Culinary director at Château Frontenac since 2016, Frédéric Cyr was immersed at a very young age in a universe conducive to surpassing oneself, where “gastronomy” rhymed with passion and encounters with extraordinary people.
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If Frédéric Cyr evolved in the film industry, ” [il] will be[t] the producer of the show, who sees that the teams and the products are there, and who makes sure that people have all the necessary support, on all levels”.
Initially, this great interview was to take place in March 2020. It was without knowing that a pandemic was going to strike and that the planet would be put on hold.
Frédéric Cyr was then in the Philippines, a country he particularly likes and where, as chef at the Radisson Blu in 2014, he literally acquired star status. He was able to stay with a friend there, the time to find tickets to return to Canada. It was only a postponement…
Here we are, seated in what was for a long time the office of former Prime Minister Maurice Duplessis, at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.
The walls of this room are lined with bookcases full of old books and large windows overlook Old Quebec. The decor is perfect for the journey through time that we are about to take, to revisit the very special childhood he lived.
With a great
The youngest of a family of five children, Frédéric Cyr was born and raised in Montmagny. His father, Renaud Cyr, operated the Manoir des Érables there for nearly 20 years, a Relais et Châteaux listed inn where great Quebec personalities, artists, politicians, committed people like Pauline Julien and Gérald Godin follow one another.
Considered a pioneer in the use of local Quebec products, this great chef has left his mark and a prize bears his name.
Their parents transmitted to them, underlines Frédéric Cyr, an unwavering strength of character, a depth and a conviction in the work.
“I was brought up by people who had a quest: you had to know why you did things,” says the chef. He was also raised by a village, he points out, because everyone knew each other.
Even today, when he returns to his hometown, Frédéric Cyr feels that people are proud. “For people, to become the chef of the Château Frontenac is a great position and it is perhaps due to Jean Soulard too, because he was such a great character in our city. […], which is easily accessible. He was a friend of my father. »
A click with Riopelle
When he was younger, Frédéric Cyr was tempted by theater and communication. He entered the Lassalle Conservatory. “I was young, I had a lot of energy, big dreams, I loved theater and art,” he says.
At 20, passing through Montmagny, he discussed his future with the great painter Jean-Paul Riopelle, a friend of the family, who regularly shared his table.
Frédéric Cyr understood this later, but this discussion proved to be the trigger that led him to follow his destiny. “I can still see him, we were crossing the field, between Île aux Grues and Île aux Oies, he had big shoes, in front of me,” he recalls.
The painter spoke to him about passions, and led him to wonder about what woke him up at night, what animated him deep inside. He realized it was the kitchen.
Frédéric Cyr therefore completed his cooking training in Montreal, then was hit by a car that left him in a coma for a few weeks. When he wakes up, he undertakes a long rehabilitation which leaves him a lot of time with his friends who support him, and especially his father.
A father who died much too early, at 68, when Frédéric Cyr barely left school.
“My father was my best friend, we were really close, he slips, moved. The death of someone is a bit like losing the phone number of a friend, of someone you loved to be around, but who you will never be able to be around again”.
keep it simple
Back on his feet, Frédéric Cyr did internships with Daniel Vézina, at Laurie Raphaël, from whom he learned a lot. He then worked as a sous-chef in renowned establishments, notably with Thomas Henkelmann, in Connecticut.
Then, before settling in the Philippines in 2014, Frédéric Cyr worked as a chef on luxury cruise ships. “I saw a lot of extraordinary places and several where I want to go back,” says the man who travels a lot for work.
In search of new challenges, he was attracted to hotels, because of his father, he notes. A good communicator, he has also participated in several television shows.
At the Château Frontenac, which recruited him seven years ago – a great honour, he says – he sees every year to the smooth running of the 800,000 meals that are served in the famous establishment, a real calling card for Quebec. .
“It leaves no one indifferent, the Château Frontenac, he underlines. That’s why you have to keep it simple, otherwise you’re playing something that won’t happen to you. The Castle is bigger than you, that’s why. »