It takes a small town to raise a festival - Devour!

Picture this, Wolfville Nova Scotia October 217. It’s a sunny Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market. It’s also day four of the Devour food and film festival. I am standing outside the main door next to a tent where the Grills, Culinary School Takedown event is about to begin. It's a challenge to the students from the Nova Scotia Community College, George Brown College Chef School and the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts and they are taking turns grilling on Big Green Eggs. I'm standing in the lineup of people waiting to try “Cornairs” a strange but addictive twist on a Maritime favourite. DELISH! As I walk around inside with a cup of locally roasted coffee in one hand and a fresh peach and cheese Danish in the other I am mesmerized by the diversity of food stalls, how friendly everyone is and the amount of festival goers doing the same as me; simply taking a little time to truly enjoy the Farmer’s Market experience. Wolfville only has a population of 4200 people but during the festival close to 16,000 individuals are staying, eating and shopping, yet it still feels comfortable if you know what I mean. It's not overcrowded, people are super pleasant and the locals are truly happy to see us all here. 

I had a chance to sit and chat with Chef John Higgins who was attending his second Devour Festival. He is currently the Director of the George Brown Chef School in Toronto Ontario. He feels festivals like Devour are the grass roots of what cooking is all about. “We need to get back to teaching our children basic kitchen skills – how to sharpen and use a knife properly, use local ingredients to create simple but flavourful meals and how to cook using staples.” As he walks around the farmer’s market, fans stop him to take photos or tell him how much they enjoy watching him on Chopped Canada.  He has fallen in love with the people of Wolfville, their generosity and how dedicated they are to the success of the festival. “The greatness of this festival rests on the shoulders of all the volunteers that make it happen year after year. It’s because of the local merchants, the venues and the size of this town that Devour has this winning combination. I can’t even imagine trying to have something like this in Toronto, I just don’t think it would possess the same charm or magic as it does here in Wolfville. Interesting factoids about chef Higgins: He's from Glasgow, cooked for the Queen at Buckingham Palace when he was 19 and his comfort food is Indian cuisine. (No wonder I loved meeting this guy! :)

Another chef I had the opportunity to chat with is the owner of the Gannet Restaurant in Glasgow - Chef Peter McKenna (Are you noticing a trend here? I do love their accents, hehe). This was his first Devour appearance and it was an honour for him to be chosen as one of the celebrity chefs preparing the five course dinner to commemorate Jacques Pépin’s film, The Art of Craft. “I was quite taken aback with the friendliness and positivity of the people of Wolfville. I instantly felt at home and truly welcomed into the community. A festival like Devour is extremely important as it brings so many people together may it be culinary students just starting their own adventure (I remember how difficult that can be), festival attendants, volunteers or people from different industries which, for me is an opportunity to share my own personal experiences with people, because we all have something in common: A love for food and drink”. 

After Graham and I are done presenting sold out workshop: "Old Scotland to New Scotland in 6 glasses", we are off to the local pub called the Library. A couple of pints, a few laughs and a hearty meal for very affordable prices. 

Matt Jones was at the festival again this year and we attended his "It's 5 o'clock somewhere cocktail class. I'm not usually a fan of cocktails but Matt has changed the way I feel about those. Two in particular were made with a new to NS gin - Sipsmith London Dry Gin which I really like a LOT, so much so, a bottle came home with me! 

It’s now late Saturday night or early Sunday morning as we close down the Festival Lounge Gala. We walk back to our car parked on Elm Street when we notice some of the festival organizers and volunteers carrying boxes into the Farmer’s Market. “Preparing as much as we can for the luncheon tomorrow, hope to see you all there.”, one of them tells us with an enthusiastic grin. It’s 1:45am!? These people are truly devoted to the success of this festival and it shows.

I’m not sure if Michael Howell and Lia Rinaldo, Executive and Managing Directors, knew what they were actually creating seven years ago but what I do know for sure is that foodies and cinefiles from around the world are certainly grateful they had the vision to conceive a place where the two intertwine and creates one of the best places in the world where you can watch a great documentary, learn how to make homemade pasta then enjoy a star lit pop up cocktail party at a winery all in the same day. As another year of Devour comes to a close, we can only hope the organizers and town of Wolfville continue to raise the festival to new heights. 

