WOLFVILLE, N.S. (October 6, 2016) – The World’s Best Female Chef, Dominique Crenn, will open the sixth edition of Devour! The Food Film Fest. Highlighting one of the most anticipated festival themes to date, the Power of Women in Gastronomy, Devour! announced Crenn as the celebrity headliner at the opening night gala celebration on November 2 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
“I am delighted to be visiting a part of the world I do not know and to be participating in the world’s largest film festival devoted to all things culinary,” says Crenn. “As the Power of Women in Gastronomy is being highlighted at Devour! this year, I am honoured to open the festival.”
Best known for her two San Francisco-based successes, Atelier Crenn and Petit Crenn, Crenn is the first female chef in the United States to be awarded two Michelin Stars from the Michelin Guide at Atelier Crenn. The same restaurant was also named to San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. A Ted Talk regular, she often speaks passionately about defining success, being a woman in a male-dominated industry, creativity and the importance of sustainability.
Recently, Crenn was featured in the second season of Netflix’s highly-regarded hit Chef’s Table – whose original series producer, John Henion, will be joining Devour! as part of the festival’s popular workshop component. She will also make a cameo in Saturday evening’s Spotlight Gala as part of the world premiere of Vérane Frédiani’s The Goddesses of Food.
“The lead up to this year’s festival has been a beautiful progression,” says Lia Rinaldo, managing director of Devour! “We followed our hearts by programming friend of the festival Vérane Frédiani’s The Goddesses of Food. A theme was born celebrating the Power of Women in Gastronomy and hosting Chef Dominique Crenn as our Opener is THE most fitting way to kick off the event.”
Crenn will attend the Opening Gala Reception at Fountain Commons at Acadia University. Thirteen of Nova Scotia’s best chefs will come together to create a feast for the senses that celebrates the perfect combination of food and film. Featured chefs during this year’s opening gala include: Charlie Burtt (The Port Pub), Chris Velden (The Flying Apron Inn & Cookery), Howard Selig (Valley Flaxflour), Ingrid Dunsworth (The Cake Lady), Jonathan Joseph (Argyler Lodge and Restaurant), Julie Cook (Agricola Street Brasserie), Kim Magistro (Restaurant Avalon at Castle Rock Country Inn), Mark Gray (Battery Park Beer Bar & Eatery), Martin Ruiz Salvador (Half Shell Oysters & Seafood), Mike McKinnon (Acadia University), Renée Lavallée (The Canteen), Shane Robilliard (Fox Harb’r Resort) and Steph Ogilvie (Brooklyn Warehouse). Guests will also be treated to drinks from 12 local purveyors. This signature Devour! event inducts all visiting delegates and guests into l’Ordre du Bontemps (The Order of Good Cheer), the oldest social club in North America, as honorary ambassadors of Nova Scotia.
As an on-going Devour! tradition, Crenn took a hands-on role in the shaping the Opening Night Gala by selecting her favourite food film of all-time, Haute Cuisine (Les saveurs du Palais), to open the festival. Following the screening, she will participate in an audience Q&A session with returning host, Bob Blumer.
Tickets to the sixth edition of Devour! The Food Film Fest are on sale now through the Devour! website and can also be purchased by phone through Ticketpro at 1-888-311-9090. Exclusive packages are also available! For more information about each mouth-watering event, visit devourfest.com.
ABOUT DEVOUR! THE FOOD FILM FEST
Devour! The Food Film Fest is an international festival celebrating cinema, food and wine culture. The five-day festival takes place in the culinary epicentre of Nova Scotia – the town of Wolfville, Kings County. The festival is an experiential celebration of food on film, the culture of food and the dramatic impact it has on our day-to-day lives. The sixth edition of Devour! The Food Film Fest is slated for November 2-6, 2016.
ABOUT THE LOCATION
Only one hour from Halifax, the Town of Wolfville and Kings County provide the perfect setting for Devour! amid the beauty of the Annapolis Valley and the mighty Bay of Fundy. The heartland of Nova Scotia’s burgeoning wine industry and the centre of culinary and agricultural innovation, Wolfville is also home to Acadia University, one of Canada’s most renowned academic institutions, and a partner of Devour! The Food Film Fest.
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Media Contact:
Robyn McIsaac
robyn@devourfest.com
(902) 440-1551
