This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Less than a year after chef Hugo Coudurier came to Quebec, Le Champlain elected Gabriel Molleur-Langevin to take the reins of the kitchens of one of the most renowned restaurants in the nation’s capital. Meeting with this enthusiast.
Originally from Quebec, Gabriel Molleur-Langevin studied in large houses, such as Régis and Jacques Marcon in France, Noma in Denmark and Fäviken in Sweden. Then, he spent more than five years at Le Mousso restaurant in Montreal. “I returned from Sweden in 2017 because I wanted to be part of the boom in Quebec gastronomy that was taking place in Montreal,” he explains. At the Mousso, we had the opportunity to do fermentations, intuitive, explosive cuisine, and to offer table service by the cooks. »
At first glance, we might think he has always had a passion for cooking. But his beginnings in restoration targeted a completely different objective: to buy a battery. “I was 15 and I took my CV three times to the Portofino for a diver’s job,” he says. His ambitions may have been quite different at the time, but he certainly had the same determination as today to achieve his goals.
“Since washing up, I heard the sound of saucepans, I saw the smoke emanating from the pans, the steam escaping from the cauldrons and the brigade in the kitchen. This camaraderie reminiscent of a ship’s crew, I loved that, ”he adds. Gradually, he learns to make pizza, he then takes up the position of pantry, then that of cooking food.
When the time comes to make a career choice, music is not one of his options. “I told myself that, if ever there was an apocalypse, knowing how to cook is a good way to survive,” he recalls with a laugh.
do useful work
When David Dupuis, talent acquisition specialist for the Accor group in eastern Canada, invites him to take the reins of the kitchen at Le Champlain restaurant, Gabriel Molleur-Langevin is overjoyed. “This restaurant, the icon of my hometown, needs me! he exclaims. The Quebec food scene is booming and I want to be part of it. »
Barely a few months after his arrival in the kitchens of the Château, Gabriel Molleur-Langevin’s tasting menu reflects the image of the institution. The beef consommé with chagas — a fungus that grows mainly on the trunk of deciduous trees — and burnt hay, the thin slice of beef tongue threaded on a skewer as well as the halibut served with asparagus, morels, mashed celery- rave and a herb and sunflower sauce are our favorites of the evening. Then the dessert, made up of candied rhubarb, Anicet honey ganache and chamomile ice cream, is simply divine.
“We are in a majestic, elegant, refined place,” he said. I would like it to be expressed in the beauty of the gestures in the kitchen, in the service, in the whole experience. » When we look at the waltz of the dishes which parade in front of us, served with finesse by the team in the dining room, we say to ourselves that this wish has already been granted.
Our journalist was the guest of the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel and of Québec Cité.
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This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.