In this Canadian Province, Farmers, Chefs, and Winemakers are Finding Everything They Need Close to Home
It’s a warm summer evening in Québec’s Eastern Townships. I’m seated at a long wooden table under a pergola, overlooking a still pond. The gardens that stretch out around us grew the very produce on the plate in front of me.
Guest chef Sylvain Dervieux steps out of the open-air kitchen to introduce the first course: Savoy cabbage with shallots marinated in seaweed, house kimchi, crispy wild rice, and a drizzle of hazelnut oil with elderflower vinegar. Nearly every ingredient was harvested just steps away. Our host moves down the table, pouring glasses of Aube d’Est, a lively Chardonnay grown and produced at Domaine l’Espiègle just down the road.
This is Les Cocagnes, a nonprofit collective farm that turns seasonal harvests into weekend dinners. And it’s just one example of how Québec takes farm-to-table to another level.
Here, hyper-local isn’t a buzzword. It’s how chefs and winemakers live and work. Instead of relying on imported staples, they create with what thrives in their own backyard.
From a Michelin Green Star restaurant that grows its own produce year-round, to a family winery crafting natural wines from cold-hardy grapes, to a Québec City kitchen that bridges farms and the city, every stop reveals a different facet of this hyper-local movement.
Discover the emerging Canadian wine region of Okanagan Lake.
Espace Old Mill: Reinventing Fine Dining With a Green Star
In the quiet village of Stanbridge East, part of Québec’s Eastern Townships southeast of Montréal, the Pike River runs past a brick building dating back to 1849. Once a popular prohibition-era hotel, it’s now home to Espace Old Mill, one of only three Québec restaurants to earn a Michelin Green Star. The honor recognizes sustainable restaurants. And here, sustainability is the whole point.
The project is the vision of farmer and bestselling author Jean-Martin Fortier, known for his book “The Market Gardener” and his focus on small-scale, organic farming.
Living just minutes away, he saw the potential in the two-acre property and set out to prove that the land can produce everything you need. He and his team planted gardens and built a carbon-neutral greenhouse. They even sourced the furnishings and flatware from local makers and antique shops in the Eastern Townships.
In the kitchen, Chef Éric Gendron brings a fine dining experience to this countryside setting. Before dinner, I toured the gardens and greenhouse with him, where he explained the philosophy: nothing imported except salt and coffee.
When Life Doesn’t Give You Lemons…
Instead of lemons, they use herbs and plants that bring the same acidity and sourness (think sorrel or rhubarb). Instead of chocolate, they find creative stand-ins like fennel and marigold.
On my plate, that approach came alive. A dish of celtuce, peas, and chervil featured the sweetest peas I’ve ever tasted—another pairing of deer tongue and lovage, with a touch of miso. The focus always returns to vegetables, highlighting just how much flavor can be derived from what grows right here.
The drinks list is equally local, featuring many wines, ciders, and spirits made within minutes of the restaurant. A standout for me was a rosé from Pigeon Hill in Saint-Armand, a blend of Marquette and Frontenac grapes, with wild strawberry and floral notes. Another favorite was the Hors d’âge SOL 11 from Clos Saragnat, a blend of nine vintages of ice cider that was beautifully complex.
Espace Old Mill isn’t just a restaurant. It’s a statement that everything you need for a remarkable meal can come from your own backyard.
Les Cocagnes: A Collective Feast From the Field
At Les Cocagnes, dinner starts where the ingredients grow. This nonprofit farm in Frelighsburg invites local guest chefs to design five-course menus using whatever is in season. Instead of ordering from a supplier list, they walk the fields and build the meal around what’s ready to harvest that week.
When I visited, we began with a cocktail and table-sliced jamón before touring the gardens. As we strolled between rows of lettuce and herbs, founder Stéphanie Hinton explained how Les Cocagnes works as a collective farm.
Several small-scale growers share the land, equipment, and infrastructure, creating a model that supports both farmers and the community while keeping the focus on sustainable practices. It was clear that what we were about to eat was part of a bigger vision for how farming and dining could work together.
That night’s menu balanced creativity with a real sense of place. A confit pork with crispy hemp and root vegetables paired beautifully with a peppery Pinot Zweigelt from Les Pervenches. Dessert brought fresh strawberries with a mousse of lovage and wild angelica, paired with a sparkling cider from Choinière.
What really stayed with me wasn’t only the food. It was the feeling of sharing something special with the farmers, chefs, and fellow diners around the table.
Les Cocagnes may have earned a Lauriers de la Gastronomie for gastronomic tourism, but it isn’t about awards. It’s about celebrating the land and the people who care for it. And that comes through in every plate they set down.
