It’s pronounced “aboot.” Not really, but many people think it is. It’s complicated.
The festival is the brainchild of local chef, food writer, and event creator Channon Russette-Mondoux and will be held at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place in downtown Kalamazoo on Saturday, September 21, 2024. She tells how the event got started here:
“When the pandemic hit, my sister and I were flying back from a vacation together. We parted at the airport, she went back to Windsor and I went on to Kalamazoo where I’ve been living for nearly 20 years. That was the last time I saw her or anyone I knew in Canada for nearly 3 years. My heart was broken. I missed my home, my friends, my family, my country. During that time many people expressed how much they loved Canada too. And so, as the pandemic began to wane I realized, I never wanted to not celebrate my native home again and thought that the world really does need more Canada!”
Fondly known as The Canadiana FestEH!val, the event was born of that missing home feeling of IF YOU CAN’T BRING THE GIRL TO CANADA, BRING CANADA TO THE GIRL! The festival will bring the Canadian values of music, food, culture, love and kindness to benefit two local charities that fight hunger and food insecurity and provide educational scholarships to students in the hospitality and culinary field.
The inaugural Canadiana Fest in 2023 raised over $8,300! This was distributed to five local food banks including South Michigan Food Bank, Rickman House, Loaves and Fishes, Kendall Street Pantry, and Ministry with Community. We provided 45,650 meals to those in need! We also contributed $500 to the Chef and Cooks Association educational scholarship fund. In 2024 we increased that amount to over $10,000!
The South Michigan Food Bank has grown from a small group of people believing in this mission to an organization that reaches thousands of people each year. They partner with 300+ agencies over eight Michigan counties to make sure that everyone has access to the nutrition they need to succeed. These agencies are organizations like schools, churches, and other nonprofits that run distribution sites for pantries, Fresh Food Distributions, and other programs.
The Chef and Cooks Association of Kalamazoo/Battle Creek (CCA KZ/BC) provides financial scholarships for culinary students, industry training for cooks and chefs, educational opportunities, and supports other organizations in our community
Social Media:
Facebook Canadiana Fest
Instagram canadiana_fest
Threads canadiana_fest
YouTube Canadiana Fest
About Canadiana Fest founder Channon Russette-Mondoux:
The Eclectic Kitchen with Channon Mondoux (Facebook)
Chef Channon (Instagram)