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Marjie Caradant,
Le Montmartre,
Toronto, Ont.
By Gary Lipovetsky, President of MenuPalace.com
 Most Canadians travel to Paris in search of romance, culture and, of course, great food and wine. But it would be disingenuous to say the same of Parisians coming to Toronto, which is something Marjie Caradant can confirm first hand. In fact, when Caradant arrived here more than 25 years ago, she realized the food culture in this city was so underdeveloped, it provided the ideal opportunity to pursue her dream — opening a restaurant of her own.
MP: Did you always want to open a restaurant?
MC: When I was living in Paris, I worked in accounting, but I decided that when I came to Canada, I wanted to do something that was a challenge. And I liked cooking very much, so I thought, “Why not take a course in food and restaurant management?” I enrolled at Ryerson, and after graduating I decided to open my first restaurant.
MP: What was that experience like?
MC: I had a lot to learn when I opened Le Faubourg in Aurora, Ont., although it eventually became a very well-known French restaurant. It was a good experience for me. But after a few years, I decided to move to Toronto and open another restaurant, Le Montmartre, and we have been in business here for the past 22 years.
MP: When you arrived, how different was the food and restaurant culture in Toronto than it was in Paris?
MC: When I opened in Aurora it was a big challenge, because I was serving French dishes, and many of my customers did not know what they were. We were serving different things like rabbit and duck a l’orange, but the best part was they would try it anyway and love it. Today, customers know much more about food. They know about quality, techniques and ingredients. And, because of media, they are also trying to prepare different dishes at home. So when they come to your restaurant, they are more aware of what they are ordering.
Some customers will even call me up before they come in and ask, “Can you make me frogs legs for lunch?” And if we have it, we will do it for them. This is different from 25 years ago. Back then, customers would not call and ask that. They were more reserved.
MP: Do you still cook in your restaurant every night?
MC: Yes – we have traditional items on the menu like lamb shank and beef bourguignon, but I like to experiment with different dishes as well. And I still come out of the kitchen and see my customers. I want to hear what they like and dislike. For me, it is very important to come out and talk to my guests. I want to know what I can improve on.
MP: What is the most popular dish on your menu?
MC: Duck a l’orange. But we make it very special. We roast the duck for a few hours, to take off all the fat, and after that we debone the duck and use the bones to make the sauce. Then we flambé it in Grand Marnier so it’s nice and crispy. Customers love it.
A lot of customers also love our frogs legs, which surprised me at first. I said to myself, “nobody is going to order it,” but I found there were so many people who wanted to experiment, and that is what I love about Toronto. They come to Le Montmartre just to have it.
MP: Would you say you serve classical French cuisine?
MC: Traditionally, French chefs use a lot of crème and fat, but as a matter of fact, I try not to use as much. I make some dishes a little bit lighter, and some even have no crème. We can marinate the meat for a few hours before and grill it, so we don’t need a crème sauce.
It’s also sometimes difficult to get authentic French ingredients in Toronto, in order to prepare the dishes exactly as we do in Paris. But there is still so many fresh ingredients in Ontario, we are able to make everything very nice. All the ingredients I use have to be fresh. When we make demi-glacé we use fresh bones — it’s not from a package. Every sauce is done à la minute. That is very important to me. When I serve a dish to a customer, I want them to feel like it is a piece of art.
MP: There’s been a recent move toward authenticity and rustic recipes in this city. Is this something you are doing as well?
MC: Our cassoulet, our coq au vin, we prepare them exactly as they do in France. We also serve beef bourguignon or a side dish of ratatouille and people love it. Trends come and go. For a while the trend in Toronto was nouvelle cuisine, where there was little food on the plate and it was so light. But the current trend is for very traditional and rustic dishes. Look at poutine — it is so popular now.
MP: You’ve been in this business a very long time. What do you love the most about it?
MC: I love to be in my kitchen, creating new dishes. I like to experiment with things. I like to take recipes and tweak them, using the freshest ingredients and herbs. For me, cooking is an art, because when I am making a dish, I will experiment with ingredients and the colour like an artist. To be a chef you have to be an artist. Even before you cook, you have to have an idea in your head of what you want to create.
MP: That’s why you have white table cloths and white plates, so when the food comes out it looks like a painting.
MC: Some of my customers will even take photos of my dishes. And I don’t mind that at all. |