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Black Chefs Food News

Creole Food Festival Puts Spotlight on Creole Cuisine at NYC Kickoff

By V. Sheree Williams
/
August 5, 2021
       
Creole Food Festival founders Elkhair Balla and Fabrice Armand with Pleasure P (center)
Pictured: Creole Food Festival co-founders Elkhair Balla (left) and Fabrice Armand (right) with Pleasure P (center) | Photo credit: Theodore Samuels
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The first and only Creole Food Festival is back for its 3rd year after a brief hiatus due to the pandemic. The four-city festival will kick off in New York City with weekend festivities and Creole cuisine starting on Saturday, August 7, 2021, at Skinny’s Cantina on the Hudson, located at 701 West 133rd Street.

The 6,500 square feet bi-level indoor and outdoor venue will showcase top Creole chefs of color from multiple continents over a two-day immersive culinary experience with authentic Creole cuisine from the Caribbean, South America, Africa, Latin America and the Southern United States.

Attendees enjoying creole cuisine at the Creole Food Festival
Pictured: Attendees enjoying food at a past Creole Food Festival | Photo credit: Theodore Samuels

“The Creole Food Festival uses culinary excellence as a unifying thread amongst chefs and restaurants from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Southern United States.

We founded the Creole Food Festival in order to provide a platform for Black and Brown chefs to display their talent and creativity while adhering to the authenticity of their respective regions,” says Fabrice J. Armand, co-founder of the festival.

Diversity of Creole Cuisine on Display

Over the course of two days, food enthusiasts can enjoy bites from celebrity chefs to include “Top Chef” contestant and author Gregory Gourdet (Haiti) and Todd Richards (USA) along with chefs Rudy Straker (Barbados and Cuba), Gabriela Ramos (Puerto Rico), Eugenie Mbongo (Cameroon), Kevin Fernandez (Dominican Republic), Thiago Silva (Brazil) and Kamal Hoyte (St. Vincent).

For the last three years, this sold-out event has brought hundreds of guests together to experience the best of Creole cuisines and beverages. While attending, guests will sample dishes created specifically for the festival along with having the opportunity to interact with the chefs to learn more about the dishes and ingredients.

Creole cuisine served at a past Creole Food Festival
Pictured: Dish served at a past Creole Food Festival | Photo credit: Theodore Samuels

RELATED: Musician Andre Thierry Carries the Torch for Creole Culture and Traditions

“The Creole Food Festival uses culinary excellence as a unifying thread amongst chefs and restaurants from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Southern United States. We founded the Creole Food Festival in order to provide a platform for Black and brown chefs to display their talent and creativity while adhering to the authenticity of their respective region,” shares Armand.

Creole cuisine is a style of cooking that blends French, Spanish, West and North African, Amerindian, Haitian and Portuguese influences. This annual festival aims to create a lasting tradition of showcasing the best of the cuisine, with a focus on its historical and cultural influences that tie these various regions together.

Taking the festival on the road, future stops will include Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Miami. Tickets for New York City are available on Eventbrite starting at $55.

For more information about the Creole Food Festival, visit the website and also following along in Instagram for weekend highlights.

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