Devour was the Michael and Lia's brainchild back in 2010. They chose Wolfville due to its proximity to Halifax but also because of its stunning backdrop, venues and historic theatres. Devour is now the leading international festival that not only showcases some of the best documentaries, short films or dramas the world has to offer but also the opportunity to experience hands on sessions through cooking demos, interesting food panels or delicious dinners with some of the best of the culinary world.  

This was my first Devour food and film festival and I really loved it. Don't get me wrong, going to whisky festivals is always exciting to me but having been to this type of festival opened my eyes just a little broader to the depth of people that are open to different and unique workshops. Wolfville and all it had to offer over the course of the 5 days was simply a cool place to be for 5. It had a little bit of everything with my passion peppered in there which is probably why I really did enjoy it so much. With several pop-ups taking place in the next few months, keep your eyes open all over the globe for Devour. 

I think Chef Higgins summed it up best when he said: “Respect tradition but embrace the future” so I can't wait to see what Michael and Lia have in store for next year.


Signed,

A more well rounded and appreciative Lassie

When whisky and poetry slam!

My wish for 2017 was that I would "do" more. I made a promise to myself that I would give back as much as was given to me, that I would expand my life experiences until I felt I was bursting because I would say yes, without hesitations, to the opportunities being presented to me.

In January I donated my time to a great fundraiser in my hometown called: Bolder taste for Boulder Art. It was quite the experience to link how a sculpture has the same humble beginning as a grain of barley. In the end both end up creating masterpieces for people to enjoy.

February came along and the Regional Library approached me to do a lecture series about whisky. No actual tastings involved, just a series of information sessions about all things whisky. I thought to myself, I can't imagine people would want to come to a whisky talk without whisky being poured? But... I was wrong. Completely wrong! It was the largest turnout the library had ever seen with their speakers series and I truly loved it.

Here we are March and my friend Matt Jones and I were scheduled to be presenting at the Nova Scotia Festival of Whisky from March 1-4. One late evening as we were talking about upcoming events and what our itineraries were like for the next couple of months and he mentioned that a few friends were getting together for an evening of Spoken Word, graciously sponsored by Maker's Mark Bourbon. YES, without hesitations. There we are Thursday March the 2nd at the Company House in Halifax Nova Scotia. Intimate setting, candles, tables and plenty of other people there to listen and experience poetry. Sounds a bit floopy I'm sure to most, because I mean really how does whisky even remotely fit when it comes to poetry. To that I would say you would be mostly surprised how one really did go hand in hand with the other.

Let's start with the definition of Slam Poetry: An intense blend of written verse mixed with stage performance - and a stop watch.  There are no props, no music, just a speaker on stage with their own voice and words. There is authenticity, rawness and it takes time to not only compose each piece but to perfect it.  Sound familiar to whisky?  I think so in many ways...

The evening began with a young, somewhat shy but humorous man by the name of Andre Fenton. Wise beyond his 21 years of age. He was one of only two participants from the east coast to attend the National Slam Poetry Competition in Vancouver in 2016. Andre, stepped up to the microphone, apologetic in nature as he seemed to stumble on his own words to introduce himself. "I wrote a book", he almost whispered, "I'll be launching in March 31st across the street at Alteregos Café on Gottingen Street". I couldn't help but smile as I thought to myself, ahhhh we are starting with an up-and-comer who is still quite green behind the ears. Then... he began. The clarity of his speech, the cadence of his language and the movement of his body so in sync with the spoken words. I found myself leaning in, listening more than just intently, listening with purpose. This was not a young man of 21 years of age standing before us under a bright spotlight on a dark little stage at the Company House. This was an old soul who had lived, and seen and experienced life more intensely than most of us could ever imagine.



Mr. Andre Fenton - East coast poet

His book, Ode to Teen Angst, is a 43 page compilation of 10 of his favourite poems. My favourite of the evening was clearly the letter to his 10 year old self. Witty, dirty, truths about growing up, truth about depression, being bullied, being scared about the changes to come but with the advice to always hang on, dream big and trust that it's all good. 

http://signalhfx.ca/spoken-word-poet-publishes-ode-to-teen-angst/

I read in the interview where he stated: "Some of the topics in the book aren't really relatable to everybody". I would tend to disagree somewhat. He talks about the life in the "customer service" world, he talks about life lessons, love and mental illness. "Like I'm running through a grass field with the girl of my dreams or like I'm looking through at the stars trying to solve all the galaxy's mysteries".  His poem Unapologetic is an eye opening piece about racism. Something I have never experienced in my 50 years of my life. I will never understand how that feels or looks like but through Andre's eyes. I see the un-relatable side of his teenage years versus mine...

