Hometown Glory

SPRING IS A lovely time to be in Ottawa, as we welcome warm weather and sunshine, flower baskets and fiddleheads in the Byward Market, and restaurant patios opening for business. There's another reason to be particularly proud of our town this season. Chef Yannick LaSalle of Les Fougères restaurant in Chelsea, QC, representing Ottawa/Gatineau at the 2019 Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna, brought home the Gold Medal. Residents of the capital city only need to cross the Ottawa river in order to enjoy the fabulous food coming out of our neighbouring province, including the Eastern Townships duck and Quebec-grown saffron that featured in LaSalle's winning dish. And although we had no inkling of LaSalle's win when planning our cover story for this issue, you can read a whole lot more about Quebec's culinary treasures by following Susie Ellison's road trip on the southern side of the St Lawrence river. We're also proud to acknowledge another Ottawa chef's achievement in this issue — publication of the book Atelier by Marc Lepine. Lepine won gold at the Canadian Culinary Championships in 2012 and 2016, the only chef on the history of the competition to top the podium twice. Lepine is an inspiring chef and a master culinary technician who is rightfully ranked among the world's foremost practitioners of modernist cuisine. In our Bookshelf section, author, restaurant critic and culinary judge Anne DesBrisay reveals what it was like to work with Lepine on the production of Atelier and the lessons she learned along the way.

Happy reading — and may the sun be shining wherever you are!