Comptoir-Épicerie Signé Toqué: Quebecois gastronomy at home

In March 2020, the pandemic forced restaurateurs to close their dining rooms and reinvent themselves to get through the crisis. Chef Normand Laprise and his collaborators from the Signé Toqué group seized the opportunity to move forward with a project that had been close to their hearts for a long time: the creation of the Grocery-Counter Signé Toqué.

Located near the restaurant Beau Mont, the shop was not just a temporary project—it is here to stay. Initially, they were going to open a butcher shop, but the changes brought about by the pandemic made the concept evolve. The chef explains: “At first, we had in mind to set up a butcher shop. It was supposed to happen in 2021 or 2022. Finally, when our restaurants closed, we had so much food that we put it all together, we transformed a lot of products, and we quickly opened the grocery store.”

Their offering

You can enjoy the same products at the Grocery-Counter Signé Toqué as in the Toqué restaurants: local and seasonal products, meats, preserves, prepared meals, privately imported wines, and more.

Although the project has evolved, the Grocery-Counter still has an important butchery component. They offer artisanal charcuterie as well as cuts of meat made to order. Whether you want lamb or beef, the quality is there. Normand Laprise insists on the importance of product traceability: “We are proud to sell fresh products, which are not frozen and for which we know the origin and the producers. We deal with three small suppliers of lamb, and for each piece we sell, we can tell you exactly where it comes from.

The same is true for the fruits and vegetables they sell, which change depending on the season and availability. For example, during melon season, you can buy a fresh melon in addition to a ready-to-eat cold melon soup. Other exceptional Quebecois products are also on sale, such as bluefin tuna from the Gaspé Peninsula in late summer. This type of product is very difficult, if not impossible, to find in grocery stores. The Grocery-Counter Signé Toqué offers it by the piece or cut the same day for tartare.

The grocery store’s mission is to make the delicious products of its suppliers accessible to consumers: “We are aiming at a wider public, who want to eat well. A public that wants to taste good food. For example, we sell a homemade beef lasagna. It’s made with beef from the same producer as the beef on the plates of our restaurants. We want to make these products accessible to consumers while ensuring their traceability.” That’s what we call eating better!

Accessible Quebecois gastronomy

In terms of prepared meals, the Grocery-Counter offers something to satisfy the most demanding gourmets. Convivial dishes are offered, in addition to homemade broths, cretons, terrines, conserved fruits and vegetables, and other delicacies. It is also an opportunity to offer the general public some of the products they are used to finding in the restaurant, such as the homemade hot sauce from Brasserie T!

Just like the Groupe Toqué restaurants, the Grocery-Counter Signé Toqué is a place where Quebecois gastronomy is at the forefront. An address to discover, whether you’re looking for the best products to cook or the best cooked products!

Written by Marc-Antoine Ranger


Last update: April 11, 2023

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