This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Picking vegetables, haskap berries or edible wild plants, harvesting honeycombs, meeting laying hens followed by a painting workshop… To say that the agritourism and cultural offerings of the L’Islet region are in full swing is almost an understatement. And it’s partly thanks to the Les Escapades de L’Islet initiative, which is doing it again this summer by offering 14 unique experiences after the success of its first edition.
Do you know where the L’Islet region is? “Somewhere between the Lower St. Lawrence and Quebec City!” jokes author, artist and picker Élisabeth Cardin, who discovered this area of Chaudière-Appalaches two years ago. A big favorite for the lover of the nourishing land that she is, to the point of taking up residence and roots there. “I have rarely seen as many initiatives and mutual aid within a community as there are here,” she says enthusiastically.
“People mainly know the region for Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, one of the cradles of wood sculpture,” adds Lucile Janin, project manager in gourmet tourism and coordinator of Escapades. “We’re still riding this wave, but there are almost no artists left from this first generation… We have to show that there is sculpture, yes, but there is much more than that here. We want to bring the richness of our land to life.”
Indeed, there is no shortage of flavors in this territory. “L’Islet tastes of fresh vegetables, wild mushrooms, sheep and goat cheese,” lists Élisabeth Cardin. “It tastes of bison and free-range pork. It also tastes of local sunflower oil. It tastes of nature, if you buy from the right places.”
Riches to discover
It was to position itself as a gourmet and cultural tourist destination that Les Escapades de L’Islet were set up last year. A first edition that did not go unnoticed. The initiative received the Prize for the best strategy for the development of creative tourism, in the rural destination category, awarded in Barcelona by the Creative Tourism Network.
This summer, the experiences offered by Les Escapades follow the same principle as those of 2023. For each of the 14 trips organized across the territory, two or three artisans or businesses are paired expressly for the occasion. “We allowed ourselves to have slightly wild ideas, it gives something different,” adds Élisabeth Cardin, who is co-hosting two getaways this year.
During the activity she held at the end of June with Guylaine Tourigny, market gardener and co-owner of Jardins du Pied à Terre, the public was able to experience the happy marriage of wild picking and small-scale organic farming. After picking cultivated vegetables and edible wild plants found here and there, the participants enjoyed a dish cooked by Élisabeth on a wood fire from their pickings while enjoying a glass of local farm cider.
During the second escapade that she will co-host on August 9, this time with author and nutritionist Julie Aubé, the public will meet the apprentice farmer’s laying hens and learn more about the many ways to use eggs. Julie Aubé also sells her fresh pasta, marinated eggs, farmhouse pasta and other homemade products at her kiosk all year long. The workshop will then continue with Élisabeth by exploring egg yolk painting. “We try to see a product from all angles,” explains the visual artist.
Slow tourism
“When we talk about Escapades, the words “slow tourism” and “authenticity” are on everyone’s lips,” notes Lucile Janin. “We showcase the artisans’ way of life, not just their products. And for us, culture includes agri-food. It’s part of a whole, and when we want to promote a region, we don’t think there’s any reason to separate them.”
In addition to boosting tourism in the surrounding area and promoting local products, Les Escapades hopes to establish new networks. This involves, for example, seeing a local cheese added to a restaurant menu or a herbalist developing a collaboration with a cosmetics creator.
“We have a lot of very motivated people who are putting great things in place. The Escapades are also a way of pooling our strengths,” concludes Élisabeth Cardin, who has not yet finished discovering her adopted region and letting herself be surprised by it.
Other trips to plan
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.