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[docsconz]

Thanks for joining us here on eGullet. I enjoy your contributions to the Art of Eating and I enjoy dining when I can in Montreal (not nearly often enough), , but unfortunately I never got to your restaurant in Montreal and now I understand it is too late. As I learn more and more about eating and food, I am sure that this was my loss.

What are your views on the current food scene in Montreal - restaurant directions (and I don't mean how to get to them , quality and economics as well as general market quality and availability of good product with an emphasis on local produce. There was a recent topic on Quebec Cheese in the Montreal Forum, in which a lot of criticism was leveled against the Quebec Cheese industry. What do you think the industry needs to improve?

[James MacGuire]

I'm a pretty big fan of the whole Quebec food scene, but spent too much time working to go out a lot, and hesitate to criticise colleagues. Visitors should remember that Montreal is no longer the " Paris of North America" because local cooks are looking more to New York or L.A. for inspiration than France, and a visit to the city's more modern kitchens might not be a huge change for people from the U.S.
The Quebecois' enthousiasm for most things, especially food, makes this a fun place to be, and because of the common language, French ingredients and tools are easily found, and although our local wine prices can be pretty high, we have a huge selection of wines from lesser known regions of France, for the most part unavailable elsewhere in North America, most great winemakers make it to town because they have a good time here, and I have been told by many of them that local wine buyers are among the most sophisticated in the world.
Ducks and duck foie gras are produced in huge quantities, lamb is pastured on the marshes of the St Lawrence river ( similar to French pres sales lamb), wine ( needs work), cider, lots and lots of stuff......
There has been a huge boom in cheesemaking, and for the most part, so far so good, but things aren't perfect, and there are huge variances from producer to producer and batch to batch.
Cheesemakers here weren't born into the business, and there no established regions, types, and appelations controlees. Most of the raw milk cheeses are based on Saint Paulin, probably because it ripens in the required 60 days ( Camembert, at 28-30 days would be tough), and things could be more varied. Another concern is that with our harsh climate, the cows ( cow breeds are another concern ) don't spend much time each year grazing meadows ( and what do they eat the rest of the time?)
But as I said It's wonderful that all of these things are going on.