The October 23, 2019 Event: Devour! Food Film Festival aka DevourFest (Ninth edition) Opening Gala Reception (presented by Taste of Nova Scotia)

The Event: Devour! Food Film Festival aka DevourFest (Ninth edition) Opening Gala Reception (presented by Taste of Nova Scotia)

The Date and Time: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

The Venue: Acadia University, Fountain Commons, Wolfville Nova Scotia.

The Target Audience: well-wishers and foodies, gala lovers in their "fineries".

The Availability/Catalogue: In style, the Gala Reception was much like similar benefits in Toronto – a walk-around with beverage stations (wine, beer, cider and spirits) and food stations next to each other. It was the usual grazing pattern, except in our case, it is in the lovely autumn of Nova Scotia. So the beverages and the food were mostly available only locally. Still, the theme was Italian food and culture, and the invited restaurants did their amazing job in replicating Italian food.

The Quote/Background: This Opening Gala used to be part of a package with the Opening Gala Film, but recently the two got split (you could now do one or both), which suited our personal timetables better. My wife's account of some of the thought-provoking movies we saw at Devour is at http://scenesfromthejourney.blogspot.com/2019/10/devour-wolfville-ns.html

Eleven of Nova Scotia's finest chefs came together to create sensory explorations that celebrated local cuisine with an Italian theme. There may have been more food stations that I passed by.... But participating (and tasted) were:

-Martin Ruiz Salvador, Beach Pea Kitchen and Bar, Lunenberg, with his salt cod and celeriac cream with poached eggs, sourdough toast, lamb bacon and black garlic. This was my fave of the evening – I even went back for "seconds". He also did a nifty beef carpaccio. I would give him the "Award For Best Food Presented to an Outlander who Comes from Away". Last year he did an equally impressive tuna, squid, and oyster dish. www.beachpeakitchen.com

-Renee Lavallee, The Canteen, Darmouth NS with her duck liver parfait on housemade crackers and crabapple mustard. This was my wife's fave; she may have gone back for "seconds". In fact, last year Renee did a smoked beef brisket and she was the first to run out (everybody had to make 300 portions). Later that week, in a culinary workshop mt wife took, Renee replicated her duck parfait when she taught the class. Kudos all round. www.thecanteen.ca

-Matthew Krizan, Mateus Restaurant, Mahone Bay, with its pulled duck and dulse was a close second for both of us. Last year Krizan produced trout lox. www.mateusbistro.ca

-The Flying Apron Inn and Cookery did a crespelle and white truffle dish, and a potato confit. Last year, they had a ricotta mousse decorated with beauty berries.

-Lightfoot & Wolfville Winery did a pork belly with a sauerkraut chip

-Meadowbrook Meat Market presented Italian salumi such as a meatball sausage with feta cheese balls.

-Keeper's Kitchen did an amazing smoked haddock pate

-Acadia Dining Services gave us a great "breakfast" of egg salad and smoked salmon

-The Carleton had Nova Scotia smoked swordfish

-Agyler's Lodge did their cannellini beans and pancetta; last year it was its famed lobster-scallop-haddock seviche).

-Founders House came up with a beef striploin, bone marrow and truffle.

The Beverages:  Bottled natural mineral water came from Canada Geese of Nova Scotia. Drinks came from The Good Cheer Trail featuring Annapolis Cider Company (best: Crisp and Dry, and Earl Blue), Benjamin Bridge, L'Acadie Vineyards, Compass Distillers,  Sober Island Brewing Company (best: oyster stout), Lake City Cider (best: Nieforth Original, Darkside Dry), Boxing Rock Brewing Company (Double IPA was terrific, so was Daskai Keji Black IPA), and Solas Kombucha. I did not try all the the wines, and I had some of the beers/ciders (I really enjoyed Sober Island's Oyster Stout, made with 20 kilos of oysters inserted for 10 minutes into a tank), but I did not have any distilled spirits or cocktails.

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Benjamin Bridge Brut NV Methode Traditionnelle $27.99 NS

-L'Acadie Vineyards Vintage Cuvee Rose MT 2016  $30  NS

-L'Acadie Vineyards Vintage Cuvee MT 2017  $30  NS

-Lightfoot & Wolfville Rose 2018

 

***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (88 – 90 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Lightfoot & Wolfville Fauna Red

-Lightfoot & Wolfville Flora White

-Benjamin Bridge Tidal Bay 2018 $21.90 NS

The Downside: are you kidding? Maybe poorly amplified sound for the announcements and the tributes. It was hard to hear in the corners of the large room. Most attendees had to leave the Gala earlyish in order to get a seat at the film (the North American Premiere of "From the Vine", with Joe Pantoliano), which was followed by another cocktail party. My wife and I stayed with the Gala Reception, to visit more food and wine stations – we'll catch up with the movie later back in Toronto.

The upside: a great introduction to local Nova Scotia food and wine, and to keep an annual tab on the progress of the Nova Scotia wineries.

The Contact Person: lia@devourfest.com; michael@devourfest.com

The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 95.

Chimo! www.deantudor.com