Devour! Opening Gala Film: Sorry We’re Closed

The voice of the independent restaurateur is seldom heard, yet the restaurant industry is the second largest employer in the United States and the heart of any city. In the summer of 2020, when restaurants are doubly hit hard by COVID-19 and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, Chef Elizabeth Falkner sets out across the country to check in with her renowned chef and restaurateur colleagues. Former restaurant owner, award-winning chef, and lifelong activist, she wants to know how they are coping with the impossible task of keeping their doors open.

Director Pete Ferriero and Chef Elizabeth Falkner will be in attendance and will participate in a post-screening Q&A with festival host Bob Blumer.

On this special evening, we will also screen and award the youth winner of the Nourish Nova Scotia Food & Film Challenge, where we invited children and youth of all ages to make a short film about Everybody Eats: The Power of Plants. The winner will receive a $500.00 prize from Nourish Nova Scotia to support a healthy eating program or initiative in their school/community, as well as $500.00 in equipment from CBC. To enter a film in the competition, click here.

Ticket Price: $25.00

Sponsored by CBC Atlantic and The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia

Pete Ferriero, Director

Pete Ferriero is the director of the 2021 documentary film Her Name Is Chef (Hulu). It was inspired by a first-hand experience Ferriero had at a New Jersey female-owned restaurant, in which the owner was struggling to prove herself to her male counterparts. In the film, Ferriero tackles the topic of gender equality in a male-dominated industry through the eyes of “six bad-ass, inspiring, sheroes of the kitchen”. The film has garnered wonderful press from numerous shows and publications including Good Morning America, People, Bustle, and more. Ferriero’s directorial debut was the 2017 documentary film The Price of Fame, where he explored the struggles of fame and faith inside the colourful world of professional wrestling. The film screened in 650 theatres for one night as a part of a Fathom Event. In addition, the film trended on Amazon and iTunes when it was released digitally. @peterferriero

Elizabeth Falkner

Celebrated Chef Elizabeth Falkner was born in San Francisco, grew up in Los Angeles, and worked her way up in San Francisco’s top kitchens before opening her first restaurant, Citizen Cake, in 1997. A decade later, she opened four more restaurants in San Francisco and New York. Today, she does recipe development and consults on numerous products and brands. A long-time member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs—serving as president from 2014 to 2015 and again from 2019 to 2020—Chef Falkner continues to compete and judge on many television cooking-competition programs including Tournament of Champions, Iron Chef, Next Iron Chef, Top Chef Masters, and more for the Food Network, Cooking Channel, Bravo, and NBC, and has made appearances on many other shows. She loves to teach about the importance of creativity in cooking, is an inspiring public speaker, and has cooked and spoken all over the United States, Asia, and Europe. Her style of cuisine is globally inspired and she cooks both savoury and sweet, traditional and modern. @cheffalkner

Bob Blumer, Host

Gastronaut, author, and 8X Guinness World Record holder Bob Blumer is best known as the creator and host of Food Network’s award-winning shows Surreal Gourmet, Glutton for Punishment, and World’s Weirdest Restaurants. He has written seven cookbooks—transforming ordinary ingredients into wow-inspiring dishes through simple cooking methods and whimsical presentations that have become his culinary trademark. The Globe and Mail called his most recent book, Flavorbomb: a rogue guide to making everything taste better, “a crash course in becoming a better, bolder cook”. Bob is a long-term ambassador for Second Harvest, a perishable food bank, and an ambassador for Love Food/Hate Waste, a national Canadian zero-waste initiative. Bob documents his love of food, travel, and Wolfville on Instagram. You can stalk him @bobblumer.