The Devour! Golden Tines Award Brunch

It’s baaaaacccckkkkk. Come join us for an unforgettable celebration of the 2024 festival as we host the return of our Devour! Golden Tine Awards Brunch. Renowned Chef Craig Flinn, a longtime friend of the festival, has curated a group of talented Nova Scotia chefs to create delicious brunch dishes showcasing local eggs–chefs Guy Pratt, Ian Clarke, and Dennis Mbeba. During the event, we will be presenting our prestigious Golden Tine Awards in five categories: Best Animation, Best Short Documentary, Best Short Drama, Best Feature Documentary, and Best Feature Drama. The winners of these awards are selected by our esteemed jury members, including Dieter Kosslick, former Director of the Berlin International Film Festival, Jacopo Chessa, executive director of the Veneto Film Commission and Nova Scotia-based filmmaker and writer, Ron Foley Macdonald.

Ticket Price: $50.00, includes brunch and beverages
Sponsored by the Egg Farmers of Nova Scotia, L’Acadie Vineyards, Acadian Seaplants and Barrelling Tide Distillery

Menu
Craig Flinn- Smoked Cheddar and Chive Buttermilk Biscuits with maple butter
Guy Pratt- Bao Benny with poached egg, hoisin pork belly, thrice cooked potatoes, and sriracha hollandaise
Ian Clarke- East Coast Scotch Egg with haddock and lobster crust, remoulade, and whiskey cream
Dennis Mbeba- Seasonal Cheesecakes

Seaweed Caesars provided by Barrelling Tide Distillery & Acadian Seaplants
Sparkling provided by L’Acadie Vineyards

Craig Flinn 

Chef Craig Flinn is a culinary expert with a diverse background. After graduating from St. Mary’s University in 1993, he worked full-time as a chef to fund his education. He further honed his skills at the Culinary Institute of Canada, graduating in 1997 and training under Chef Michael Smith at The Inn at Bay Fortune. Chef Flinn’s culinary journey took him to Switzerland, London’s Savoy Hotel, and New York, before returning to Halifax in 2001 to open one of Nova Scotia’s original farm-to-table restaurants, Chives Canadian Bistro, in addition to 2 Doors Down and Temple Bar. He recently sold his restaurant interests to concentrate on his company, Fork in the Road Productions, focusing on a variety of work in the media, restaurant consulting, executive catering, and culinary tourism. He has written five celebrated cookbooks, contributed to numerous culinary publications, and has been hosting all-inclusive culinary tours across Europe since 2011, with plans to venture into Portugal in 2025. @chefcraigflinn

Guy Pratt

Growing up in Dartmouth, NS, Guy Pratt discovered a passion for food at an early age, starting to work in his father’s restaurant at just 16. In 2016, he trained under Chef Michael Smith at the Inn and graduated from the Culinary Institute of Canada in 2018. He then joined Canada’s Junior Culinary Team, competing at the 2018 World Cup in Luxembourg. His travels to countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan deepened his love for Asian cuisine, leading him to co-found Studio East with his brother in November 2019. Recently, he competed at the PEI Shellfish Festival, guided by the mentorship of his father, Bill Pratt, and Chef Craig Flinn, which has greatly enriched his culinary journey. @guypratt.ca

Ian Clarke

Ian Clarke, an acclaimed Executive Chef at 2 Doors Down in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has a culinary journey as rich as his dishes. Born in Lahr, Germany, Ian’s passion for gastronomy led him to graduate from NSCC – Akerley Campus in Culinary Arts in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He honed his skills under the mentorship of Chef Craig Flinn at Chives Canadian Bistro, where he learned the art of Canadian cuisine. Ian’s adventurous spirit took him to the vibrant culinary scenes of London and Edinburgh, where he further refined his craft. In a bold move two years ago, he attempted to launch his own restaurant, PMQ, in the iconic space of Chives, showcasing his innovative approach and dedication to the culinary arts. Ian’s journey reflects not just talent, but an ultimate commitment to elevating the dining experience in Halifax. @ian.m.a.clarke

Dennis Mbeba
Dennis Mbeba and his wife are the founders of Delectable Desserts, a family-owned specialty bakery based in Nova Scotia. Established in 2017, their goal is to provide the Halifax Regional Municipality with professionally made desserts for both wholesale and individual orders. They take pride in offering high-quality, handcrafted treats, each made from scratch daily using the finest and freshest ingredients. Committed to supporting local businesses, Dennis and his wife strive to build strong professional relationships with their customers, whom they consider part of their extended family. For them, Nova Scotia is not just a place; it’s home. @delectabledessertsns

The 2024 Devour! Golden Tine Awards Jury

Jacopo Chessa 

Jacopo Chessa majored in film studies and worked largely in the 1950s and 1960s in French cinema. He has published two books and many articles; and cooperated with the Archivio Nazionale Cinematografico della Resistenza, the University of Torino, and the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris 3. Since the beginning of 2014, he has been the director of the Italian Short Film Center. In 2016, he founded the Torino Short Film Market which he directed until 2020. He worked as a contract professor at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris 3 from 2017 to 2019. Since 2020, he’s been CEO of the Veneto Film Commission. @jj_chessa @venetofilmcommission 

Dieter Kosslick
As Managing Director of the cultural and economic film-funding organizations in Hamburg (Hamburger Filmbüro and FilmFonds Hamburg), Dieter Kosslick co-founded Cinema on the Alster and the European Low-Budget Film Forum, as well as the European Film Distribution Fund. In 1991, he moved to Düsseldorf as Managing Director of the new Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen, where he also became a founding member of the International Film School IFS. In 2001, the German government appointed him Director of the Berlin International Film Festival, the Berlinale, where he revitalised the film festival with numerous initiatives such as the Talent Campus (Talents) and the co-production market. He is a recipient of many awards, including the prestigious Witzigmann Prize. In 2021, his memoir, Immer auf dem Teppich bleiben – von magischen Momenten und der Zukunft des Kinos, was published. Since 2024, Kosslick has been director of the new environmental film festival Greenvisions Potsdam in Germany. @dieterkosslick @greenvisionspotsdam

Ron Foley Macdonald

Ron Foley Macdonald is a Halifax-based filmmaker and writer with extensive experience in the film and television industry. His work includes collaborations with the National Film Board, CBC, T∂he Daily News, Take One Magazine, and the Atlantic Film Festival. He has taught Film History at NSCAD University, Dalhousie, and MSVU. At Winter Light Productions, Ron has written and directed three feature films and produced ten more, along with hundreds of hours of television, including eleven seasons of the Ghost Hunting series Haunted for Eastlink TV. His contributions have solidified his reputation in the Canadian film community.