A new culinary series, which has just landed on Télé-Québec, will delight gourmets who love multicultural flavors. Hosted by Hélène Bourgeois Leclerc, Give the taste takes us across Quebec to discover chefs from different cultures.
Published yesterday at 11:00 a.m.
This new show is halfway between documentary and culinary magazine. “It’s been a fantastic summer,” exclaims the host. The word dating keeps coming up, but that’s it. The flavors were multiple and not just on the plate. » The series presents the history, cuisine and culinary secrets of 12 chefs, most of whom are little known to the public.
PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Chef Mohamed Ben Hamidou, from Marin d’eau Douce, and his family who works alongside him
We travel across Quebec, notably to Carleton-sur-Mer to meet Mohamed Ben Hamidou, head of the Marin d’Eau Douce, and all his friendly family; in Rimouski with chef Adrian Pastor, from Projet Yaku; and in Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, discovering chef Maria Razo. It was the team’s desire to move away a little from Montreal to show an overall portrait of Quebec. “We didn’t necessarily want hotel managers so that people could recognize themselves through them,” explains Juliette Provost-Dubois, content producer.
Each episode is punctuated by the execution of two to three recipes by the chefs, helped by Hélène Bourgeois Leclerc who seems to have the secret to putting them at ease.
I discovered cultures, textures, ways of cooking. I pushed myself and stepped out of my comfort zone.
Hélène Bourgeois Leclerc, host of Give the taste
A forcefully cut lamb and its head, cooked on the fire, made the host grimace at one point…
“We want people to discover other cultures through food and that it makes them want to cook,” the content producer mentions.
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PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Chahla Frangié, chef of the Alep restaurant, and Tania Frangié, restaurateur of the establishment
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PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Jason Kacprzak, chef-owner of Bistro Kapzak, and co-owner Jennifer Pinel
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PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The restaurateurs behind La Belle Tonki
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The series also focuses on the legacy of the chefs, and on the way in which these women and men shape Quebec identity. “With this show, we wanted to show positive examples of immigration, humans behind the statistics,” explains director Xavier Havitov. “Food, cooking, is a vector of sharing,” says Hélène Bourgeois Leclerc. Everyone wanted to share their culture and their humanity. » The chefs, some of whom work with family, did not hesitate to open their hearts and tell their personal stories on camera.
From Poland to Congo via Syria, the show is intended to be a gourmet… and emotional journey. “We ate so much, we bawled, we laughed,” relates the host, who hopes that the show will make people want to try the restaurants and the chefs’ recipes, but also to open up to others to through food.
Watch on Friday at 7 p.m. on Télé-Québec, or catch up on the Télé-Québec website
Visit the page of Give the taste
