In the land of maple | At the sources of sugars

At the beginning of March, Donavan Lauzon is running after her time, a marathon imposed on her every year by a demanding and unpredictable occupation, because she is subject to the ups and downs of the weather. You have to be on the lookout, he says, because the sugar season arrives without much warning and don’t wait. This is all the more true this year, when early pours require unexpected juggling in his schedule.

If maple syrup is gold, you’re not rolling in gold when you make it. A part-time maple farmer, Donavan has been earning his living in town for 11 years as an addiction worker. But there you have it, he has his countryside tattooed on his heart, the one where the dairy cows give no respite to those who take care of them and where maple syrup flows through his veins.

A few years ago, nostalgia for the town got the better of his man. He had the idea of ​​returning to his roots to exploit a plot of maple grove on family land. “There are some who describe it as a disease that you can just get more and more of. Whether you do it with 20 cuts or 200,000, there is always a way to trip,” says the main person involved, definitely struck by this syrupy virus.

There is, in his approach, something of the order of folklore, of coming together, of anchoring to his roots, he thinks. “And then, there is an energy and fun associated with spring, like a hope of renewal. Yesterday, I was returning by snowmobile from my sugar bush. I looked at the sky which was blue, pink, purple. In this connection to nature there is something of great beauty. This is what gives meaning to this project. »

A wind of renewal

Here the folklore ends. Because running a maple grove is work: “So much,” insists Donavan, “that sometimes I wonder why I do this!” Receiving your pay every two weeks is simpler. But every year, when you take your first syrup out of the evaporator and taste it, it’s like it’s the first time. »

He spared no effort to savor this reward. After equipping himself with a DEP in maple growing – even if, he believes, it is by doing it that you learn – he built his cabin himself to make it a private, family, where we take the time to savor the moment.

It is around the same vision of the sugar shack that Donavan Lauzon and chef Clément Boivin, from Cuisine libre!, rallied.

“There is something a little frozen in traditional sugar shacks. We think of a parking lot crowded with cars and often fast service. For it to continue, the tradition is called upon to redefine itself in a familiar and more careful setting,” believes the former chef of Cabane d’à passant, who sees renewal in an alliance with farmers, market gardeners and breeders from the same village.

Until mid-April, the young chef is collaborating with pastry chef Rémy Couture, formerly from Crémy, and maître d’hôtel Samia Houle, to present his Spring of Sugars, a new kind of ephemeral cabin, delicious as can be, which, on the day of our visit, tests its creative formula with friends.

Knowledge that is transmitted

The Sainte-Scholastique cabin looks more like a warm, unpretentious “sugar loft”. Less rustic than traditional cabins, it can accommodate 24 guests around large tables and it is after removing our rain boots to put on phentex slippers that we will take a seat at the family table.

On the walls are nods to the region and ancestors. Everything has its own little story, explains our host, like this sepia portrait of the paternal grandfather, a “taffy maker” who has a lot to tell about the sugar season. “In the old days, it was an opportunity to get together between neighbors,” says Mrs. Lauzon senior. My father did it too, everyone did it! Easter always took place at the sugar shack. »

This was before the government seized the land in the area and the population of Sainte-Scholastique was expropriated for the construction of the Mirabel international airport. “It changed so many lives. We cannot measure the tragedy that it was for the region – families scattered, schools and houses razed… underlines Mr. Lauzon senior. But as soon as he was able, my father came back to live at home. This is our corner! »

As we happily tuck into pea soup-style pork belly, duck pie, baked beans with braised lamb or endives garnished with pea vinaigrette, we can’t help but wonder what Aimé, the grandfather, would have thought of it. “You know, he was a traditional guy,” M politely replies.^me Lauzon. He would surely have found it too refined, too exotic…” But could he really have ignored the irresistible dessert platter composed of rum babas, sugar and peanut praline tarts, homemade maple marshmallows and snow maple taffy cider? We doubt it.

Satisfied by these seasonal delights spread over nearly three hours of meals, and congratulating ourselves on having opted for stretch jeans, we will conclude with a laugh that, phew! we had our ration of maple syrup for the year! ” For the year ? Mr. Lauzon senior is surprised. Never ! » Maple syrup will be on the table the next day, but this evening, he admits to us, perhaps he will be satisfied with a little broth. Some things don’t change.

A menu that reinvents tradition

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Until the end of April, Cuisine Libre! and its chef Clément Boivin, with the participation of Rémy Couture (Crémy), elevate the traditional sugar shack menu in the intimate, relaxed and oh-so-gourmet context of Sucres St-Joachim.

In a convivial atmosphere faithful to the spirit of the season, the Sugar Spring unpacks a nine-course menu which concludes with an equally copious skewer of desserts. The duo of chefs, supported by head waiter Samia Houle, concoct their dishes in front of the guests in a small and warm space which serves the concept well.

Our hosts are delighted to be the smallest sugar shack open to the public. And if this is not the case, we will remember the intention: to celebrate a unique resource and know-how in a current way, but in a family atmosphere of yesteryear. “We want to honor maple syrup with the best local products,” underlines Clément Boivin, who succeeds in his challenge of putting Quebec nectar on a pedestal.

You can reserve your place at Printemps des Sucres from Friday to Sunday, until the end of April, on the Cuisine Libre! website. 1^er April will be “April Drink” day at the cabin. For the occasion, guest sommelier Steve Beauséjour will come and taste natural wines from the Bauge vineyard.

The menu may change throughout the sugar season.

Visit the Cuisine Libre website!