Villa Estevan Lodge | Find inspiration on 18 flower-filled hectares

It’s hard to find a more bucolic setting than that of the Villa Estevan Lodge. Located in the heart of the Reford Gardens, the restaurant makes you want to have tea on the long terrace, dreaming of a time with no other distractions than flowering vegetation, the sea in the distance and chattering birds. But it has more to offer. Under the helm of chef Frédérick Boucher, the place transforms into a culinary mecca at dinner time, in order to honor the regional products and edibles of the site.

It is without lace dresses or white gloves that we sit down at the table, in what was once the reception room of Elsie Reford, who had made the place her summer residence. The mistress of the house would have strongly disapproved of our breaches of etiquette – would she even have allowed them? But with all due respect, it is in a relaxed atmosphere that we have the chance, these days, to taste the best dishes.

Besides, it is also without ceremony that we welcome customers, we say to ourselves while chef Frédérick Boucher presents us with the menu of the day. As a starter, a ceviche of Gaspésie halibut and its lacto-fermented rhubarb, followed by garden lamb with spruce shoots. Then will be a strawberry pico de gallo on fresh cheese and a mid-season dessert, composed of an almond tartlet, rosemary apples and toasted bread ice cream.

The chef’s strength is the blend of local flavours. Working with fish is one of them. “I love them and I think I have a certain talent for preparing them,” he humbly admits. That’s good. Seafood is a must in Gaspésie. However, despite this proximity to the ocean and the Mitis River, sourcing remains a challenge. “It was a clash when I came back from France. There, I had a daily connection with local producers.”

A finalist for the Lauriers de la Gastronomie last year in the Chef of the Year category, Frédérick Boucher still manages to create dishes that are made up of at least 85% local products and plants picked on site.

“Things are progressing,” he says. “The region has nothing to envy the others.”

From Lille to Métis

At 17, the chef left Price – “the little village next door” where summers are spent fishing in the river – for “somewhere else”: not far away, Rimouski, the time to do his CEGEP while accumulating paychecks at the bistro as a dishwasher, then in the kitchen. “One day, the cook didn’t show up. The manager asked me if I knew how to cook. I lied.”

Alongside evenings spent cooking or studying, he met his future wife who was leaving for Montreal, and decided to follow her. It was with this same inclination to go with the flow that he enrolled at ITHQ in the big city. “I often say that I fell into cooking by chance. University wasn’t for me and I had rather enjoyed working in restaurants. It’s a bit like a romantic relationship: you get to know each other and the relationship develops!”

Slowly but surely, he established his talent on solid foundations. With his diploma in hand, he worked in a few restaurants in Montreal: at Pullman, Decca 77, Laloux and Newtown, where he met Martin Juneau. Between 2015 and 2019, he contributed to the success of Pastaga, before leaving to explore other avenues.

What was supposed to last three weeks, the time to lend a hand to friends at a pop-up restaurant in Paris, would stretch over four years. He became chef at Gravity, in the 10th^e arrondissement, then migrated north to Lille, to take over the management of Bloempot and its 99% local menu. A year and a half later, at the start of the pandemic, the “movement” would bring him back to his hometown.

The grass is green here too

“We bought a house, we have children, the people are nice and the setting is enchanting. It’s a wonderful environment for creativity,” says the chef. Observation: the setting elevates his cuisine, itself nourished by years spent learning the ropes of the trade in France. Moreover, it was clear from the start that he wouldn’t put flowers on the plate just because he works at the Jardins de Métis.

In the summer, his kitchen benefits from the abundance of fresh food offered by local producers. Villa Estevan also has its lambs, honey, flowers in abundance and a vegetable garden where more than 150 edible plants grow. When the heat gives way to frost, the chef captures local flavors in fermentations, marinades or vinegars that are used for private receptions in winter or during the following season. Because if the villa is not winterized and must close at the end of summer, the Jardins de Métis have their culinary laboratory that can be used all year round.

At Villa Estevan Lodge, the chef works day by day with what is available and at the peak of its flavors. To enjoy maximum flexibility and feed his creative impulse, he offers a Carte Blanche menu, which varies according to the inspirations and the products of the season.

This mid-day culinary experience will end with a stroll through the gardens and a tour of the villa. You can also take a break at the gardens refreshment bar (from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday) or have a bite to eat at the Le Bufton café-bistro, located at the entrance to the site (every day, until October 6, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for pastries and coffee; from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch service; purchasing a ticket to access the Gardens is not mandatory).

The price of the Carte Blanche menu at Villa Estevan Lodge is $75 per person, with reservations required. The restaurant is open from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday, until August 31. To access it, you must purchase an entrance ticket to the Jardins de Métis.

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