Life, the city | The barista who marked Mile End

Lucky people could call themselves his friend. But for anyone who was served coffee by the big-hearted barista for the first time, Jocelyn Despres had the power to turn a bad mood into a good one.

The 1^is November, the co-owner of the Pastel Rita café, located in Mile End, died accidentally at the age of 43. His death created a shock wave for his friends and colleagues, but also for the many people he welcomed every day in the “paparmane” setting of 5761, boulevard Saint-Laurent.

As soon as his death was announced on social networks, mourners gathered spontaneously in front of the café. They lit candles and placed bouquets of flowers. When co-owner Jean-Vivier Lévesque saw the small gathering, he said to himself that only Jocelyn could create this island of love. “It can’t be that Jocelyn is no longer here, but it’s beautiful what’s happening,” he consoles himself.

He and the other co-owner, Elise Bertrand, are a couple. During our visit to the café, they were with Laurier, their 8 month old baby. “He was born on February 18 like Jocelyn,” emphasizes his father.

“Love at first sight,” says Elise Bertrand when she describes her first meeting – and the beginning of her friendship – with Jocelyn, around twenty years ago, at the counter of the La Rockette bar.

An everyday hero

Jocelyn Despres was not a public figure, but an everyday hero who knew the names of his clients and their children. The proof, the rain of tributes which fell on social networks when his death was announced.

Heartbroken, people described him as “a giver of happiness” and “a prince of kindness” by emphasizing “the sparkle deep in his eyes” and “his enveloping personality”.

Many artists also expressed their mourning on Instagram, including Safia Nolin, Matt Holubowski, Magalie Lépine-Blondeau and comedian Phil Roy. “The great light of our little daily life,” wrote Ariane Moffatt. “The beating heart of Mile End,” saddened actress Karine Gonthier-Hyndman. Even the federal MP for Outremont, Rachel Bendayan, wanted to pay tribute to the “rare gem” that he was in the neighborhood.

The one nicknamed “Joce” made Pastel Rita an anchor in Mile End, as well as a landmark for the LGBTQ+ community. “He was part of the daily lives of so many people,” emphasizes his friend Daphné Brissette, who knew Jocelyn at the age of 19 when both worked at Kilo.

“For me, Montreal is Jocelyn,” she says. Having fun, the desire for good things, being close to people, creating a community…”

“He was my number one fan,” adds the woman who is also the singer of the group Bon enfant. When Jocelyn told her that a show was good, her soul was at peace. “I was also a big fan of Jocelyn,” she insists. I was so proud to introduce it to people. »

An exemplary sense of hospitality

Jocelyn Despres has been part of the Montreal restaurant landscape for 25 years. He worked at Kilo, at Café Rico, at La Distributrice, at Ma’tine, at Réservoir, then at the restaurant of the Museum of Contemporary Art, where he met chef Antonin Mousseau-Rivard. The latter then entrusted him with the position of maître d’hôtel of the renowned Mousso.

In parallel with Mousso, Jocelyn was a barista at the Paquebot café located a stone’s throw from The Press. It was during the pandemic in 2020 that he purchased his favorite neighborhood café, Pastel Rita.

In a series on happiness published in The Press in 2020^⁠1Jocelyn had said that catering had become a vocation for him, largely for the contact with people.

“It’s so beautiful what people said about Jocelyn this week,” says Daphné Brissette. “Joce” would like to hear his close guard say that the emotion of his sudden departure is worthy of Lady Di. One of his idols, singer Debbie Gibson, even reacted in a private group of admirers.

In addition to his many friends and clients, Jocelyn Despres leaves to mourn his parents, his brother and his lover, with whom he was to marry.

He left his mark on Mile End, one coffee and one smile at a time.

1. Read the article “In Pursuit of Happiness: Kindness Against Cruelty”