Earning His Stripes
After completing his training in Advanced Cuisine, Robin headed to Burgundy for an internship at the Hostellerie de Levernois, then aiming for its second Michelin star. “It was a huge learning experience for me. Very military-style,” Robin recalls. “We started work on the farm at 6 a.m. and finished at 2 a.m., six days a week. I came back changed, with a bit more maturity.”
Far from being put off by the grueling pace, the young chef returned to Montréal more determined than ever. Following the wise advice of Mr. Lambert, one of his instructors at the ITHQ, he kept sharpening his skills all over the city. “The important thing is to work in as many different places as possible for ten years, learn everything you can. Then, you can start thinking about becoming a chef,” Mr. Lambert had told him. “That’s exactly what I did,” Robin confirms.
Over the years, he cooked in the kitchens of Chez Victoire, the Globe (alongside JP Miron, who would later become executive chef at Joe Beef), Restaurant Hà, and Lauréa, under Hakim Chajar. Chef Helena Loureiro, with whom he worked for over three years, was another major influence. “She’s a great chef who works with fish and seafood in a magical way. I learned so much from her,” he emphasizes.
Robin also stepped into the spotlight on the popular TV show Les Chefs!, competing not once but twice—first in 2010 and again in 2015, during the Revenge season.
From Montréal to Bali… and Back Again
When his friend Kevin Latrem—then co-owner of Fitzroy and Apt. 200—proposed opening a restaurant in Bali, Robin didn’t hesitate for a second. Their venture, named Gypsy Kitchen + Bar, quickly became a resounding success.
“We didn’t want to be expats cooking expat food. We worked exclusively with local farms. I went to the fish market every morning. We even learned to speak Balinese,” says the chef. “At first, when you’re white, people try to rip you off a bit. But once you start speaking the language, they give you the best products. You have to immerse yourself in the culture.”
“It’s such a different culture. Really disorienting,” he continues. “I come from French kitchens, where it’s sometimes pretty rough. Over there, you can’t yell at anyone—if you do, you won’t have any staff the next day. It really calmed me down. Forced me to slow down.”
The Gypsy adventure lasted a little over a year, during which Robin met the woman who would become his wife. Eventually, he and his partners packed up and brought the concept back to Montréal—eventually evolving into what became Name’s on the Way.
…to Saint-Bruno
It was at Théophile, in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, that Robin’s culinary talent truly came into full view. The owners gave him free rein to create a menu in his own image. Opened in the middle of the pandemic, when travel was still off the table, the restaurant became an instant hit. “It was a big place! And it was booming those first two years. We were doing 200 covers a night. It was insane!”
It was there that Robin met sommelier Karelle Voyer, with whom he quickly formed a strong connection. Together, they started hatching plans to open a restaurant of their own. “I’d been thinking about my own concept for a long time. I already had the name, I knew exactly what I wanted,” Robin recalls.
Then one morning, riding his trusty scooter, Robin spotted a ‘For Rent’ sign in the window of a storefront just steps from his home—one he passed every day on his way to work. “It was disgusting. Abandoned and covered in graffiti. Then one day, they changed the windows and put up the sign. I called, we visited, and we took it.”
A few months later, in February 2024, Robin and Karelle opened their cozy 32-seat restaurant: Parapluie.
Parapluie & Co.
“When we opened, I was honestly terrified we wouldn’t be able to fill the restaurant,” Robin recalls. “But the first week, it was packed. And it’s never stopped since.”
The original team was just three people: Robin in the kitchen, Karelle running the floor, and Félix behind the bar. It didn’t take long for the trio to realize they needed backup. “It was a big learning curve,” says the chef, who has since built a solid kitchen team with a sous-chef, a line cook, and a crucial dishwasher named Aimé. “Now I feel like we’ve figured out what the Parapluie machine is. We’ve hit our rhythm, and we’re having fun.”
The restaurant was quickly recognized, landing spots on Air Canada enRoute’s list of best new restaurants and Canada’s 100 Best. “EnRoute was crazy. It really changed something for us.” And more recently, it was the Michelin Guide’s turn to give them a nod.
So what does Robin think makes Parapluie such a success? “Because the kitchen is open and it’s super accessible, people just have a good time at Parapluie—and so do we. Everyone comes to chat, everyone’s smiling, everyone’s happy to be there. The music is great too. That’s what Parapluie is: a good playlist, happy people, and great food. It’s the kind of place I’d want to go to,” he says with a grin.
Far from resting on their laurels (though not yet on Canada’s Best New Restaurant on Laurier—one of the few prizes Parapluie hasn’t nabbed), Robin and Karelle are already working on their next venture: La cave du Parapluie, set to open this fall (“Mid-September,” confirms Karelle from across the room) in the space next door.
“It’ll be a wine bar, with a few cocktails, a small draft beer selection, and really simple food. Just cold and raw things. Fish, seafood, charcuterie, olives. I can’t say too much yet, but the concept is basically: like being underwater,” Robin says with a mischievous smile. A project worth watching…
And where does Robin see himself in five years? “Here. Same place. With a kid. That’s my other dream—to have a child with my wife.”
We’re wishing you all that, and lots of happiness along the way.
Bravo, Robin!
