Star Café welcomes in a new owner and new ideas
After 16 years, Star Café has switched hands and is now under the direction of a new owner, Patrick Plouffe.
Plouffe was born in Granby and started cooking as a young teenager. It was a natural path for him as he had family in the business.
He worked as a chef in France for a couple of years before starting as a chef at Le Quartier Général in Montreal. They had good reviews and despite still being quite young Plouffe was able to increase his reach and reputation quite a bit. He then went to cook in Spain where he learned some interesting gastronomical skills, like how to cook an octopus.
He then went back to Montreal to work at the well-known white table restaurant Chez L’épicier. Not wanting to raise a family in Montreal, Plouffe and his wife moved back to this region. He is now in his third year as executive chef at the Knowlton golf club.
With three kids under four years old, a full-time job at the golf club during the on-season, and now being the new owner and chef of Star Café, Plouffe has a lot on his plate.
Still, he is definitely where he wants to be.
Plouffe has a philosophy when it comes to cooking food. He explained that when he starts to make a dish he is humbled by the fact that, in his mind, he is not the most important part of the process. The process that comes before the food is prepared is what is crucial, he explained, the process of raising the animals or growing the produce.
“This is more important than how it will be prepared,” he continued, “The real farms are the backbone of the industry and it is my job to present the food the best way it can be prepared.”
He considers his role to be recreating the relationships that exist between people, animals, and environments when food is raised or grown on a farm.
“There’s a big difference for me when you know first hand how things are raised,” he explained, “There’s a
bonus when you cook it when knowing those things, it gives you a lot of options.”
“When you have a real relationship with the producer, it’s not a selfish process, it’s a real partnership.”
These values are very important for Plouffe and they contribute to why he is so passionate about locally sourced ingredients and the support of local businesses.
“Things that are not local or ethical should come with warnings,” he said, “Food that is organic shouldn’t have to be labelled because it should be local, ethical and organic.”
“That’s what I’m fighting against in my own kind of community, in this restaurant.”
Plouffe worked as the chef at the Restaurant Sapin in Knowlton which described itself as the “cuisine du village” and the menu was very centred around local products.
Plouffe wants to bring that same energy into Star Café.
“It is the ‘cuisine du village’” he said of his new restaurant, “It’s the centre of the village and I try to link with the producers around me. It’s local.”
“I want to make the restaurant a place where people can recognize their region and their village.”
Plouffe explained that next year, in September or October, Star Café will be changing names and brand.
“I want to keep the spirit,” he added, “I want customers to come and spend time here and have shows outside, I want it to be more than a restaurant.”
When asked about taking over a restaurant in a red zone, Plouffe was unperturbed.
“There’s always something, it’s never the perfect timing,” he explained, “it’s just a bigger mountain to climb.”
It is a matter of perseverance for Plouffe. He added, “It is a life project, it’s long term.”
Plouffe has big dreams for the inner workings of the restaurant as well, which has suffered from a lack of staff for many months.
“The goal is to make everyone feel like they’re part of the project,” he explained, “I want to create a little world in this business with good values of equality and solidarity, following the values we grew up with. It’s a little poetic but I want to try.”
Plouffe is thankful for what previous owner Richard Pilon had created with Star Café.
“He built it, made it possible. He deserves all the respect, all the admiration.”
Star Café, as it will remain for the time being, is offering take-out while the region stays red. They are open Wednesday to Sunday with an adapted menu and hours.
With commitments to offer delicious and local food, chef Patrick Plouffe will no doubt breathe new life into an iconic Knowlton restaurant.