Officials at the Fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton hope to turn the 18th-century fort into a modern-day foodie destination.

The fort already has a program around 18th-century chocolate, and has hosted a series of food and wine pairing dinners based on the types of wines the governor of Louisbourg had in his cellar.

And now with food travel shows so popular, the timing is right to expand, said marketing officer Mark Sajatovich.

"We were fortunate at the same time we were actually revamping and upgrading our product offer that the rest of the world seemed to be catching the same trend. Now we're sitting really at the forefront of historical culinary tourism," he said.

Last fall, Sajatovich arranged to take the wine pairing event on the road, to Fort York in Ontario.

Fortress historian Ann Marie Lane Jonah said the guest list was impressive, with more than 50 big names from the Canadian food and wine world taking part.

Jonah said one wine expert used a sabre to whack the end off a bottle of champagne.

"Everybody was very impressed," she said.

Sajatovich said the event was a success and he hopes to keep the momentum going.

This spring, the Fortress of Louisbourg will offer two three-day culinary workshops, which will be a cross between a cooking class and a history lesson.

Eventually, Sajatovich would like to work with provincial tourism officials to develop a "culinary trail" in Nova Scotia.