We had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Forage PEI this week and was so inspired by the island’s investment in culinary tourism.
The conference started off with welcome remarks by Forage PEI co-chair Jeff McCourt, Premier of PEI Hon. Wade MacLauchlan and Kent Thompson of Food Island Partnership and went right into a panel discussion moderated by Chef Michael Smith on Creating Influence featuring Dennis Prescott, Kayla Short, Al Douglas and Chef Todd Perrin.
Chef Amanda Cohen from Dirt Candy NYC spoke on trials, tribulations and triumphs of being a woman in culinary, which was followed by a fantastic lobster roll lunch prepared by students from the Culinary Institute of Canada.
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The one of the most anticipated panel discussions of the event was saved for the end – 420 Flavours. With cannabis being legal in Canada for just a day-and-a-half, and everyone in the food industry has thought of or heard about the opportunity of edibles, infused products and/or cannabis dinners. The panel discussed what companies are doing, opportunities and challenges, the regulatory system and the future of the industry and was moderated by Bryan Inglis (CEO, Food Island Partnership) and included Chef John MacNeil (Retreat Edibles), Dr. Bob Chapman (Chief Operating Officer, Dosecann), Alex Smith (CFO & VP of Canada’s Island Garden/FIGR East) and Peter Crooks (Chief Product Innovation Officer, Dosecann).
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The following day, we had the most incredible experience with conference delegates at The Inn at Bay Fortune hosted by Chef Michael Smith and his friends.
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A truly unforgettable experience, we are humbled by the amazing people we had the pleasure of meeting and look forward to our next visit to the Island.