Terroir x Candide Pralines
CREATIVE COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITIES
We were so happy to finish off 2019 with a festive gift linking the Terroir community of producers together in one unique offering!
In partnership with Berlin's Candide artisan chocolate manufacturer, this holiday box of custom chocolates was made using cacao sourced through direct trade. Candide’s chef, Daniel Budde, then handcrafted a set of pralines which supported and celebrated the network of Terroir producers including:
- Tuscan olive oil from Castello di Potentino
- Sea salt from Newfoundland Salt Company
- Tea sourced by Rare Tea Company from Alexander Kay in Malawi
- Maple Sugar from New Brunswick Association of Maple Syrup Producers
Proceeds from the chocolate sales will go towards supporting future Terroir programs, continuing to promote a path of sustainable and ethical practices within our hospitality community.
THE STORY:
Artist Statement
To bring this illustration to life, I closed my eyes and imagined I had a morsel of this marvellous chocolate in my mouth.
Every taste I experienced brought with it a sense of place. Transported, I felt a connection to the earth that went far beyond this illusory moment, and soon a voice with a story to tell came to me.
I call this drawing Earth's Storyteller.
Her mouth is the symbol of Terroir. She is tasting, and she is sharing her taste experience with all of us.
The sprouting stem you see in her throat arises from the earth beneath her. It represents ongoing and growing conversation, but also a vital connection to where our food comes from. This image of a thriving agricultural landscape, grown from the tiniest seed, is a symbolic plant that points to the North, South, West and East. It is the expansive reach of her efforts and her commitment to the land. From her heart centre, she is reaching the farthest corners of the earth, and what she cultivates provides nourishment and revitalization. We understand that without this, life is not sustainable.
Beneath, we see the ripple effect of a healthy ecosystem. The curved lines represent ongoing regeneration (regenerative agriculture). Straight beams extend beyond the page, enriching the soil. These beams are the power in us that we can use to nourish, regenerate, rejuvenate, sustain, and extend the life of our planet.
The Terroir logo on her shoulders represents the responsibility we carry. Each symbol has been turned slightly to show different colours on top that illustrate diversity, inclusiveness, and biodiversity as part of the storyteller's journey. Her shoulders lift to the East where the sun rises—all her efforts will bring to life a new day.
The bee is a symbol of resilience, hard work, commitment, and hope. Bees are resourceful, and so are humans. The bee is transparent, to show that while bees are threatened and at significant risk of fading away from us, there is hope. I believe we will do what is needed to revive our planet for the future.
Above her head, day and night express a source of energy that comes from the cycle of our universe. The night sky, filled with constellations, acts as a guide and provides her with cues for sustainable natural agricultural practices. The sunbeams brightly shine and support life on earth.
The line extending through her from day and night and down to the soil is a lifeline. We are like this line, threaded into and a part of this cycle. It is where her stories come from. It's where all our stories come from.
Earth's Storyteller.
She is the voice of Terroir. She is the voice of our connection to the earth, to each other, and to where food comes from.
And she is you.
My style for this commission:
I thought of this as a contemporary kind of woven tapestry hanging somewhere in a big space and drowning out the noise around it. Or, like a massive work of graffiti, painted boldly and brightly on a city wall in a busy intersection.
Tapestry and graffiti as art forms are storytellers that invite you to dive right in. When Arlene commissioned this work, she expressed her commitment to building community, connection, collaboration, and gastrodiplomacy with the work she is doing internationally. With this in mind, it was natural for me to think in terms of images that are not stagnant but active so that the viewer gets to participate in the expression not only by observing but by comfortably finding their voice within, and as a big part of the story.
By Voula Halliday.
