By Joel Weiner
When Stefanie Siska and Chef Georges Laurier met face-to-face for the first time, it was the day they bought C’est Bon Cooking from its previous owner, Chef Andrée Riffou, and began the process of moving the culinary school to Lowertown. Up to that point, they had only discussed the commercial opportunity and developed their plans on the phone and by email.
But even before they became partners, Siska and Chef Laurier already had something in common. Although they didn’t know one another, both were consultants to Chef Riffou, she on the marketing side and he as a guest instructor. They only started to communicate when the former proprietor decided to sell and suggested that they join forces to acquire the company.
There’s no question that the two partners’ talents are very synergistic. With degrees from two universities, Siska has worked in communications and marketing for a variety of major national associations and spent 15 years as a sales consultant with Pampered Chef Canada, part of billionaire Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway multinational conglomerate and the premier direct seller of high-quality kitchen tools.
Chef Laurier, on the other hand, honed his skills in Switzerland, France and New York City as well as Café Henry Burger which, for almost 80 years, was ranked among our region’s top restaurants. From 1995 to 2004, he operated Laurier sur Montcalm, which was equally famous. Afterward, he worked as Executive Chef at such renowned establishments as the American ambassador’s residence, the Wakefield Mill Inn and the Canadian History Museum, and also co-starred on Food Network’s Cook like a Chef series.
Until Siska and Chef Laurier bought it, C’est Bon Cooking was an in-home operation. The transition to an outside facility began in late 2015 when the purchase was complete. Then began the process of finding a location and converting it to a modern culinary school that could accommodate cooking classes of various types and sizes.
“Lowertown quickly became the venue of choice,” says Siska to explain why they chose 208 Dalhousie Street between Bruyère and St. Andrew. “We liked its central location and its proximity to the ByWard Market for many of our fresh supplies. People can reach us easily from anywhere in the Ottawa Valley or the Outaouais.”
In fact, an impressive number of students come from far and wide. Since the Dalhousie Street school opened its doors in mid-2016, it has attracted visitors from the U.S., England, China, Australia and France, just to name a few countries, as well as several provinces across Canada. That’s why C’est Bon Cooking is an active member of Ottawa Tourism, the organization that promotes the city on regional, national and international stages, and of Savour Ottawa, which works to develop and promote Ottawa and area as a premier, year-round culinary destination.
“The food tourism industry is massive,” explains Siska. “Many people who travel for business or pleasure also want to improve their kitchen skills or learn about other cuisines. Taking lessons at a cooking school like ours is an easy and fun way of accomplishing all these objectives. That’s also true for anyone who lives in the area.”
C’est Bon Cooking’s classes are fun but have a serious objective: to help participants master essential cooking principles and techniques by getting hands-on experience in the preparation of popular French-inspired dishes. The atmosphere is relaxed, the groups intimate (usually from 4-12 people), the teaching top-notch, and the facilities state of the art.
In addition to newfound culinary skills and confidence, students go home with recipes and grocery lists for the dishes they have made. Some classes are designed as six two-hour weekly sessions, but the curriculum also features one-, three- and four-hour lessons that cater to couples or groups of friends, parent-and-child programs, courses and seasonal camps for teenagers, and any type of private lesson.
Knife skills are a key component of every program, and the dishes cover a gamut ranging from meat, poultry and fish to vegetarian or vegan and desserts. In all cases, the emphasis is on using local ingredients sourced from the ByWard Market and some of the more than 1,000 farms within a 200-kilometer range of Ottawa. Distinctly Canadian delicacies such as syrup or jelly made from haskaps (like elongated blueberries), dried or preserved spruce tips (clipped spring buds) and the grated cones of alder trees are typically used for flavouring.
For companies large and small, C’est Bon Cooking’s team-building classes are a novel way to improve leadership, enhance communication and promote collaboration. Designed by experts in both the culinary and business arts, these courses blend elements of strategic planning, project and change management, and facilitation to challenge and entertain participants.
Daytime tours through Ottawa’s vibrant food scene, on foot or bicycle, are another C’est Bon Cooking innovation. Participants explore food markets, sample local produce and dishes, and meet area chefs and food artisans. The ByWard Market, Wellington West, Little Italy, the Glebe and Chinatown are among the neighbourhood choices. Oftentimes, visiting excursions and conventions offer these tours as mainstay, companion or leisure activities.
Everybody eats but not everybody knows how to prepare food, where it comes from or how to appreciate it,” says Siska. “Dish by dish, we’re changing that.”