By Gaëtan Vaudry
During our brief stay of a few days in the city of Saguenay, we couldn’t help but stop at Café Cambio on Racine East Street four or five times. Firstly, to enjoy the atmosphere of this downtown Chicoutimi solidarity cooperative, and secondly, to savor affordable and healthy dishes that showcase products from various local producers.
As soon as Virginie Simard-Dufour starts talking about the products available at this fair-trade and organic micro-roastery founded in March 2005, her eyes light up. She speaks passionately about the tireless teamwork of 32 members, including 10 worker-members: “
Under the label, we embody a vision of a better world—one where farmers and workers sit at the negotiating table as equals
,” proudly notes the service manager, restaurant coordinator, and barista.
Café Cambio, a key gathering spot for students from the Chicoutimi CEGEP and the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC), is also a venue for showcasing young Saguenay artists. The establishment regularly hosts art openings and intimate acoustic concerts of emerging music.
During my visit last November, I had the chance to enjoy some excellent dishes at this establishment, which was the brainchild of two young Montrealers and childhood friends, Guylaine Pelletier and Geneviève Demers. To start, I had a comforting mushroom soup, perfect for that time of year. I followed it with the spicy Bedi panini (Cajun-seasoned chicken, caramelized onions, spinach, mozzarella, and vegenaise), served with salad, corn chips, and salsa. For dessert, I enjoyed the daily special, all accompanied by one of their excellent fair-trade coffees. To my surprise, the bill for this delicious three-course meal was very affordable!
What also struck me during my first visit was their “Pay it Forward” concept, where customers can anonymously donate a soup or coffee to someone in need. Given the growing issue of homelessness in downtown Chicoutimi, this gesture of generosity is truly admirable and meaningful.
Café Cambio’s coffee and products are available at various points of sale across the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, including Chicoutimi, Jonquière, La Baie, Saint-Ambroise/Saint-Honoré, MRC Lac-Saint-Jean-Est, MRC Domaine-du-Roy, Bas-Saguenay, Saint-Fulgence/Sainte-Rose-du-Sacré-Cœur, Tadoussac, Les Bergeronnes, Les Escoumins, and even the Côte-Nord!
Café Cambio
414, rue Racine Est, Chicoutimi
418 549-7830
cafecambio.ca
They met in Québec through the Internet. Before social media as we know it. An electronic bulletin board. The 1990s. They were each there for different reasons, but not so different, it turned out.
Patrick Fournier hails from Dolbeau, the one before the merger. Sébastien Simard grew up in La Baie. They already had a regional connection before they even met. Even though everyone says Saguenay and Lac Saint-Jean are not alike, it was ultimately their shared love of cooking that truly brought them together.
Patrick took a professional cooking course in Fierbourg, Québec, in 1996. Sébastien was already making his start in restaurant kitchens. Then they both wanted something different: challenges on another level. They had already worked together in the kitchen on a few occasions. It was in Montréal that they found what they were looking for.
Patrick is adamant: he had known what he wanted to do for a long time. He wanted to gain the experience and autonomy to run a kitchen and everything that comes with it. As for Sébastien, he was lucky enough to have some rather satisfying professional experiences for a chef: first, two years with Jean-François Plante, considered an artist and a master of gastronomy, from whom he learned a great deal, then five years at the famous and opulent Mirage golf club in Terrebonne, owned at the time by René Angélil and Céline Dion, where Québec's elite, and even international elite, gathered at all times.
Then, at some point in 2020, a rather tempting offer arrived. The management of the Hôtel du Jardin in Saint-Félicien, Lac Saint-Jean, wanted to breathe new life into the restaurant Le Baumier, named after the conifer that grows abundantly in the region. Patrick Fournier received the offer to become its chef. However, he wasn't going to come alone. He insisted that his partner, Sébastien Simard, be part of the offer. No sooner said than done.
