Montréal en Lumière – unveils gastronomic program

Lovers of good food mark these dates: February 23 to March 11, 2017: our renowned and unique winter festival, Montréal en Lumière will be here once more to bring Montrealers the best in gastronomy and of course, great music and other artistic presentations as well. On this occasion, however, the organizers—the Spectra team—called a press conference to announce the highlights of the gastronomical section of the festival. And it certainly looks promising.

This will be the 18th edition of Montréal en Lumière and being also the city’s 375th anniversary the festivity had to bring something special as well. Gilbert Rozon, the Commissioner for Montreal 375th Anniversary Celebrations who was also present at the press conference, said: “This special edition of Montréal en Lumière is sure to be one of the most delicious and luminous ever! This unprecedented cohort of major Lyon and international chefs promises an unforgettable treat for our taste buds.”  As usual during this winter event, the cuisine of an important city will be featured prominently, on this occasion it will be Lyon. That French city is called “the capital of French gastronomy. Two of the most prestigious Lyon chefs will co-preside over the Montréal en Lumière celebrations: Jérôme Bocuse, president of Bocuse Group, and Christophe Muller, chef of L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges. Besides a dozen, other chefs from Lyon will be present and be hosted in their restaurants by some of the best-known chefs in town. It is recommended that those interested make reservations well in advance.

There will also be the largest-ever delegation of international chefs, members of the Délice network which includes restaurants from 22 gourmet cities in 4 continents, from Helsinki, to Cape Wineland in South Africa, to Puebla in Mexico.

Besides the international flavours, there will also be other favourite events. The traditional display of Quebec cheeses to be held at the Complexe Desjardins, the Mondial des Cidres featuring a large variety of that increasingly popular drink, also at the Complexe Desjardins, and something new this year: A sensorial seminar—Quinoa, chia and amaranth: Miracle grains? This event will take place on Wednesday, March 8, at 6 p.m. at the Agora Hydro-Québec, Coeur des Sciences Building, UQAM.

Also new this year, the Culinary Tours, featuring a sample of the food one can find in two emblematic locations of our city: Flavours and Aromas of Old Montreal (February 25, March 4, and March 11 from 9:30 a.m. to noon). Another tour is called The Main on a Plate: 375 Years of History, Food and Immigration, crossing through Chinese, Jewish, and Portuguese cuisines from Mile End to Little Italy (February 26 and March 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

For detailed information and the list of participant restaurants, as well as for the music shows visit: www.montrealenlumiere.com

By Sergio Martinez – totimes.ca