Vignoble l’Ardennais: Letting the Land Speak Through the Glass
The Brome-Missisquoi wine route in the Eastern Townships is dotted with vineyards, but few feel as rooted in the landscape as Vignoble l’Ardennais. Vines were first planted here in 1994, in sandy, gravelly soils left behind by the ancient Champlain Sea.
The site’s proximity to Lake Champlain, along with a man-made pond, help regulate temperatures and make it possible to grow both cold-hardy hybrids and cool-climate vinifera grapes.
A Family Thing
The winery has been run since 2016 by Stéphanie Thibodeau and Pier Cousineau, former chefs who trained with the vineyard’s founder before taking over. Their daughter, Charlotte, and son, Eliot, are now involved too. And even Bouchon, the family cat, plays his part in insect control (I spotted him gleefully chasing a moth by the vines).
As I walked the property, it felt like I was wandering through a nature preserve. Swallow houses, bat hotels, and flower-lined paths attract natural predators and pollinators that keep the vines healthy without the use of insecticides. Rose bushes planted at the ends of vineyard rows act as early warning systems for disease. The pond also provides a habitat for turtles, geese, and ducks. It’s a place where agriculture and biodiversity exist side by side.
The wines reflect that same respect for the land. Rather than forcing full-bodied reds that don’t suit the climate, the family focuses on what grows well here: cold-hardy hybrids like Seyval, Marquette, and Chancellor, along with plantings of Pinot Noir and Riesling. They ferment with natural yeast, keep their wines dry, and age them in older French oak. Nothing is clarified or filtered.
Favorites from my tasting included La Tête dans les Nuages, a Cayuga with fresh fruit and a touch of texture, and a lightly fizzy rosé of Seyval Noir bursting with wild strawberry and raspberry. I also loved Torst, a very light red that’s a blend of Chancellor and Frontenac Noir and almost too easy to sip on a summer afternoon.
Maude: Farm-to-City Connection in Québec City
Food in Québec doesn’t just feel local in the countryside. It also extends to the cities. As Québec food columnist Allison Van Rassel put it, “Québec City is human-sized.” Farms are close enough that ingredients can reach restaurants within minutes of being picked. And one great example of this is Maude.
Located in the Maizerets neighborhood of Limoilou, Maude is part grocery store, part café, and part test kitchen. Chef Maude Desroches opened it in 2020 in a former food-desert area.
The early years weren’t easy, as we dealt with the pandemic, vandalism, and even theft. But today, it’s become a go-to spot for brunch, lunch, and dinner, with ingredients sourced from nearby farms, vineyards, cideries, and creameries.
At first glance, Maude appears to be a small market and café. But sit at the counter, with a view straight into the open kitchen, and you’ll see just how much creativity is coming out of the space.
I had the Gaufre grilled cheese: a sweet-and-savory waffle sandwich layered with cheese, apple slices, and caramelized onions, and topped with candied pecans and a generous drizzle of maple syrup. It was gooey, crunchy, and completely addictive.
It’s About the Cheese
As I bit in, Chef Maude told the story behind the cheese: Le Cendré des Grands-Jardins, or “The Ash of the Grands-Jardins.” The name references the forest fires that have scarred Grands-Jardins National Park, located near Laiterie Charlevoix, where the cheese is produced. The thin line of blue running through the middle represents the ash.
Other dishes show the same mix of local sourcing and playful creativity. Think halibut ceviche brightened with melon and shiso, stuffed peppers with pork belly and eggplant, and buckwheat crêpes filled with mushrooms and ricotta.
The grocery shelves are just as tempting: bottles of Québec wine and cider, produce from Île d’Orléans, and cheeses from Charlevoix, ready for you to take home.
What Maude captures so well is that hyper-local cooking in Québec isn’t reserved for the countryside or special occasions. It’s part of daily life, even in a seemingly simple corner café.
A Taste That Could Only Be Québec
The flavors I tasted in Québec weren’t meant to mimic anywhere else. They told the story of this place: Its seasons, its farmers, its winemakers, and the community that supports them.
And that’s what makes Québec’s food and wine movement so exciting. It isn’t chasing global trends. It’s building its own identity, one harvest, one dish, and one glass at a time.
If You Go:
- Getting There: The Eastern Townships are about a 90-minute drive southeast of Montréal, best explored by car. Québec City is farther north, about a three-hour drive from Montréal. Or you can fly directly into Québec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport.
- Best Season: Summer through early fall is the best time for vineyard visits and farm-to-table dinners. Spring brings maple season, while many spots scale back hours or are closed in winter.
- Tourism Eastern Townships
- Destination Québec cite
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- In the Great Bear Rain Forest, a Wild Adventure That’s Gentle on the Land
- In New Brunswick, Lobster and Caviar Get Pretty Wild
Laura Danforth writes about more destinations and wine travel tips at Wine Travelista.
