The host and author Daniel Pinard is no longer

A trained sociologist, journalist and gastronome, Daniel Pinard left his mark on the television landscape with his grandiloquence, his sharp wit and the hint of insolence with which he seasoned each dish. We will remember from him his passion for a cuisine connected to the earth and freed from diktats. He died this Wednesday, October 2 at the age of 82, following a pulmonary embolism. “He was precious, rare, fragile and strong at the same time. A man of integrity, a public figure without a personal agenda,” declares his colleague and friend Francis Legault.

Son of Roch Pinard, former deputy and federal minister, Daniel Pinard spoke of his difficult childhood and his feelings of revolt towards his parents in I salute you Pinardbroadcast in 2015 on Canal D, and directed by Francis Legault (also director of the culinary series From the heart to the stomach And Feet in the dishes). In this documentary, which retraces the significant moments of his career, he will notably make this declaration: “I have never stopped wanting to understand the world, even if this has often led me to moments of indignation. »

An atheist in a Catholic college, homosexual in a conservative environment, the young Pinard found refuge in books and culture. At 18, he left the family home. It was only much later that he was reconciled with his father, who criticized him for being “a man for men”.

At the age of 20, Pinard left for Brazil, which he considered his “true birthplace” and the cradle of his personal emancipation. He lives there with the man who will share his life for several decades. He then headed to New York where he undertook doctoral studies in sociology.

Back in Quebec, he worked as a public affairs journalist for Radio-Canada, Maclean’s (became News), the National Film Board and the Duty. He made his television debut as a host of the shows The 60 (1975-1977) and Telemag (1977-1981).

Passionate about cooking and local produce

Knowing his cordon bleu talents and his fine palate, his friend Suzanne Lévesque gave him a column on her radio show. on CKAC. This column quickly became a pretext to address various current topics, establishing the unique approach of Daniel Pinard, whose journalistic expertise often transcended the role of culinary columnist. “We cannot dissociate politics from the base,” he said, moreover.

This experience led him to host several culinary shows including From the heart to the stomach presented on Radio-Canada from 2007 to 2009. Previously, he participated in two shows on Télé-Québec: Heaven my Pinard! (1998 to 2000), then Feet in the dishes from (2000 to 2002). In these last two productions, he formed a tandem with Josée di Stasio, which will leave a lasting mark on the annals of Quebec television.

At the same time, we find him as a radio columnist alongside Paul Arcand, in the morning show Since we have to get up! on 98.5 FM (2004-2009). Daniel Pinard will also have published two recipe books with Éditions Boréal, his popular Pinardises (1994 and 2000) which sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

Paul Arcand remembers

While he was a TV columnist at Le Devoir, Daniel Pinard made a vitriolic review of one of the shows by Paul Arcand, then a television host on TQS. “When he released his first recipe book, I invited him to my show and told him he was right. It was bad. » It was following this meeting that the idea of ​​collaborating on the radio came. The connections made will have been preserved until the end.

“For me, he has always been a pioneer. I think he made many people aware of the richness of the Quebec region. For him, it was more than a job, it was a mission, remembers Paul Arcand, adding that he always admired his sensitivity and his great culture. “I encouraged him to write his memoirs. He found me tiring,” he admits with an anecdote.

There are two aspects to the legacy that Daniel Pinard leaves, he assesses. First, a sincere attachment to local producers and to democratized cuisine. “He hated the snobbery surrounding wine or restaurants, for example. He believed that a gastronomic adventure could take place in simplicity. The other important part is his humanity, his investment in several causes. He was a man who had incredible sensitivity, on edge, sometimes even too great… I saw him cry, I don’t know how many times. »

Eternal rebel

Towards the end of his life, Pinard chose to remain discreet, while continuing to critically observe this society which always aroused so much indignation in him. “In journalism as in cooking, I wanted to free people from fear. Let them stop obeying. For me, following a recipe is the height of servility,” he confided to columnist Yves Boisvert in the pages of The Press in May 2022.

Reread An interview with Daniel Pinard conducted by Yves Boisvert in 2022

His positions against social inequalities and injustice, his interventions on homosexuality, his criticisms of the agri-food monopoly and his outbursts on ultra-processed foods and the weight-loss diet industry, have often plunged him into controversy. , notably with the Union of Agricultural Producers of Quebec, that of milk producers or certain nutritionists, while he notably questioned the preponderant place of milk in the diet.

“He was controversial, but I don’t think he was a polemicist just for the sake of being so,” emphasizes Paul Arcand. He had strong opinions and when he reacted to a situation that mattered to him, he didn’t worry about whether people would like him more or less afterwards. »

Passionate about gastronomy, Pinard has excelled in transforming the culinary world into a subject of social debate. His fiery rhetoric and his legendary gluttony will have revived the popular craze for uninhibited cuisine, anchored in the land and within everyone’s reach: deliciously non-conformist. The echo of his scathing laughter will continue to resonate for a long time in the kitchens of Quebec.