Florence Pelland-Goyer: hospitality as a playground, wine as a compass

Florence Pelland-Goyer is one of those figures in Montreal’s restaurant scene whose energy is palpable from the very first encounter. She speaks quickly, laughs loudly, and seems to be thinking about ten things at once. Always on the move, yet fully present in every exchange, she has a singular presence that never goes unnoticed.

A trained sommelier and partner at Pinôt Boutique Hotel in Sutton, and formerly co-owner of Buvette Chez Simone and Bar à Flot, she now spends her weekdays at Au Coin Fairmount in Mile End, where she curates the wine list and oversees hospitality. Beneath this seemingly boundless energy lies a clear appetite for challenge. What defines her is a deep love for people, good food, wine, and the projects she carries forward with conviction. This is the portrait of a confident woman who has grown within the industry—and continues to leave her mark.

Florence grew up in Rosemont, just steps from Cinéma Beaubien. She entered the restaurant world almost by default—uninterested in pursuing cégep, she fell in love with the trade, much to her parents’ dismay. She got her start at Les Enfants Terribles under the guidance of Francine Brulée. “That’s where I learned what service really is—and above all, what hospitality means.” She stayed for five years, then moved on to the Île-des-Sœurs location before joining Huis Clos, where she discovered the world of mixology.

Wine as a turning point

Not long after starting out in restaurants, Florence began questioning the place of women in the industry. Earning a diploma seemed like the best way to establish credibility and fully anchor herself in the profession. In 2014, she chose to study sommellerie at the ITHQ. Yet this path was far from obvious: “My father didn’t drink, and my mother would leave an open bottle of Bordeaux on the counter for three weeks. I thought—this can’t be what my relationship to alcohol and wine is supposed to be.” Nothing predestined her for this path, except a curiosity that would soon turn into a true passion.

From Chablis to Montréal Plaza via the Buvette: formative years

During her time at ITHQ, Florence joined the team at La Salle à manger, a pioneering institution for natural wine in Montreal. There, she trained under her mentor Sam Pinard and sommelier Lindsay Brennan, now behind Alma and Terraza Luz. She first completed a three-month internship in the Loire Valley with Philippe Tessier, followed by another in Burgundy, working at Au Fil du Zinc in Chablis. During that time, she visited renowned producers including Raveneau and Rousseau. Back in Montreal, she returned to La Salle à manger before joining Montréal Plaza in 2016 as an assistant sommelier. As she puts it plainly: “I was lucky to be surrounded by the right people, who believed in me at the right time.”

“Working with Charles-Antoine and Cheryl, and the entire Plaza team, was an incredibly fast and formative learning experience. It was the first time I was managing someone else’s money while building a wine list—you doubt yourself, you question everything, you learn quickly. But for me, it was a great school. It was such an eclectic place, filled with strong personalities, where everything could coexist: my wild side, my love of wine, my interest in food. Honestly, hats off to them. I think they reinvented Montreal’s restaurant scene in their own way.”

It was also at the Plaza that she met Simone Chevalot and Gabrielle Bélanger, with whom she quickly formed a friendship before joining them at Buvette Chez Simone.

“I have immense respect for what they’ve built on the Montreal scene. They created a model that didn’t exist. They made wine more accessible—and I think that’s fantastic.”

Starting as a server, then becoming manager-sommelier and eventually co-owner, Florence spent several formative years with them before helping open Bar à Flot during the pandemic. When asked where she felt most at home, her answer is immediate: “The Buvette, 100% (!!) It’s so me.” She speaks of that time with deep gratitude: “They taught me so much about entrepreneurship—but most of all, they taught me to trust myself. I owe them a lot.”

Opening Bar à Flot in such a chaotic context was anything but easy. “I felt there was a generational shift. The new generation in the restaurant world is carrying reflections my generation probably would have benefited from. They’re closer to their values, clearer about their limits, and less willing to accept what we tolerated for so long. It really challenged me.” It was also during that time that Florence realized she could no longer sustain the same pace.

Then there’s Véronique—her love at first sight, the one with whom she would later create Pinôt. Florence speaks about her with stars in her eyes. With her, a new way of living slowly took shape—softer, more grounded, more aligned with the balance she was seeking.

“As an entrepreneur, I want to take on a thousand projects—but at the same time, I want a more balanced life. The two can be hard to reconcile. That said, right now, I feel like I’m in a good place to hold both.”

