At the Table: A Conversation on Food Equity and Resistance
At the Table: A Conversation on Food Equity and Resistance
Date: November 22, 1pm to 3pm
Location: Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design
Local food and beverages provided
Grab a seat at the table in Counter Culture to participate in a panel discussion and community talk-back session to explore the vital connections between local food systems, cultural preservation, and food equity. Inspired by sowing the Seeds of Resistance, this event brings together three leaders in Cape Breton’s sustainable food movement to discuss what it means to know your food—from seed to plate featuring Grant McNeil (Mad Macs Farm), Estelle Levangie (Thyme for Ewe Farm), and Robert Gould (Kitchen1409)
This conversation is a full circle of food to table, which brings together farmers, distributors, and chef as dedicated food advocates exploring the most urgent questions facing our food systems today. Panelists will share their organizational missions and discuss how they’re preserving food culture while navigating multiple crises, from climate change and economic instability to poverty and the industrialization of food production.
Together, we’ll examine what constitutes “seeds of resistance” in our current food landscape asking, “Why does organic matter? How has ultra-processed food distorted our understanding of nourishment? What cultural knowledge—particularly Indigenous ways of knowing—has been erased, and how can we reclaim it?”
The panel will address the craft and tradition of bringing food to our tables, the cultural significance of what and how we eat, and why the “farm to table” connection remains difficult for many to grasp despite its fundamental importance.
Following presentations from each panelist, join an open roundtable Q&A where attendees can contribute to this essential conversation about sustaining and feeding our communities with integrity, knowledge, and equity.
Mad Macs Farm is a small-scale mixed farm located on The Morrison Road. They offer forest-raised pork, certified free-range pastured chicken, as well as high-quality, spray-free produce from our market garden. They strive to increase access to delicious, locally produced meat and vegetables in Cape Breton.
Thyme for Ewe Farm is a dedicated farmer providing local communities with pastured meat, organic vegetables, and herbs, demonstrating the importance of regenerative agricultural practices.
Kitchen 1409 Mi’kmaw Chef Robert Gould, originally from Pictou Landing, NS, now calls North Sydney home. Before studying culinary arts at NSCC Marconi in 2011, he spent a decade fishing—an experience that deepened his understanding of local seafood and his Mi’kmaq heritage. Those years taught him respect for the ocean’s rhythms and traditional knowledge, lessons that now inform every dish he creates.
Robert is committed to sharing his culture with his community. He teaches traditional foods to youth at reserves, elder gatherings, and community events. Beyond the kitchen, he leads Mi’kmaq craft classes, teaching children to make dreamcatchers and bracelets using skills learned from his mom, aunties, and uncles. A proud father, chef, and Mi’kmaq man, Robert remains dedicated to preserving and passing on his heritage.
To register on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/at-the-table-a-conversation-on-food-equity-and-resistance-tickets-1871237956099?aff=oddtdtcreator