Wolfville, N.S. (March 11, 2015) – The duo behind the world’s largest food film festival is looking forward to a busy spring. Devour! The Food Film Fest organizers Michael Howell and Lia Rinaldo are taking the show on the road to Hollywood later this month when they host Devour! Los Angeles – a pop-up event Nova Scotia kitchen party-style, promoting the fifth edition of the Wolfville festival slated for November.
“The past two years of our festival have demonstrated the power of the culinary traveller in building and sustaining tourism in Nova Scotia,” said Devour! executive director, Chef Michael Howell. “Each pop-up event that we host will continue to promote Wolfville as Canada’s Secret Foodie Destination and the culinary bounty of Kings County.”
Howell and Rinaldo are excited to present Devour! Los Angeles on April 2. Hosted by Food Network personality Bob Blumer and actor Jason Priestley (a Devour! board member) the event will provide industry guests with an imaginative culinary exploration of Canada’s Ocean Playground. Blumer (The Surreal Gourmet) and Howell, a well-regarded Canadian chef (Tempest, Wolfville NS) before assuming the helm at Devour!, will prepare dishes using a bountiful selection of Nova Scotia seafood from select sponsors. The event at Blumer’s home in the Hollywood Hills overlooking the famed sign will feature Benjamin Bridge’s Sparkling Wines, Domaine de Grand Pré’s Tidal Bay Wines and original cocktails prepared by Priestley, who will be tending bar with esteemed Beam Suntory Whiskey Ambassador, Matt Jones.
“Based on the success of past Devour! pop-ups, promoting the festival and Nova Scotia in the world’s largest film-based cities is a thrill,” said Rinaldo, Devour! managing director. “Recent coverage in The Hollywood Reporter and USA Today tells us there is significant interest in a festival of our calibre from experiential travellers and film industry types in Los Angeles.”
Prior to the L.A. event, Howell and Rinaldo will travel to one of the world’s preeminent wine valleys in Sonoma, California where Rinaldo has been invited to be a member of the jury at the Sonoma International Film Festival from March 25-29.
The 2014 edition of Devour! The Food Film Fest garnered serious attention from world media with the attendance of CNN host Anthony Bourdain (Parts Unknown) who officially opened the event by curating his favourite food film at the Opening Night Gala. The program consisted of over 50 new food and wine films from around the world, 30 chefs, many visiting filmmakers and industry guests, 14 workshops, 13 tasting tours, more than a dozen dinners, parties and events.
This past year, Devour! The Food Film Fest has received significant accolades including being named the 2014 Gary McDonald Culinary Ambassadors of the Year at the Taste of Nova Scotia Prestige Awards, making The Chronicle Herald’s 2014 Arts & Life Honour Roll for the second year in a row, listed in Vacay.ca’s 20 Best Places to Visit in Canada for 2015 and being named to EatNorth’s 8 Things We’re Excited to See Happen in 2015 list. Most recently, festival organizers were asked to put together a special program for the 37th Annual Conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) in Washington, D.C. Six short films selected by Howell and Rinaldo are included in the program called Feast Your Eyes! on March 27 in support of The Culinary Trust, Devour!’s newest partner. Co-founded by Julia Child, The Culinary Trust is the philanthropic foundation of the IACP.
The fifth edition of Devour! The Food Film Fest will be held from November 4-8, 2015. For more information on Devour! The Food Film Fest, 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 fifth edition of Devour! The Food Film Fest is slated for November 4-8, 2015.
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