That's how the two of them ended up in the kitchens of Le Baumier in September 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic. It was a golden opportunity to demonstrate their talent for takeout orders while public health had ordered dining rooms closed.
Since then, the chef couple has proven time and again that the owners of the Hôtel du Jardin made the right call in hiring them.
Le Baumier offers diners the pleasure of the table in a charming, welcoming setting. The menu features avant-garde dishes inspired by Nordic flavours. Each visit brings flavourful dishes that change with the seasons. Everything is prepared on-site with passion, delivering a quality and freshness that honours regional ingredients.
The gourmet dishes the chefs prepare are inspired by boreal flavours and rooted in ancestral Québec traditions, each with their distinct personal touches, avant-garde yet respectful of the ingredients, never altering them.
Le Baumier is a proud bearer of the Ambassadeurs de La Zone Boréale designation from the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean agri-food table, and also carries the Aliments du Québec label.
At the 2023 Gala de la Table agroalimentaire, Patrick and Sébastien were honoured in the "Efforts to Purchase Local Products" category. They took the opportunity to thank local and regional producers "for the exceptional quality products we are fortunate to work with." They also acknowledged the support of their employers, the Beaubien family, without whom none of this would be possible, saying they felt privileged and happy to work for them.
The two chefs at Le Baumier still have plenty of projects up their sleeves, all aimed at supporting and celebrating Québec's terroir. They also want to create new table d'hôte experiences as the seasons change. They insisted that the dining room menu be printed on quality paper, to clearly demonstrate their commitment to a prestigious brand image worthy of the dishes served.
Finally, it's worth mentioning that Le Baumier hosts numerous wedding celebrations each year, including same-sex unions. Every effort is made to ensure these events are always remarkable and unforgettable in every respect. Both chefs are, of course, called upon.
Le Baumier Restaurant at L'hôtel du Jardin
hoteldujardin.com/restaurantlebaumier
1400, boul. du Jardin
Saint-Félicien (Qc)
418 679-8422
The facade of the building where O'Dwyer Distillery produces and distributes its products speaks volumes about what drives and inspires its leaders: perpetuating the history and traditions of this corner of the country. This was pointed out to Michael Briand, the sales and marketing director of the company founded in 2016 by two university graduates, one in civil engineering and the other in organic chemistry, and he seemed pleased to hear it.
It all started one fine evening over a drink in a bar, as so many stories do. “Why don’t we produce something ourselves that reminds us of the history of the Irish settlers who arrived here in the wake of the Great Potato Famine of 1845–1849 in Ireland, caused by a fungus that decimated many of them?”
That was all it took for the “great darkness” to inspire the two entrepreneurs and some of their friends. Why O’Dwyer? “O” means descendant, and “dwyer” means darkness in Gaelic. Moreover, the abundance of chanterelles around Gaspé meant that the mushroom became the key ingredient in most of O’Dwyer’s products.
This is how Radoune (gin made from four wild mushrooms from the region), Radoune Vieilli (aged in specially chosen American oak barrels over 15 years old, previously used to make rye whisky, Canadian rye and bourbon), St-Pierre No20 (a nod to the prohibition whisky from St-Pierre-et-Miquelon, well known to Gaspésiens), and Gaspésienne No20 (an acérum, or maple brandy, made from the fermentation of concentrated Québec maple sap, according to strict standards) were created, and are now the pride of the two partners.
We can also mention Puddingstone, named after a high mountain near Gaspé (the ultimate Gaspé cream liqueur with complex aromas of chocolate, coffee and maple), and Dartmouth amaretto (a unique product, somewhere between sweet and earthy, featuring lichen and raspberry moss, dried and steeped for a long time in 96% alcohol).
O’Dwyer produces 80,000 bottles annually of these various products, available at the SAQ. One of the top sellers is Dartmouth, prized for its distinctive character and incomparable taste.
Finally, they decided to recycle even the mushroom and spice blends used for distillation, dehydrating and packaging them for lovers of fine cuisine. For now, this product is available only at the Gaspé distillery. An idea that’s sure to catch on.
