Marie-Fleur St-Pierre: The Superwoman
Everyone here knows Marie-Fleur St-Pierre — an undeniably inspiring woman. For more than twenty years, she has infused our local culinary scene with her remarkable energy. She has shined through her work in the kitchens of several of the city’s great restaurants, as well as through her books, her recipe blog, and her own establishments. “Home” was first Montréal; today — and since 2020 — it’s Kamouraska, where she settled with her husband and children.
“I needed a change of pace, and I had already experienced the joy of living here, close to the river and far from the hustle.”
Following curiosities and trusting the journey
- Marie-Fleur is from Repentigny where she worked in a few restaurants when she was younger.
- She did her CEGEP in Arts and Literature at Marie-Victorin. “I was not a good student, I would skip my classes all the time to go see movies at Place Versailles!”
- One day, a friend told her about a DEP in cooking: “What I liked was that it seemed more practical than theoretical. In fact, it was also more of an escape for me, to move to Montreal.”
- She was accepted in French cuisine at the ITHQ and had Jean-Louis Themis as a professor; “he was super lively and I really got hooked. Oh, and I thought it was so cool to go to school on St-Denis Street!”
- Following her program, she got an internship at Café Ferreira. “I had seen ‘café’, and I thought it would be relaxing. (laughs) My teacher had just told me it was Portuguese food and I thought that was cool, I really wanted to work there. When I got there, I kind of realized that it wasn’t a café! Marino, the chef, is one of the men who taught me the most. He’s been in my life for a long, long time.”
- She then had the opportunity to do an internship in France, “but it wasn’t very supervised, and I just been working at Ferreira, which for me was THE best restaurant. I thought at the time that I didn’t need to go to France to learn!” (laughs)
- She then worked for a short time at Toqué! where she learned the importance of cleanliness and rigour in the kitchen.
- Following Toqué! she went to the Caprices de Nicolas on Drummond Street where she was in charge of placing the plates before they left. “I loved it!”
- Then one day, she decided that enough was enough; she didn’t want to work in the restaurant industry anymore and went back to live with her mother.
- She then worked at a restaurant on Mont Royal specializing in European snack food. “The owner looked at my resume and she was like ‘are you sure you want to work here?'” She didn’t stay very long and left to work at Barraca where she redesigned the menu for a more tapas-like menu.
- Then came an opportunity to take on the role of head chef at Tapeo. “That’s when I became a real chef. I was an excellent garde-manger, but when it came to cooking, I was freaking out. I had timers everywhere — for my chops, my filet mignon, everything!”
Food lovers flocked in as soon as the restaurant opened, and Josée Distasio and Daniel Pinard even stopped by to film their TV shows with her. The magic exceeded all expectations.
That beautiful adventure at Tapeo — and later at Meson — would last for 20 years.
Babies, books and blogging
On top of all this, she also has two beautiful children with her partner Alexandre Verreault; Colette, and her little brother Rosaire. Where did you meet Alexandre, by the way? “My wonderful Alex! He was a busboy at Tapeo!”
Ten years ago, she also wrote a book on tapas ‘Les Tapas de Marie-Fleur, Les éditions de l’homme’ and another book on brunches ‘Les brunchs de Marie-Fleur, Les éditions de l’homme’ last year.
More recently, she launched her recipe blog: “I actually saw the movie Julie and Julia and I kind of fell in love with it. Basically, I love writing, and I knew I was going to go on maternity leave and have more time on my hands. So I wanted to make a kind of scrapbook of recipes, of food, I really wanted to talk to the world. A month before I gave birth, it really took shape. With Marie-Claude Marquis, who does my illustrations, we made a kind of online cookbook, some mood posts. The blog is like my delinquent side. At the restaurant, I make structured Spanish recipes, and if I feel like making fish with Indian sauce, I put it on the blog. And that allowed my creativity to really flourish! A cauliflower, it couldn’t just be a cauliflower, like that inspires me!” (laughs) She’s recently started writing more recurring posts, which are updated every month.
Kamouraska and the grocery store
In April 2021, Marie-Fleur partnered with Christian Bégin to take over the fine grocery Le Jardin du Bedeau in Kamouraska, where she developed a ready-to-eat offering that highlights local producers from the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. Since the spring of 2025, she has been running Supérette Chez Marie on her own — the new incarnation of the village’s grocery-and-convenience store and one of our favorite spots in the area — where her culinary talent truly shines. The selection keeps refining, the homemade dishes multiply, and the place now fully asserts itself as a fine grocery.
And now, Hôtel Victoria in Saint-Pascal
With her warm personality, Marie-Fleur makes friends everywhere she goes. In her new life in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, two encounters proved especially meaningful: first, Samuel Dionne, co-owner of La Fée Gourmande chocolate shop in Kamouraska; and second, Hélène McKoy, known among other things as the cofounder of Montréal’s Pouzza Fest, a punk rock music festival held since 2011.
The energy of this joyful trio quickly sparked something remarkable. In fall 2023, they purchased Hôtel Victoria in Saint-Pascal, a heritage gem of the Kamouraska MRC and a place filled with cherished memories for countless people in the region and beyond. Marie-Fleur jumped back into the kitchen at “the Vic” and soon added dishes that carry her unmistakable signature. “I want to offer food that comforts people — warm, approachable dishes for a wide range of guests. My bistro-style cooking highlights the work of local producers and farmers. And we want to keep the pricing in a range that allows people to come back again and again without feeling like they have to spend a fortune to eat here.”
Passing through the region will never be the same now that Marie-Fleur is behind the stoves. Her Salmon Escabèche, Oven-Baked Cod Loin with Piperade, and Scallop Crudo with Muscat Grapes are already winning hearts (and stomachs). And we’re especially happy to see that she brought back a paella — a dish she was famous for in Montréal. Here, in an added touch of joy, she’s named it the Paella Victoria.
How do you do it all?
(laughs) “I don’t know, I make a routine, I put compartments in my life, I make lists, deadlines. And I stop at night. I try to keep a balance.”
“I have a life filled with little parentheses.”
Parentheses that we love.
Continue your magic, Marie-Fleur!
Written by Élise Tastet
