Panel Discussion on Acadian & Cajun Food & Culture

Explore the fascinating interplay of French, Acadian and Cajun cultures in a captivating panel discussion that delves into their historical roots and enduring influences. Discover how these vibrant cultures have shaped themselves today, leaving an indelible mark on language, music, cuisine, and traditions. This panel will be moderated by Nathalie Geddry and features Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, co-directors of Treasures of the Bayous René Savoie & Louis-Philippe Chiasson Maxime Gauvin and Clint Bruce.

Ticket Price: Free Admission
Offered in French w/English translation
Sponsored by Congrès mondial acadien, Office of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie, Dalhousie University Agri-Foods Analytics Lab

Panellists:

Moderator Nathalie Geddry 

Nathalie Geddry is producer and host of the afternoon radio show La mouvée, which airs on Radio-Canada in the Atlantic region. A proud Acadian from Nova Scotia, she’s been with the public broadcaster for 16 years and previously worked as a translator.

Having covered some of the Festival activities over the years, this foodie is thrilled to finally be able to fully enjoy the Devour! experience this year, including a live broadcast from this location and moderating this panel discussion. You may find her in a food coma on Sunday at the closing reception.

Sylvain Charlebois

One of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains, and traceability, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in Food Distribution and Policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax, as well as Dalhousie’s Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security, and safety. Since 2020, he co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, food service, grocery, and restaurant industries.

He has authored seven books on global food systems, the most recent being Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking. He has also published over 750 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic and professional publications and has been featured in numerous media outlets including The Economist, The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, and The Globe & Mail. @sylvain.charlebois

René Savoie (co-director Treasures of the Bayou)

René Savoie is a producer and the president of Productions du Milieu, a film and television production company incorporated in September 2010 and located in Moncton, NB, Canada. 

His productions include two drama series, a children’s series, some documentary series and several television documentaries. Over the course of his career, René has received three nominations at the Festival international du cinéma francophone en Acadie and two nominations at the Prix Gémeaux. 

He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the APFC (Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada) for over ten years. René strives to create quality works with a global vision, while preserving an engagement to the local francophone community.

Louis-Philippe Chiasson (co-director Treasures of the Bayou)

Louis-Philippe Chiasson is a filmmaker and photographer established in Moncton, New Brunswick. Over the years he has done camera and editing work for festivals and events, a few television series, movies and music videos. He likes to be hands-on during the creation process, from ideation to getting the right tools to bring those ideas to reality. He is always on the lookout for the next story to tell.

Maxime Gauvin

Maxime Gauvin is a community-focused innovator, creative thinker, and strategist. On the team at Aliment Solutions and Portfolio Solutions Group, Maxime brings over 15 years of change leadership in local food systems and the community sector. Previously, he was the Executive Director of Really Local Harvest, a not-for-profit agricultural cooperative in southeastern New Brunswick. During his mandate, he transformed the organization to become recognized as a visionary leader in food and agricultural ecosystems. Maxime is also the instigator of the Eating Heritage Symposium (New Brunswick’s acclaimed food tourism event), the founding president of Slow Food Cocagne Acadie, and has been involved in various food, sustainability, and entrepreneurial initiatives in Canada and around the world.

Clint Bruce

Dr. Clint Bruce holds the Canada Research Chair in Acadian and Transnational Studies (CRÉAcT) at Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia, where he oversees the Observatoire Nord/Sud, a center for the study of the Acadian diaspora. A native of Louisiana, he earned his doctorate from Brown University in 2013. His research deals with the Acadian diaspora, both historic and contemporary, and the francophone Atlantic world, with a focus on Louisiana. His book Afro-Creole Poetry in French from Louisiana’s Radical Civil War-Era Newspapers: A Bilingual Edition (The Historic New Orleans Collection, 2020) won the Modern Language Association’s Lois Roth Prize for Literary Translation. @observatoire_nord.sud