Distillerie O’Dwyer
odwyerdistillery.com
6, rue des Cerisiers
Gaspé (Québec) G4X 2M2
418.360.0160
Pierre Perreault
The guest house La Mer Veille It has been part of the local landscape for 23 years. However, the ancestral home that houses it was built in 1880. It was converted by its owner to accommodate six fully equipped studios, encouraging stays of five days or more.
The site was largely spared by the high tides of December 6, 2010, which, combined with strong winds, caused flooding and devastated land in several places along the coast, from Rimouski to Sainte-Flavie among others.
Damien RuestDamien Ruest, who served as mayor of Sainte-Flavie for four years in the 2010s, and his partner Lise, are welcoming and charming hosts. Their establishment on the banks of the Saint-Laurent is well located right at the entrance to the village of Sainte-Flavie. With the Québec and Patriotes flags proudly displayed by this longtime independence activist, it's hard to miss. A well-maintained municipal park with family-friendly facilities is right next door.
Seasonal workers, small families passing through, and tourists from all over come to stay throughout the year. Many return regularly.
The La Mer Veille guest house is certainly worth considering if you're looking for peace and relaxation on the banks of the great river.
Motel La Mer Veille
motellamerveille.net
336, route de la Mer
Sainte-Flavie, Qc G0J 2L0
418-775-1700
Whether passing through Tadoussac or making a deliberate detour, the unapologetic epicurean must visit Chez Mathilde, a gastronomic bistro that has established itself over the years as one of the best restaurants in Québec. At the mouth of the Saguenay and at the very start of the Côte-Nord, it's an excellent place to discover the novel boreal flavours of the region and Québec's terroirs. For fifteen years, this bistro, which originally opened in a former family restaurant in the heart of Tadoussac, just steps from the famous Hôtel Tadoussac, has evolved into a gastronomic destination. It helps lift this modest village of 800 inhabitants onto the short list of sought-after epicurean destinations.
Behind this remarkable success are two love stories: first, that of Jean-Sébastien Sicard, who fell in love with Tadoussac, a village he discovered while touring with his band Saud et les Fous du Roy; and second, that of Jean-Sébastien with Mireille Perron, a Tadoussac native, when he came to settle there. Partners in love and business ever since, Jean-Sébastien and Mireille grew Mathilde while starting a family in this village.
Chef Jean-Sébastien Sicard's creative cuisine
It was from his initial experience in the restaurant industry, working as a waiter and then in the kitchen in the Îles de la Madeleine, that this self-taught chef from Montréal developed his expertise, supported by Mireille for administration and service management. He belongs to this new generation of chefs who develop creative cuisine while drawing on tradition.
By featuring the fresh, seasonal produce of numerous local producers, the chef has created a unique menu that never fails to reveal new flavours. Whether it's seaweed from De baies et de sève in Natashquan, forest products from Trésors des Bois, Petits fruits du nord, cheeses, breads, and craft beers from Charlevoix, Tadoussac, and the Côte-Nord, or fish, whelks, and Stimpson's surf clams caught in the estuary, all these delicacies are now offered in the evenings from June to November in three tasting menus: La Grande Côte, a five-course blind tasting that reveals the Côte-Nord terroir; Le St-Laurent, five courses featuring products from the St-Laurent estuary and gulf; and L'Appel du Jardin, five boreal-inspired vegetarian courses. All this is offered with food and wine pairings and served in a warm dining room that opens onto the kitchen, sometimes accompanied by live bands. And as with any good fine dining establishment, reservations are highly recommended, often several days in advance during peak season.
The very popular Chez Mathilde express counter and gelateria have taken over in recent years for breakfasts and lunches, which have not been served in the dining room for two years, but remain just as popular.
Chez Mathilde
227, rue des Pionniers
Tadoussac, Qc
G0T 2A0
418.235.4443
Chezmathildebistro.com
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