A rendezvous with gourmet products from Quebec

Quebec’s status as a foodie destination is sometimes overshadowed by its long history of maple syrup production (they are, in fact, the world’s largest maple syrup producer) and its stereotypical love of poutine, but Le Bureau du Québec aims to set the record straight.

During the 11^th edition of Rendez-vous Gourmet, an annual event organized by Le Bureau du Québec à Toronto, Ontario buyers and chefs were introduced to gourmet brands and products from Quebec. Over 500 products were promoted during a media tour hosted by Chef Romain Avril, dean of training at Chefs Canada.

Torontonians will also be able to snag a selection of the Quebec-made gourmet products at Pusateri’s Fine Foods locations for a limited time. This is in celebration of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day on June 24.

This year’s Rendez-vous Gourmet marks the 50^th anniversary of Le Bureau du Québec à Toronto that works to promote Quebec and Quebec-based companies. The bureau organizing different activities such as trade missions, business-to-business meetings, trade shows, product validation and strategic market studies.

“We are so proud to promote these brands and products that really define the inventive food scene in Quebec,” explained David Dupuy, agrifood and commercial attaché at Le Bureau du Québec à Toronto. “We look forward to seeing what the next 50 years brings in terms of innovation and creativity on behalf of Quebec gourmets.”

The bureau partners with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Québec to bring the Rendez-vous Gourmet Quebec to Ontario cities each year.

Some of the brands that were at the show are:

Nos Cabanes

The small batch maple syrup company capitalizes on the different saps from Quebec’s varied growing regions to make terroir-based maple syrups.

Healtea

Healtea uses healthy and wild “weeds” to make caffeine-free, organic beverages. Made with only four ingredients: water, herbs, lemon juice, and maple syrup, Healtea is available in a range of flavours and in both sparking and still varieties.

Malyna

Malyna offers single-serve snacks suited to the tastes of the whole family, from the kid-size Snack Attack Mini, which comes in flavours like the fibre-full vanilla cookies & dried apples, to the regular size Snack Attacks. M2 is an iron-rich combination of corn chips with flaxseed and puffed quinoa that will see you through that afternoon slump.

Fumix

Led by like-minded lovers of all things smoked, their snack mixes include S’mores and Maple flavours that have all been smoked using 100 per cent Quebec wood.

Kanel

Founded by a group of food and wellness-loving women in Montreal who juggle full-time jobs and families, Kanel offers spice blends using real, premium ingredients, with no preservatives, fillers, allergens and artificial flavourings.

Allo Simone

With no palm oil, less than 30 per cent sugar and made with all-natural ingredients Allo Simone’s nine spreads have interesting flavour combinations like “Hazelnut, dark chocolate and buckwheat;” “Almond cardamom and coco nibs;” and “Hazelnut, dark chocolate and coffee.”

La Pimenterie

The brand is known for hot sauces with unique flavour combinations as in their popular “Bon Matin” where coffee from Montreal roasters, ZAB cafe, collides with spicy lantern peppers.

Anhydra

Makers of healthy dried fruit with no additives or preservatives, the founders pride themselves on serving the cocktail and chocolate industries with a trend-driven selection of dried fruits and fruit powders.