Creole Food Festival returns to celebrate diversity of Black food

The Creole Food Festival, a tasting event showcasing the diversity and creativity of chefs of color, is coming to Atlanta Utility Works in East Point on Aug. 24 and 25.

Returning after a year hiatus, Creole Food Festival is now a two-day event that features more than 17 chefs and caterers putting their spin on Creole dishes from Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, South America and the Southern U.S. The first in Atlanta was a one-day event featuring six chefs at Best End Brewing in 2022.

The festival, which visited New York and Miami earlier this year, and is planned for Washington, D.C. in October, includes cooking demonstrations, competitions, cocktails made with Black-owned spirits, meet-and-greets with chefs, musical performances, panels, and karaoke.

Fabrice J. Armand, the festival’s co-founder, launched the event in New York in 2018, hoping to spotlight veteran chefs and up-and-coming talent.

Credit: Jonathan Cooper

“Too often, Black and brown chefs have to work twice as hard to get the notoriety of their white counterparts. We wanted to showcase our talent and creativity because our food has been sidelined,” Armand said.

A native of Haiti, Armand wanted to show others that Creole food traveled not only from Haiti and New Orleans. “We wanted to connect the Diaspora. Atlanta, Charleston, Martinique, Guadalupe, Cape Verde, the Dominican Republic and some areas of Asia all have Creole food,” he said.

“Everyone knows about gumbo and roux but think about thieboudienne from Senegal, or pelau in Trinidad. We want to educate people on how it’s all over the place.”

Credit: Courtesy photo

On July 9, 2022, the Creole Food Festival made its Atlanta debut. Armand decided to take the following year off to find a major sponsor and bring on more chefs.

“Atlanta is a city that is open to, celebrates culture, and is always for us by us, but we wanted to showcase the best and the brightest talent that we have,” Armand said.

Chefs Stephan Durand, Todd Richards and Robert Butts were brought on to help plan the Atlanta event and identify talent.

“Atlanta has the biggest roster we’ve ever done as of yet. We want every chef to take a look at where they come from and celebrate that through their food,” Durand said.

Butts, former executive chef for Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours , said this year he wanted to give different chefs a chance.

“Atlanta has a lot more to say,” Butts said. “There’s a new crop of chefs emerging, we wanted to show what they do, and have fun with it.”

Richards, a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2008 and 2013, said guests get to see chefs collaborate with each other at each table.

Credit: Clay Williams

“This festival is home for me,” he said.

Dayna Joseph, a French-trained chef and native of Haiti who helped open Afro-Caribbean restaurants Rock Steady and Apt. 4B, is among the new chefs. For Creole Food Festival she’s preparing curry goat dumplings with coconut curry sauce.

The private chef and caterer said the festival highlights female representation in Creole food. “The people that cook are usually inspired by the women in their families. It’s not just a boy’s game to show techniques and different kinds of food,” Joseph stated.

Credit: Jonathan Cooper

The Creole Food Festival was born in 2014 in New York City when Armand and his business partner, Elkhair Balla, invested money into creating an elevated cultural food festival.

Their first event only had five chefs but left a strong impression on those who attended, Armand said.

“People were saying the festival brings them back home, reminds them of their grandmother, and transports them to other countries without taking a flight. They started supporting the restaurants, caterers and other brands from the exposure.”

But creating the festival came with challenges. They struggled with securing major sponsorship and media coverage to help promote the event. Plans to produce the festival in Houston, Chicago and Oakland were dropped because of inadequate resources and funding. But Armand and Balla persisted.

“We are the little engine that could. We bartered, created partnerships, and got chefs as allies to use their reputations to push the festival,” he said.

Credit: Jonathan Cooper

Joseph said Creole Food Festival brings more awareness to the cuisine .

“Creole is not just Cajun and more than just your typical crawfish boil or étouffée,” she said. “There’s a lot more layers.”

2-7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 and Sunday, August 25. Atlanta Utility Works, 2903 RN Martin Street, Suite R, East Point. 470-382-5435. Eventbrite

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