September 23, 2020 (Wolfville, NS) – Devour! The Food Film Fest is pleased to announce the new Devour! Hospitality Diversity Scholarship for students in Nova Scotia Community College’s culinary management, culinary skills, and tourism and hospitality programs beginning in September 2020.
“Throughout the years, as we’ve looked within our own communities for local talent, it’s become clear that Black and Indigenous People of Colour are underrepresented in the culinary and hospitality industry,” says Devour!’s managing director Lia Rinaldo. “In trying to accurately represent Nova Scotia’s diversity within our programming, this cultural diversity must be reflected within Nova Scotia’s culinary and hospitality industry.”
Devour! aims to support underrepresented populations in the culinary and hospitality industry by having an impact that will help them further their education in the field. The hope is that the annual $1,000 bursary will help work towards increasing diversity within Nova Scotia’s culinary industry.
“Because Devour! aims to educate and entertain through the lens of food on film, it’s important that our programming ties into the local atmosphere,” says Devour!’s executive director, Michael Howell. “Understanding that more needs to be done to ensure that this local lens encompasses Nova Scotia’s cultural diversity, we’re delighted to fund this new, annual bursary that will hopefully provide a financial incentive to members of underrepresented communities in the province.”
Since its inception, Devour! The Food Film Fest has had a strategic partnership with NSCC to provide culinary students with exciting learning and mentoring opportunities and exposure.
“From preparing an extraordinary dessert station for Anthony Bourdain, to firsthand interactions from the likes of Dominique Crenn and Jacques Pépin, and working side by side as cooks on the many celebrity chef events that are amongst the most popular of Devour! events – students get real-time exposure to the industry with the opportunity to meet giants of the culinary universe,” says Howell.
The first annual bursary will be awarded to an NSCC student in the culinary management, culinary skills, and tourism and hospitality programs in September 2020.
About Devour! The Food Film Fest
Devour! The Food Film Fest will host a hybrid in-person and virtual festival from October 21-25, 2020. Devour! is a transformative food and film experience combining cinematic excellence with extraordinary gastronomic activities. The annual festival typically hosts 100+ events, celebrated filmmakers, and high-profile chefs from around the globe. Devour! takes place in Wolfville, Kings County, the agricultural heartland of Nova Scotia; home to a thriving wine industry and hospitable community with a longstanding farm-to-table ethos. Devour! aims to inspire people to think differently about food and create a deeper connection to it.
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