The women chefs of MTLàTABLE
Gastronomy
This year’s 13th edition of MTLàTABLE counts over 150 restaurants, some of which are led by outstanding female chefs. In this article, we wanted to highlight these great women and encourage you to book a table at their establishments (or any of the other participating restaurants) soon. MTLàTABLE’s 2025 edition takes place from October 30 to November 16.
Pamika Sukla
Born and raised in Eastern Thailand, Pamika Sukla moved to Montréal and opened Pamika Thai in 2012. The relentless entrepreneur is dedicated to pass on her passion for traditional Thai food such as Thai Kuai Tiao dishes, her personal favourites. You can taste some of her creations at her restaurants Pamika Thai and Le Garden Room during this year’s edition of MTLàTABLE.
Founder/executive chef at Pamika Thai, 4902 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Mae Sri Comptoir Thai, 224 Milton Street
Le Garden Room, 1445 R Bishop Street
Karine Beauchamp
After an impressive trajectory both in Montréal with renowned restaurants and in Europe with Michelin-starred establishments, Chef Karine Beauchamp landed at ITHQ where she loves showcasing local and seasonal ingredients with a special interest in foraged plants and fruit for a true taste of our Boreal region. The ITHQ restaurant is one of Montréal’s establishments recognized by the MICHELIN Guide.
Executive chef at Restaurant de l’ITHQ, 3535 Saint-Denis Street
Maria-José de Frias
Originally from the Congo, Chef Maria-José de Frias’ Le Virunga is a pan-African establishment that specializes in sub-Saharan cuisine. Her cuisine is inspired by traditional recipes with a contemporary twist. She promises a virtual trip around several countries in each dish where recipes are harmoniously combined to create unique combinations. The MICHELIN Guide has recognized Le Virunga as one of Montréal’s noteworthy dining destinations.
Chef de cuisine at Le Virunga, 851 Rachel Street East
Magie Marier
With a solid foundation in restaurant and hospitality from her personal background and formal training in pastry at Montréal’s ITHQ, Chef Magie Marier brings both skill and passion to her work. After honing her craft in the bakery at the ITHQ hotel, she joined Ratafia four years ago, attracted by its unique dessert-focused menu with wine pairings. The restaurant has since shifted its style to include a full savoury menu, which Marier has taken on with full gusto. Her savoury creations often blend pastry techniques, especially evident in her beautiful and meticulously plated dishes. Her inspirations come from the fresh seasonal ingredients at the nearby Jean-Talon Market and the lively Little Italy neighbourhood, as well as cherished family pasta gatherings. She infuses Asian flavours into her creations, a personal favourite that adds a unique twist to Ratafia’s offerings. For this year’s edition of MTLàTABLE, Ratafia’s kitchen team made up of five talented women, each contributed a dish to the menu.
Chef at Ratafia, 6778 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Myriam Pelletier
After working under some of the best chefs in France such as Alain Passard and Hélène Darroze and done a stint at Toqué!, Chef Pelletier opened Rose Ross a few years ago with the mission of offering an accessible bistronomy-style restaurant. Her “bourgeois” seasonal cooking backed up by all her gastronomic experience and knowledge results in a cuisine that combines comfort, elegance and pleasure, “a cuisine that you make for the people you love”.
Chef/owner at Rose Ross, 3017 Masson Street
Audrey Leynaert
Chef Leynaert started her career in her native France as a pastry chef and a cooking instructor. Since moving to Montréal, she has become the chef/owner of Caribou Gourmand, a restaurant that prides itself in developing personal relationships with its purveyors. Her elegant bistro cuisine features some unique local ingredients such as yak and elk meat, cod and salmon and sweet clover. Reserve your table for their dinners as well as their exceptional brunch for MTLàTABLE.
Chef/owner at Caribou Gourmand, 5308 Saint-Laurent Boulevard
Josianne Marcoux
Chef Josianne Marcoux is the chef and founder behind Archway Verdun, a unique buvette that fuses her passion for vegan cuisine, local ingredients, and global flavours. Marcoux and her partner, Benoît Leclère, are redefining the boundaries of vegan cuisine, creating dishes that are both innovative and deeply rooted in Montréal’s culinary culture. With a background in interior design and sales, as well as experience in developing notable start-ups like Aux Vivres and Rise Kombucha, Chef Marcoux’ menu celebrates Québec’s rich terroir, highlighting local suppliers with a particular focus on those based in Montréal.
