Today we’d like to introduce you to Fabrice Armand.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My business partner and I both came from the event world and met while we were doing renowned events in NYC. Over the years, we had always admired each other’s work and always wanted to work with each other in the future. The opportunity finally came when we met up to have a conversation about food, events, festivals, and the issues in the food world. We decided to come together and create a festival that we believe would address a void and would provide a platform for chefs of color. We did about a year of research in order to create what people know today as the Creole Food Festival. After our 1st year of research, we launched the Creole Food Festival in New York City, then we branched out to New Orleans, Miami, and Atlanta. We are where we are today through creativity, hard work, investing our savings, and being true to our mission. Our festival is unique because we focus on the chefs, their talent, their creativity, and the culture they represent. Our festival takes you on a journey to these countries without you ever having to take a flight.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been far from a smooth road. Despite the simple fact that our festival is unique, and is the only one of its kind, we have heard the gamut of excuses from our outreach to brands. Many companies claim that they believe in diversity and inclusion, but the truth of the matter is most of them will make black brands go through hoops to gain support while our white counterparts can receive support just for their uniqueness.
In spite of their lack of support, we have hosted the Creole Food Festival in 4 cities. We continue to showcase the diversity and talent of chefs from Africa, the Caribbean Latin America, South America, and the South of the US. The Chefs we highlight are a mixture of award-winning and up-an coming talents. They also represent the authenticity of their culture and we are proud of that. The other challenge we faced is in acquiring venues at reasonable prices that fit our aesthetic and our mission.
As you know, we’re big fans of Creole Food Festival. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The CREOLE FOOD FESTIVAL is THE ONLY food festival that connects Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, South America, and the South of the US. We created the creole food festival because we know that black and brown chefs have to work 5 times as hard to gain the notoriety of their white counterparts. We believe in educating the world about the flavors of these creole countries.
We have hosted the Creole Food Festival in New York, Miami, New Orleans, and Atlanta. We are also trying to expand in DC and Houston in 2023. We are most proud of the simple fact that we are creating a platform for Black and Brown chefs to showcase their creativity and talent.
Look to see and discover participating tourism boards, rising star chefs, beverage connoisseurs, and bartenders providing signature NYCCFF drinks, sample dishes, cooking demos, and much more for black and brown chefs.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The most important characteristic has been perseverance. We believe in creating a platform that will continue to elevate our culture. We are in this for the long term and want this festival to be around for decades. The other important component of our success has been the support of the chefs we have featured. These chefs have adhered to our vision and supported us by tying their names and reputation to our festival. We are also grateful to our team. We have a team of individuals who are committed and believe in our mission of creating a platform to showcase the talents of these talented black and brown chefs.
Pricing:
- General Admission $45
- VIP Admission $85
- Standard Admission $55
- Standard VIP $95
Contact Info:
- Website: www.creolefoodfestival.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creolefoodfest/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreoleFoodFestival
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5CUaMSs-OA&t=9s
Image Credits
Theodore Samuels Jonathan Cooper
