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Posted at 11:00 a.m.
For 23 years, Boris Bistro has delighted its customers with its European-inspired menu and its pretty green terrace in the heart of Old Montreal. The closure of the place, known because it was the only restaurant in Quebec certified gluten-free by Cœliaque Quebec, saddened many. Its founder, Jean-Marc Lebeau, confided in The Press about his journey, the adventure of Boris and what he wants for the future.
First serve
“I was born in Montreal. I was bum when I was a teenager…until I started dancing, around 15 years old. I had seen something on television, and I wanted to do something physical, which required discipline… as I had none. My morphology predisposed me to this. It changed my environment, and I fell deeply into it. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JEAN-MARC LEBEAU
Jean-Marc Lebeau on stage, in the 1980s
“I did that for 12 years, with Les Ballets de Montréal, a company where we did contemporary ballet, but the training was really classical. I danced with the mother of Céline Cassone and Louis Robitaille [respectivement ex-danseuse étoile et ex-directeur artistique et général des Ballets jazz de Montréal], Anik Bissonnette… I did a lot of tours, in Europe, in South America. It opened me up to the world.
“Then, when I was 28, I had a lot of injuries. I had to stop. I didn’t really see what I could do afterwards; become a choreographer, a teacher? I decided to go to university in management. »
My goal was to go to the second cycle, in management of cultural organizations, but after four years of university, at 32 years old, I was tired of being poor. I decided to keep my summer job at Jardin Nelson, in Old Montreal, where I was a butler.
Jean-Marc Lebeau
“Then I was offered the position of manager at Jardin Nelson. I spent 10 years there. I helped them develop their recipes; for example, a crepe with goat’s cheese and bacon to change ham and cheese. I was the first restaurateur to introduce Jodoin ciders and Unibroue beers.
“Then, I opened for Unibroue, in Chambly, the Fourquet Fourchette. It was a beer interpretation center. We only served 100% Quebec products, that was 25 years ago! We made bannocks with dried cranberries. At the time, there were none in stores, there was only one producer in Montérégie. »
second serve
“I wanted to be my own boss. I came across this local on McGill Street one day which had a large terrace. At the time, there was nothing on this street. The neighborhood was abandoned because of the highway which was not covered; when you arrived at Victoria Square, you could see down! The entire financial center had risen around Place Ville Marie. Psychologically, it was a cut.
PHOTO FROM BORIS BISTRO FACEBOOK PAGE
The Boris Bistro terrace
“It took me a year to get the City to change the zoning. I bet on the terrace, telling myself that the big season would be summer. I opened Boris Bistro in 1999, in August… Then winter arrived. There was no one in the streets at night, it was dead! I was alone at the time with a chef in the kitchen, I did lunches, lunches, evenings. For a long time, I was the only one. The Holder opened in 2004.”
Quebec products were fashionable, but I wanted to offer something else, a more European inspiration. I’m not a chef, but I had a very specific vision of the menu I wanted in my restaurant.
Jean-Marc Lebeau
“As I had traveled a lot in Europe, I knew several dishes that were not yet known here. On my opening menu, there was caponata on goat cheese, duck legs on green lentils with bacon…”
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Jean-Marc Lebeau
“Every year it got better and better. One day, people from Sabena, a former Belgian airline, came to Boris and they had a blast with the restaurant. They included him in a little movie that introduced the city of Montreal to people on the plane. We started to have a lot of European customers. In 2002, things started to go well. In 2004, it was madness! »
Third serve
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Jean-Marc Lebeau
“At first, there was gluten on the menu. One day, Benjamin Gil, who has been my right arm, my manager for all these years, learned that his son was celiac. He pointed out to me that I had a lot of symptoms. I did some tests and he was right!
“I traveled all over the world to attend wine fairs. I realized that there was never anything to eat for celiacs, that it was really expensive and complicated. I decided to go gluten-free. We got our certification in 2016.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JEAN-MARC LEBEAU
A dish of sea bass ceviche, apple, aji amarillo, mango, peppers, onions, coriander, at Boris Bistro
“The goal was that the clientele wouldn’t notice it. We had to make adjustments, tests to find good gluten-free pasta, then just use spices, certified gluten-free broths. I’ve traveled a lot, especially in Brazil, Peru, I’ve been looking for lots of influences, like tiraditos or my poutine with creamy Brazilian cheese and an aji amarillo sauce. I was trying to stand out. »
The pandemic, the lack of manpower… All of this has become extremely difficult. Last summer, I was doing the busboythe maitre d’… I turned 65 and I was starting to get tired.
Jean-Marc Lebeau
“I had an offer from A5 to buy it and I felt like doing something else. I closed the Boris after 23 years, last August.
“We were the only certified gluten-free restaurant. Of course, a lot of people were disappointed when I decided to close. What I would dream of doing is offering my services as a consultant to restaurants, helping them adapt their dishes, their cuisines. »
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Terravignata, an Italian organic red wine imported by Boris Bouchons, newly offered at the SAQ
“I am now retired, but I still have plans. I continue to import organic wine with my agency Boris Bouchons; my first two wines have just entered the SAQ. I also return a little to my first love; I will start training with Céline Cassone to teach the Munz Floor [une approche corporelle inventée par un ancien danseur de l’Opéra de Paris]. I will be able to teach it here and in Brazil, a country with which I fell in love and where I go every winter. »