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When Émilie Cuizine, the digital persona of Haitian-born creator Emilie Lafortune, took home the Public Choice Award at the Gala Dynastie, it signaled far more than an individual triumph. It was a cultural moment, affirming that her colorful recipes and personal journey had not only built an audience but also earned her a place among Quebec’s most celebrated voices.

For years, Gala Dynastie has stood as a platform to honor Black excellence in arts, culture, and media. By recognizing Émilie, the event amplified the role of food and culinary storytelling within this conversation, highlighting how cuisine can act as both art form and cultural bridge.

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From necessity to passion

Émilie’s story has always been one of resilience. Growing up in Haiti, she began cooking at the age of eight out of necessity, feeding her siblings in the absence of her mother. Later, while working in Argentina’s restaurant scene, she transformed that responsibility into a genuine passion. By the time she arrived in Quebec in 2021, she carried not only technical skill but also a creative lens shaped by multiple cultures.

Her breakthrough came almost by accident: short recipe videos filmed in her kitchen went viral on TikTok and Instagram, quickly attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers. Within weeks, Émilie Cuizine was a name circulating in Quebec’s digital culture, and within months, she was speaking to an audience that now numbers in the millions.

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Why the Gala Dynastie matters

Winning the Public Choice Award at the Gala Dynastie validated this trajectory. Unlike juried prizes, the award reflected the voices of the very people who watch, share, and recreate her recipes. It demonstrated that her community is not passive but engaged, loyal, and ready to elevate her success to new heights.

In her acceptance speech, Émilie spoke of building her “dynasty” through food and passion, a phrase that resonated widely. The word choice was fitting: her influence now extends beyond recipes to a larger narrative of heritage, identity, and perseverance.

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A recognition that fuels new projects

Since her award, Émilie has expanded her creative universe. Her cookbook, Le goût des Caraïbes, offers fresh, elegant takes on Caribbean staples, while her line of sauces and marinades, Le goût de ça, translates her culinary style into products for everyday kitchens. The Gala Dynastie win gave these projects greater visibility, framing them as extensions of a creator whose impact is both digital and cultural.

The recognition also reinforced her dual mission: to make Caribbean cuisine more accessible to Quebec audiences and to honor her Haitian roots. In a province where food increasingly reflects global diversity, Émilie embodies the bridge between tradition and reinvention.

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More than a trophy

Ultimately, Émilie Cuizine’s Gala Dynastie award is not just a milestone in her career—it is a reflection of changing currents in Quebec’s cultural life. It shows that culinary creators can command the same stage as musicians, filmmakers, and media personalities, and that the public is eager to celebrate diverse stories of resilience and creativity.

For Émilie, the award was both recognition and responsibility: proof that her community believes in her and that her recipes carry meaning far beyond the plate. For Quebec, it was a reminder that food is more than sustenance—it is history, storytelling, and identity, served one recipe at a time.

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