The dedicated CrossFit athlete’s personal cuisine reflects her international travels and broad culinary inspirations. Her current favourite is a unique fusion of Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines evident in the four-course MTLàTABLE menu they’re offering.
Chef/owner at Archway Verdun, 3683 Wellington Street
Mina Lloyd Hughes
Mina Lloyd Hughes is head pastry chef for the JEGantic Group, creating desserts for a diverse range of venues, each with its own distinct cuisine. A graduate of Pierson Vocational School, she began in professional cooking and completed a stage at Fairmont Montebello before joining JEGantic and starting her pastry career, mentored by former pastry chef Willow Stewart. Drawn to pastry for its creativity, Mina now designs her desserts by blending influences. For the new desserts at Yoko Luna, she blends Japanese influences with Canadian flavours, drawing inspiration by imagining dishes that would equally appeal to her Asian father and Canadian mother.
Executive pastry chef for the JEGantic Group
Yoko Luna, 1234 De la Montagne Street
Bord'elle, 390 Saint Jacques Street
Hang, 686 Notre-Dame Street West
The Farsides, 690 Notre-Dame Street West
Graziella Battista
Self-taught chef Graziella Battista draws deep inspiration from her Italian parents’ culinary heritage. She blends traditional Italian flavours with her own creative flair for a dining experience. Since opening her namesake restaurant Graziella in 2008, she has brought an elegant touch to Italian cuisine, showcasing her creativity with a commitment to local and seasonal ingredients.
Chef/owner Graziella, 116 McGill Street
Céline Diallo
Trained in classic French cuisine in Paris, Céline arrived in Montréal with a deep-seated curiosity and an appetite for diverse culinary traditions. She honed her skills across the city's vibrant food scene, making her mark at well-regarded spots like Le Parloir and Restaurant Brouillon (now closed). Céline draws on a broad spectrum of influences, from Afro-Caribbean to Asian cuisines. Her approach is all about creating a fusion of flavours that respect tradition while embracing evolution.
Executive chef Kwizinn, 311 Saint-Paul Street East
Helena Loureiro
Born in Serra de Santo António, Portugal, Chef Helena Loureiro moved to Montréal in 1988 after studying at the Lisbon Hotel Institute. After graduating from the ITHQ in 1990, she worked as executive chef at Le Vintage and Alexis le Trotteur. Today, as chef-owner of Helena and Portus360, she shares the vibrant flavours of her homeland with warmth and finesse. For nearly 30 years, she has blended traditional Portuguese cuisine with locally sourced Québec ingredients and exclusive imported wines, creating dishes that are generous and elegant. Both her restaurants are participating in this year’s edition of MTLàTABLE.
Chef/owner at Helena, 438 McGill Street
Portus360, 777 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard
Stephanie Castonguay
Stephanie Castonguay discovered her passion for Peruvian cuisine while working at Tiradito after graduating from cooking school a decade ago. She began her career at Old Montréal’s Hang bar, rising from cook to executive chef before its closure during the pandemic, then went on to cook for the A5 group and at Darling. Now leading the kitchen at Nikkei, her menu is traditional with the additional twist of blending in some of the chefs’ Italian heritage as well as her own Quebecois influences.
For MTLàTABLE, the menu features Nikkei classics, a seafood pasta, and the executive chef’s mother’s tres leches cake with preserved Québec summer strawberries.
Head chef at Nikkei, 1577 Laurier Avenue East
Karolane Bernier
Karolane Bernier holds diplomas in both cooking and pastry making and has been part of Café Le Petit Flore’s story for 12 years, on and off. She began working there at age 20 and became chef de cuisine in January 2020. Her path has included experiences in France, in the hotel industry, and with Cavalia. At Le Petit Flore, she crafts classic French cuisine with Québec’s seasonal produce. She prefers the summer harvest: fresh herbs, lemon, fish, and tomatoes. For MTLàTABLE, she has created a menu of comforting, timeless flavours.