Andre's book is available by contacting him at andre.fenton@live.ca

The $15 is not only worth every loonie, it's like the best little book a teenager should read, in my opinion. Nothing speaks louder than the words of someone else going through the exact same thing as yourself.  Thank you Andre for putting those words to paper and allowing the world to look in and share those moments with you.

Up next Martha, "just" Martha... no last name. The little wisp of a long haired woman with nothing more than her cell phone in hand. An ode to a grandmother who had recently passed away. Her grief, love and respect poured out for all to see. Touching, special and meaningful to many in the room as I watched how they nodded when certain words tugged at their own heart strings. How stupid we are in our youth to not realize the importance of our elders. It is all too late that we see how they shape and mould us into the adults we become. Her poem about marriage is where I found myself nodding incessantly, smiling under my breathe. How lost a woman can feel when she sees friends around her marrying, meanwhile deep inside she thinks but what about "me"... Who is this me, and why do I have to rush into what society sees as the only goal for making it in the world. A husband... to have and to hold. Why, can't I simply have and hold myself until I know what it is I want? Wouldn't that make me a better partner in the end? Martha stood 7 feet tall on that stage and I, gracefully sat in her shadow and basked in the words. Again, baffled by the depth and grace that were beyond her years.

And then Mona Mousa steps up to the stage and the electricity is felt through the crowd as she unleashes immediately a foray of words from the hip and soul. Clever, polished and melodious. I watched as the body language was one with the spoken words. Ohhhh she's a veteran at this, and you can tell she loves how standing that the microphone transforms Mona to "The Poet Mona". She runs the gamut from powerful, sassy to vulnerable. Speaking words of frustration, defiance and then love. No pauses, no frills... Just a woman, her life and her ability to share those awkward and sometimes scary moments that all of us feel but would never have the guts to share, especially on stage in front of strangers.

"Picture this: There is a man that plays the piano like it's his job. To remind people that music is brutal and real love will make you sick. This man plays the piano like it's his lover."

"Kentucky: It's 3:27am in Lexington Kentucky, the night that taught me that I am not everything I know, she is 67 headed to a city made of towering skyscrapers for the first time. She said to me: She can't blame her because ain't nothing changes in Kentucky but the weather. She looked at me and said: Darling, I can tell you're hurting because no stranger to the south comes to Kentucky unless they have a bourbon craving, broken heart. Honey you can decorate abstinence whatever you want but it's still going to be obvious what's missing."

Her entire spoken album entitled Bourbon Darling is available online at mfmpoetry.bandcamp.com

Mona.. Spoken word poet, motivational speaker, comedian, heavily active in community, advocate for the empowerment of youth and whose mission in life is simple: Education and tolerance, no exceptions. Brilliant!

http://thepoetmona.com/

As the night wound to an end I came to a few quick conclusions about it all...  Poetry is not defined by age, nationality or content. What appears before you is nothing more than the outer shell and it's not until you let it open up that you discover the contents and the meaning inside. Some poets come in small unassuming packages where others are bold and exciting. There are some that you immediately are drawn to and you think to yourself, now... that was special.

I think you can see where I'm going with this. It's super easy to link my evening back to whisky for almost all the same reasons. Whisky, like poetry is art in most cases and it speaks to my heart and soul. I, once again, find myself speechless in how whisky has changed my life for the good, the best years of my life. I am, truly blessed.

At the end of the night, I went over and introduced myself to Andre. I didn't tell him how much his poetry touched me but I did buy his book. I have no doubt that thanks to people like Mona who believe and support the next generation of artists like Andre and Martha, these young and very talented people will continue to grow, excel and become the eloquent poets of tomorrow.

Huge thanks to Maker's Mark (cue the product placement joke - that's a personal one for Mona who does this part ooooh so well! ;) as well as Matt Jones for such a great experience. It was added value to the Nova Scotia Whisky Festival that I'm attending this week in Halifax.

What's next for this Lassie... a little adventure in whisky and chocolate pairings! Cue the moaning and giggles, errrr that was from me, not the people in the class (hehehe!)

Cheers,

The enlightened Lassie