This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
To get bored, Dominic Laflamme, restaurant owner of the popular Montreal brands Heirloom, General Staff and Headquarters, and his butler decided to mark each day of October on a slate and immortalize the whole thing in a photo. . At that time, he had no idea that his project would continue for several months and that dozens of restaurateurs would participate.
It all started on 1er October 2020. The previous week, the government announced the closure of dining rooms for 28 days, or “two periods of 14 days”, remembers very precisely Dominic Laflamme.
On his Instagram page, we find photos of him alongside great restaurateurs, in the middle of their empty restaurant: Joe Beef, Foxy, Vin Papillon, Arthur’s, Isle de Garde, Maison Boulud, Monarque, Manitoba, Montreal Plaza, Pastaga, Bouillon Bilk, Le Mousso, among others, but also at competitors, such as Le Trèfle, Hélicoptère or Le Flamant, all located a few steps from its own restaurants in Hochelaga.
As restaurants slowly come back to life, we wanted to take stock of this photo series with the restaurateur, whose last addition dates from March 25, 2021, i.e. 176and October day.
“It was October”, can we read on the publication of October 29, 2020, the one which should have been the last. Why did you continue the project?
When the month ended, we gave a big hello to say “bye, the project is finished”. But the next day, I was unhappy that it was over. I said to myself, I have to go see other restaurateurs! I started with my closest friends, then I made calls. Every day I was going somewhere. Sometimes I even did two restaurants.
What did this photo series bring you, in times of a pandemic?
Personally, it made me laugh a lot. I made a lot of friends in the restaurant business. I was received as a king by some. I have incredible memories of meeting Carlos Ferreira (Ferreira Café) or my evening with Marc-André Jetté (Hoogan and Beaufort). I certainly made people jealous with all my encounters.
What was the concept of the photos? Why are they in black and white?
It’s very simple, I quickly discovered that taking black and white photos was an excellent crutch for someone who is not a photographer! (laughs) I also liked the fact that it gave a nice dramatic touch. It made everything timeless. It was an endless month of October.
When the time came to take the photo, I told people: “We’re not happy, we’re sulking. It’s not going to go well. We sometimes had a full glass of wine, sometimes an empty one, in protest. We refused to toast in our empty restaurants.
Did this photo series fuel a certain reflection on the world of catering for you?
Yes. These photos are proof of a great friendship between restaurateurs. They are all friends, people I love deeply…even if we are competitors. I went to the others, not to their table, but behind their bar, their stoves. These photos show the non-competitive nature of the pandemic. We are all complementary on the Montreal culinary scene.
With the announced reopening of restaurants, do you see a follow-up to your photo project, or rather an end?
It will become a collective memory. One day, I would like it to become a book in which I can tell the anecdotes that go with these encounters and these photos. It won’t be to make money, but to remember it all. Remembering that, for two and a half years, our restaurants have been closed, open, closed. In the meantime, I would like to do vernissages of these photos, invite small committees, eat bites prepared by the restaurateurs featured in the photos. The pandemic hasn’t just been sad, that’s what I want to remember.