Celebrating New Brunswick’s Food Ecosystem at the First-Ever Eating Heritage Food Tourism Symposium

Disclosure: My PR company, Crystal Richard & Co. led all PR efforts for Eating Heritage, however, all opinions in this post are my own.

Once upon a time in my life, I thought one had to travel to big cities in far off places to be fed by award-winning chefs and to dine on some of the best caviar and oysters.

Boy, was I wrong.

On November 4th to November 6th, 150+ food lovers and media gathered in my home surf of Dieppe, New Brunswick to celebrate exactly that: our otherworldly food ecosystem right here in New Brunswick.

Eating Heritage Food Tourism Symposium was an event to remember and I was so thrilled to be a part of the magic. Today, I’m excited to share a behind the scenes look at this three-day event.

THE OYSTER TRAIL

One of the most interactive parts of Eating Heritage was the Food Tourism Experience tours. Attendees could choose between an Oyster, Wine or Beer Trail. I’m sure you don’t have to guess which one an oyster-obsessed mermaid like me chose.

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The oyster trail kicked off with delicious oyster shooters before we boarded the bus to the coastal area of Cocagne and Bouctouche, New Brunswick for an afternoon of oyster sampling and so many good eats.

From delicious fresh from the sea oysters shucked at Acadian Hatchery Inc. to an oyster sampling at the Bouctouche Dune Eco Center. We ate SO many oysters before ending the tour at the Bouctouche Farmer’s Market for… you guessed it… MORE OYSTERS.

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Oyster Rockefeller to Oyster Stew to Caesars made from a homemade “Clamato” blend of tomato juice (made with local tomatoes) and oysters in lieu of clams. It was SO good.

And of course, my dream came true when I had the chance to try oyster with caviar, compliments of Cornell from Acadian Sturgeon and Caviar.

Read more about my visit to Carters Point here.

THE OPENING PARTY

Held at Resurgo Place in Moncton, the Eating Heritage Opening Reception was the place to see and be seen.

It featured incredible bite-sized dishes by Chef Alex Haun of Kingsbrea Garden – one of my St. Andrews faves in the summer! My absolute favourite were these cream cheese filled cones topped with caviar.

THE FOOD TOURISM SYMPOSIUM CONFERENCE

While I spent much of the day behind the scenes brokering last-minute media interviews with speakers and guests, the conference portion of the event was loved by all who attended.

The meals throughout the day were spectacular. My favourites were the snack bar with maple sugar coated EVERYTHING by Sophie from the Kitchen Gourmet and lunch—a feast prepared by Sebastien of Le Moque Tortue in Shediac.

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I LOVED the Alice in Wonderland vibe.

Of course, the Matty Matheson Keynote at the end of the day was the perfect way to wrap up an incredible full day of conversations about our food and travel ecosystem here in New Brunswick. He was HILARIOUS.

THE REALLY LOCAL FEAST

The saying ‘save the best for last’ is, in my opinion, the best way to describe the final day at Eating Heritage.

Organized in partnership with the team at Red Rock Adventure and invite-only, the Really Local Feast, off-the-grid culinary experience was an adventure all attendees will be talking about for a long time to come.

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The feast was held outdoors in the historic Fort Beauséjour which made for the most incredible experience. It featured dishes by Chef Pierre Richard of Little Louis, Chef Gene Cormier of Euston Park and Clos, and Chef Michel Savoie of les Brumes du Coude.

From freshly shucked oysters tucked in a hidden fort tunnel to delicious stuffed duck confit squash and lamb stew—these dishes were easily some of my faves from the event.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for more off-the-grid dining adventures in New Brunswick in 2020 from the team at Red Rock Adventure.

A huge congratulations to all of the team on pulling off an AMAZING event and thank you for making me a part of it. It was a career highlight.