This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Rosalie Forcherio has seen her father, Armand, in the kitchen all her life. It was because she wanted to share her cuisine with more people that she opened Paloma with him in 2019, a small restaurant on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, in Montreal. Chef Armand Forcherio, of Italian origin but born in France, is famous in the restaurant industry. After a career in various establishments internationally and in Quebec, he retired in May. But his legacy remains very present in those who knew him, and in the heart of his sommelier daughter.
Where did the idea for Paloma come from?
Armand Forcherio: Around 2013, I was starting to think I wanted to find a place that felt like home.
Rosalie Forcherio: When I was a child, Armand wasn’t there often because he worked a lot. But when he was there, he was completely there. And, on Sundays, among other things, I remember a time when I wanted my friends to come and eat at my house. I told them it was good and that I wanted to share this experience with them. I was very proud. For the Paloma restaurant, it was a bit the same thing: it felt like a Sunday at home.
What were the inspirations for your card?
AF: I wanted to prepare family things, dishes that my mother made. She was an incredible cook, and now that she’s passed away, I miss her a lot, so I make dishes that remind me of her. The menu is therefore borrowed from the cuisine of the south of France: it is a sunny Mediterranean cuisine composed of olive oil, fish… There is also an Italian influence.
R. f. : There were also things I wanted to do. Some worked, others less so: there were dishes that we were attached to, but that people didn’t necessarily like. We created around that. There are classics that have made Paloma’s reputation: pasta, brains, kidneys…
Armand, how does it feel to see your daughter take the same route as us?
RF: When I told him that I wanted to do like him, Armand told me that I had to go elsewhere. He told me that at a minimum, I needed to do a management program to better equip myself. Then, to show me what it really was, he made me do two months of diving at his restaurant at the time, Nizza. I held on and went up to the setup station, then to the pantry. I think my father wanted me to experience things before making a final decision. But at that time he was curt and quite harsh towards me.
AF: It was to protect her…
Rosalie, did being “Armand’s daughter” create opportunities for you?
RF: At first, I didn’t even want people to know who my father was. He is known in the restaurant industry and I was hoping to prove myself and break free. During my end-of-studies internship, at Toqué!, my colleagues only learned about it at the very end.
What is it like owning a father-daughter restaurant?
AF: We are 33 years apart. It is certain that there are small generational clashes and that the approaches are different.
RF: Its not always easy ! Before working together, we met every Sunday, but now, when we are off, we need our own bubble.
AF: Rosa takes me out of my comfort zone. Seeing your friends come here to eat or cook during pop-ups [des événements éphémères]it brings me into contact with young people and energizes me.
RF: It’s true that in addition to the neighborhood regulars, we have a varied clientele made up of my friends and those of my father. And some became mutual friends.
How do you think your father left his mark on the Montreal gastronomic scene?
RF : I can’t say… I wanted to create this little restaurant so that we could receive “friends”, but I was surprised, when it opened, to see a host of recognized chefs parade through. They were looking for Armand, this person they had known in the past. I realized that he had inspired many with his cooking, his humor and his kindness.
AF: She talks a lot about my cooking, but Rosa, basically, is the soul of Paloma. Besides, I find that it’s a female establishment, I can’t say why. There is a special atmosphere here.
This interview was conducted a few months before Armand Forcherio retired.
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