They already shared a deep desire to build something together. During a trip to Portugal, they discovered a boutique hotel in Lisbon that crystallized their vision. “The person running the hotel seemed to have the best life in the world,” Florence recalls. That experience led her, after much reflection, to sell her shares in both Buvette and Bar à Flot—not out of disillusionment, but out of a need for a different rhythm.

“I had felt for a long time that I hadn’t done something for myself. It’s a kind of grief. A grief I clearly haven’t fully closed—because I came back to restaurants.”

“I was tired, honestly. I hadn’t exercised in ten years simply because I didn’t have time. You think it’ll drain you, but it actually energizes you. I had forgotten how good it feels. Getting back to moving—being in the countryside with my dog and my partner—did me a world of good.”

Pinôt: pausing to move forward

In the summer of 2022, Véronique and Florence fell in love with a Victorian house dating back to 1905 in the heart of Sutton. What began as a shared dream quickly revealed its full scale: a year and a half of renovations and a budget that spiraled. Still, the vision sharpened. Véronique imagined the visual world; Florence focused on what she does best—welcoming people.

Pinôt opened in October 2024 with six rooms and a glass wine cellar filled with beautifully curated bottles selected by Florence. The light-filled living room opens onto a sloping garden leading to a stream. The house is exceptional, and Florence credits Véronique entirely for its thoughtful design.

“We wanted to recreate that Tuscany feeling: it smells like thyme and rosemary when you walk in, and everywhere you look there’s intention—but you’re not afraid to sit on the couch because it’s too beautiful.”

The boutique hotel was an instant success. Guests showed up, and Florence rediscovered the pleasure of working differently. “I have to admit—working during the day, I love it. We’re really lucky. Sometimes life just works out. For me, Pinôt is all positive.”

She laughs as she says it, but the name wasn’t chosen at random: there was a very real desire to drink good bottles. In the afternoons, guests gather for a relaxed apéro by the fire, and the space occasionally hosts Cin Cin evenings with guest chefs, including collaborations with Casavant, Parapluie, and Nora Gray.

The pull of a new challenge

When her friend Jean-François Gervais—behind Barbara and Baby Far West—invited her to join Au Coin Fairmount at the end of 2025, Florence didn’t hesitate. The place is vibrant, and everything JF touches carries something unique. She dove in enthusiastically, especially into shaping the wine program.

While she admits a soft spot for “great Burgundy—slightly elitist, not for every budget,” her approach to wine has evolved. “I’m less cocky than before,” she says. The desire to impress has given way to something simpler and more generous. Today, what matters most is guiding people, making wine accessible, and above all, making them feel exactly where they belong.

What do you dream of, Flo?

“Even though Pinôt has just found its rhythm, I’m already dreaming of a second address—somewhere in a residential neighborhood, far from downtown Montreal.” She says it with a smile, almost like a confession: “My girlfriend is going to hate me for saying this…” But the idea is there.

She speaks openly about the weight of regulation—especially in hospitality—which can be overwhelming for independent entrepreneurs. Looking to Europe, she envies a kind of freedom that feels more fluid, more alive. “They have these little hole-in-the-wall spots on street corners—less regulation—and it makes everything more spontaneous.”

What she advocates for is not the absence of rules, but the possibility of creating lively, festive spaces without infringing on others. At its core, her question is simple: in Quebec, where winter lasts six months—can’t we just have fun during the other six?

You sense in her a growing desire to speak out on these issues—not only as an entrepreneur, but as someone imagining what the industry could become with more flexibility. Politics, though she approaches it cautiously, is not entirely off the table. The daughter of an urban planner involved in municipal politics, Florence could one day see herself advocating for a less rigid vision of hospitality.

In the meantime, she continues to look for her next opportunity—the rare gem, much like Pinôt or Au Coin. What drives her is the desire to bring back a certain lunch culture to Montreal: long tables, shared bottles, conversations that stretch on. Something a little old-school, she says. She also dreams of a project with her close friend JF—a place that doesn’t exist yet, but one she feels she’ll recognize instantly when she sees it.

One thing is certain: if a Pinôt were ever to open in Montreal, we’re convinced it would embody everything that defines Florence—an inhabited place, heartfelt, vibrant, and where every encounter feels genuinely sincere.

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery