were in the middle of a sauna, and this couple asked us to do our pitch. We did it at Niagara Falls in front of a crowd – we just did it everywhere.”

Slay the Dragons’ Den; Own your worth

When asked how much she’s changed as an entrepreneur, Pariseau admits she barely recognizes her former self. 

“I can’t even speak to how much of a different person I am – especially when it comes to my own self-confidence and the way I speak to myself,” she says. 

With growing confidence, comes an entirely new perspective on the value she and Ninaber provide.

“The feedback we always get is that people just want to be involved in what we’re doing because they really love working with us. That’s truly when you see your value, and we start realizing our own human capital that we bring to the table,” says Pariseau.

While Pariseau couldn’t reveal the outcome of the competition when interviewed, regardless of the result, she and Ninaber aren’t slowing down after facing the Dragons. 

Taste the City will be part of this year’s Spruce Meadows Christmas Market, “so people can do the ‘12 Tastes of Christmas’ and be guided to all the food vendors,” says Pariseau. 

“We’re creating other stacking opportunities and expanding this approach because nobody seems to champion this field of digital guidance. Growth in that area is going to be pretty significant for us – going beyond food is an exciting next step for us.”

Joanna’s entrepreneurial journey demonstrates how lessons learned in the classroom can translate into something meaningful and lasting. 

Her advice to fellow UCalgary entrepreneurs is simple: “Try to use every project to make something of what you’re doing. Take advantage of professors’ office hours and their networks. Talk to everyone while you’re a student, because everyone will talk to you then, but that access goes away after graduation.”

She concludes with confidence: “Utilize all the resources the University and community have to offer – it’s all there – truly yours for the taking.”

Pariseau and Ninaber’s Dragons’ Den episode airs on Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. Calgary time on CBC. 

Haskayne is hosting a Dragons' Den watch party featuring Taste the City on Nov. 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mathison Hall Event Centre. Pariseau and Ninaber will be in attendance and participate in a panel discussion afterwards. RSVP here.