Chef de cuisine at Café Le Petit Flore, 1145 Fleury Street East
Joëlle Trottier
Joëlle Trottier is an ITHQ graduate whose culinary journey began at Le Pistou owned by Éric Bélanger. She then helped him open La Buvette Chez Simone, where she stayed as chef for the first five years, before launching Furco with him as a partner 13 years ago, then Parvis a couple of years later, and most recently, Papito. Deeply inspired by seasonal, farm-to-table cooking, she sources the produce for all three restaurants from their very own farm La Fermette in Hemmingford.
Papito joins MTLàTABLE for the first time this year with a fun and shareable, grill-focused menu.
Chef/owner at Bar Furco, Café Parvis and Papito Restaurant, 1425 Saint-Alexandre Street
Carme Marquez
Originally from Barcelona, chef Carme Márquez brings her city’s creative culinary spirit to Bo’ Dégât. After working in Barcelona and Singapore—where she helped the former El Bulli team open a restaurant—she moved to Montréal for love. Her menu draws inspiration from Barcelona’s vibrant food culture, blending traditional recipes, influences from renowned chefs, and personal creations. Dishes like fried squid bao nod to Madrid’s bocadillo de calamares, and everything is homemade with fine Spanish products and fresh Québec ingredients.
Chef/owner and sommelier at Bo’ Dégât, 1392 Beaubien Street East
Lindsay McLaren
Originally from Ontario, Lindsay McLaren is chef de cuisine at Le St-Urbain, where she’s been honing her craft for the past decade. After starting in business school at Concordia, she chose the kitchen over the classroom, drawn to its energy and creativity. She worked at Tavern on the Square and Bon Vivant before joining Le St-Urbain, where her passion for cooking truly blossomed. Inspired by Québec’s farms and local ingredients, she harvests from the restaurant’s nearby urban plot. For MTLàTABLE, she recommends the braised rabbit ravioli with parsnip and pistachio.
Chef de cuisine at Restaurant Le St-Urbain, 96 Fleury Street West
Erica Nudo
Erica Nudo has built her career at a remarkable pace, driven by passion and opportunity. She knew from a young age she belonged in the kitchen, learning alongside her mother and grandparents before attending culinary school and selling custom cakes from home. After graduating in 2022, she gained restaurant experience and, by 2024, opened Pub Arya. Her menus blend Italian family recipes with creative pub fare. For MTLàTABLE, she’s crafted dishes that introduce patrons to their unique warm and creative spirit.
Chef/co-owner at Pub Arya - 434, Saint-Zotique Street East
Below are other notable women chefs whose restaurants are participating in this year’s MTLàTABLE:
Lily Sirikittikul | Chef at ChuChai and Chai-Yo, 4088 Saint Denis Street
Lorena Ortiz | Chef at Ibérica, 1450 Peel Street
Catherine Frenette | Chef at Plein Sud, 5064 Papineau Avenue
Khun Ying | Chef at Cup Pub Thaïlandais, 404 Duluth Avenue East
Alexia Proteau | Pastry chef at Le Boulevardier, 2050 Mansfield Street
Teresa de Jesus Avalos Maldonado | Chef at La Toxica, 7221 Saint-Hubert Street
Marie Desjardins | Chef at La Chope Angus – Brasserie Artisanale, 2601 William-Tremblay Street, Suite 140
Alice Préfontaine | Chef at Cabotins, 4821 Sainte-Catherine Street East
Alice Accart | Chef at Brasseur de Montréal, 1485 Ottawa Street
Our restaurants are eager to greet you! Out of respect for them, please honour your reservation or, if necessary, postpone or cancel it.
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Mayssam Samaha
Mayssam Samaha is a food and travel writer and blogger and the founder behind the blog Will Travel for Food. She travels the world in search of the next culinary discovery. From Iceland to South Africa, she’s already visited over 36 countries and there’s nothing she enjoys more than wandering around a farmers’ market in a foreign city. She is also the founder of the SAISONS intimate dinner series highlighting Québec products and chefs.