Johanne Martineau: Nourishing Body and Soul with Merci la Vie

More than a decade ago, Johanne Martineau was a public speaker, relationship coach, and radio columnist. Today, she is co-owner of the restaurant Merci la vie, one of the finest tables in the Laurentians and a must-visit agrotourism destination. This is the portrait of a resilient woman who never gave up on her pursuit of happiness.

For those who don’t know Johanne Martineau, she is strong-minded, determined, and remarkably perseverant — the kind of woman who refuses to be defeated by the obstacles life places in her path. Energetic, loving, and endlessly positive, her journey mirrors her personality. Her story is one of extraordinary resilience and optimism. It all began with a life-altering moment: losing her baby at three months pregnant. “For the first time in my life, I found myself struggling with my health and energy,” she recalls. She had no idea the hardships wouldn’t end there, but she knew she would never give up.

Destiny

One evening, while driving home from work, she felt unwell and decided — almost by chance — to stop at a natural products store, Le Pommier Fleuri (now closed), a place she had never visited before. The welcoming team offered guidance, and to her great relief, Johanne soon saw her health improve. That encounter led her to explore alternative medicine, and she eventually trained as a naturopath.

A few years later, Johanne gave birth to Chloé, who proved to be a challenging child from an early age. Seeking support, Johanne enrolled in Jean-Pierre Gagné’s Parent-Guide, Parent-Complice program. The results were so transformative that she became involved in the program herself. Armed with a diploma in relationship coaching from Concordia University, she began giving conferences and overseeing the program’s activities on Montreal’s North Shore.

Meanwhile, at home, her husband Albert Elbilia — an artistic director and photographer — was quietly developing a passion for bread. In 2014, that passion materialized into a book, Boulange et boustifaille: 75 recettes pour faire la fête autour du pain. During its creation, Albert underwent surgery that forced him to reduce his screen time. To fill his newfound free hours, he continued baking.

As further surgeries prevented Albert from taking on photography or art direction contracts, Johanne doubled down to support their now family of five children. She filled her weeks with conferences, radio segments, and coaching sessions — “all with a baby in my arms.” Meanwhile, Albert kept refining his bread recipes. As his condition failed to improve, their financial situation grew critical. “At that point, his bread was feeding the family — which is no small thing — but it wasn’t paying the mortgage. I thought his bread was beautiful and delicious, but the nest was in danger.”

“One evening, I was coming back from giving a talk for the Laurentians School Board when I spotted a beautiful little space. The baby was crying her head off, so I stopped to nurse her. And wouldn’t you know it — the space was for sale or rent!” After visiting it, Johanne asked Albert whether he wanted to take his passion for bread to the next level. He didn’t hesitate. “I felt maybe that’s where life was guiding us,” she says.

Instant Success

In November 2015, the first Merci la vie opened in a small space in Prévost. For Johanne, the name was obvious: “Bread is noble. It has fed entire peoples. It has saved them from famine. Merci la vie is about gratitude.” Given their fragile situation, there was no room for a soft opening — it had to work immediately. “On our very first morning, by 10:30 a.m., we had nothing left!” Merci la vie, indeed.

The community quickly embraced the artisanal bakery. Soon overwhelmed by demand, Johanne and Albert purchased a trailer to expand production. But without running water, they hauled 4,000 kilos of flour and water back and forth. In snowstorms, they arrived at 3 a.m. to shovel a path just to transport supplies. “It made no sense. I don’t even know how we did it!”

Johanne dove into entrepreneurship, joking that she completed her “nighttime HEC,” learning budgeting and financial forecasting in her spare — or sleepless — hours. As demand grew, she began baking alongside Albert. “At Merci la vie, there’s a standard — excellence, nothing less. I was arriving with less than excellence, so there were some clashes. Today, we both bake, and we’ve learned to dance together.”

A New Beginning, New Challenges

At the end of 2019, they moved Merci la vie to its current beautiful location in Piedmont, still along Route 117 but a few kilometers northwest. The larger space allowed them to welcome guests properly — no more snow treks, no more early sell-outs. Johanne credits their team for making it all possible.

At the new location, their mission evolved: to nourish both body and soul. True to Johanne’s naturopathic training, Merci la vie eliminated commercial yeast in favor of slow, natural fermentation — some breads ferment up to 10 days. “Here, the key word is love — love in the dishes, how we prepare and present them, and where the ingredients come from. It’s about honoring what the earth gives us and returning to essentials.”

In 2023, disaster struck again. A severe sewage backup forced a long closure, with damages not covered by insurance. Six months later, a fire hit their home. That summer, Johanne and Albert decided to close Merci la vie, unsure how to recover. The community was devastated — so much so that they launched a GoFundMe to save it. Thanks to this collective effort, Merci la vie reopened, stronger than ever. “It confirmed that people wanted us to stay.”

Today, Merci la vie is far more than a bakery. It’s an exceptional gourmet destination in the region: an ice cream shop in summer, a pastry counter, a must-stop tourist destination, a go-to brunch spot, a venue for private events — and still one of the best bakeries in the province. Crowds flock there more than ever, and Johanne remains deeply grateful. “I have so much gratitude for our incredible community who allowed us to continue.”

Johanne Martineau is a woman of heart — generous, driven, and unforgettable. She transforms negative energy into positive and leaves smiles in her wake. Thank you for your big heart — and thank you, life, for giving us a woman like you to share a comforting lunch or brunch with.

Written by Jean-Philippe Tastet
Photography by Alison Slattery