If Sugar Sammy grew up in the Côte-des-Neiges district, it was in the village of Monkland, in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, that he bought a house almost 10 years ago.
He nevertheless lives in the same district as his parents, with whom he lived until late in his thirties. “I’m close enough to be at their house in eight minutes by car, but not close enough that they can just show up at our house, because they don’t drive,” he jokes.
It is at the Café de Mercanti, on the avenue de Monkland, that the comedian of six feet and three inches gave us an appointment.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Our reporter with Sugar Sammy
It was last Saturday, the first day when we felt summer was imposing itself. As we sit on a bench outside – Sugar Sammy has ordered a latte with oat milk – he points to the Italian bistro Amerigo, just across the street.
“I appreciate good food, but without pretension,” he says. And his quest for authenticity emerges from the favorite addresses he visited with us.
“I like neighborhood life,” he continues, recounting a recent trip to Verdun to eat with a friend at the Peruvian restaurant Villa Wellington.
Sugar Sammy also enjoys unexpected encounters and places – like the benches in front of a café – which are in a way the new church squares where we chat about everything and nothing. But also politics.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sugar Sammy
People interest me. When you evolve as a comedian, you just can’t talk about your girlfriend and your parents anymore. It’s when you immerse yourself in a neighborhood that you understand people’s concerns and what affects them.
Sugar Sammy
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sugar Sammy with Asad Ali, son of the owner of Tropical Paradise
A loyal customer
“Monkland is the sister street of Bernard Avenue in Outremont,” points out Sugar Sammy. The latter also likes, three blocks to the south, Sherbrooke Street West. “It’s less chic and I like it that way. »
Sugar Sammy is a loyal customer of unassuming businesses that operate through word of mouth rather than advertising. He cites the Greek restaurant Thanos (“the best in Montreal”), Pho Lien (“the best tonki soup”) and Caribbean Curry House (“an institution for decades”).
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sugar Sammy
I may like luxury, but above all I seek the casual and the low key.
Sugar Sammy
The comedian has had the same hairdresser since the age of 15: Kevin from Salon Nguyen, located on Van Horne Avenue. “People come from afar to see it. His business is a family business and that’s what I like. »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sugar Sammy
This is also the reality that Sugar Sammy knew since his father had convenience stores in Côte-des-Neiges. “When I was 9, I told him that I wanted to do the cash register,” he says.
The Oratory
Sugar Sammy is very attached to Saint Joseph’s Oratory, which is still under construction. “When I see it from the plane, I know I’m going home.
“It’s the symbol of my neighborhood, of my city. It also represents a lot of conflicts in Quebec. »
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Saint Joseph’s Oratory
The Oratory, he says, is one of those symbols with which we have a love-hate relationship, “but that we don’t want to see go”.
However, Sugar Sammy enjoys mixing religions, generations and cultures. “The crossbreeding around me has helped me so much to build bridges. »
It is important “to learn on the ground”, he pleads. “And to be interested in others, which is not very 2023.”
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sugar Sammy
Walking, public transport
Sugar Sammy loves walking. This is how he and Simon-Olivier Fecteau found ideas for their show these guyshe points out.
However, he would like Montreal to have a public transport system that “really” allows you to get everywhere quickly. “We haven’t gotten there yet. »
“I’m happy with the arrival of the REM,” he adds as the 103 bus passes on Monkland Avenue.
“Look, do the passengers look happy?” No. »
People then interrupt Sugar Sammy to tell him what an honor it is to meet him.
“They came at exactly the right time as planned. I owe them $20! “, he jokes.
The mountain
Another place dear to Sugar Sammy is the mountain which, like the Oratory, overlooks the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood where he grew up.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sugar Sammy
What a privilege to have Mount Royal in the middle of the city! You don’t need to go to the countryside to be in nature and feel at home. top of the world.
Sugar Sammy
Sugar Sammy makes a plea: stop taking what you love about a city for granted.
Conversely, he is sorry that other places are being allowed to deteriorate, such as the portions of rue Saint-Denis and boulevard Saint-Laurent between Sherbrooke and Mont-Royal.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sugar Sammy outside his primary school, Iona
That’s enough talking. It’s time to go visit the businesses that Sugar Sammy frequents often. “But I can’t guarantee you that all the businesses are registered with Revenu Québec and that all the people have social insurance numbers,” he says with his own tongue-in-cheek tone.