Les Fougères is climbing Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list, joining Riviera, Atelier and Alice

Third time’s the charm for Chelsea restaurant Les Fougères, as it achieves its highest ranking on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list, coming in at number 61.

After solidifying their excellence by joining the prestigious list in 2015 and 2018 (which is based on a poll of 103 national judges), owners Charlie Part and Jennifer Warren-Part attribute much of this year’s success to their young chef Yannick La Salle, along with his team in the kitchen and on the dining floor. 

“It’s really hard to get on that list,” admits Warren-Part. “It’s a big deal. Every spot is really hard fought over.”  

After running a small, successful restaurant within The Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto until 1992, a move to Chelsea was imminent for the couple who dreamed of finding a place in the Quebec countryside where they could raise their children. Discovering an old gas station perched upon a two acre property, Warren-Part says that the seasoned duo decided to embark on a new culinary endeavour and nearly thirty years later Les Fougères is still thriving. 

“We pretty quickly began to set down deep roots here,” says Warren-Part. “It was lovely from a personal point of view. And the restaurant has survived. We’re so grateful.”  

Nestled in the Chelsea countryside amongst a backdrop of the natural ecosystem, dining at Les Fougères is meant to evoke an oasis, says Part.

While their proximity to nature and the seasonal diversity makes for a gorgeous backdrop, it also hugely inspires the menu. Taking a step away from butters and creams, chef La Salle embraces his West Quebec terroir through the contemporary Canadian menu at Les Fougères, with dishes like seared foie gras, veal sweetbreads and confit of Québec duck.  

“He lives and breathes food,” says Warren-Part. “It’s not just a job for him, it’s his life, it’s the way he expresses himself. His food and menus vibrate with what it is to be a young Quebecer, and a young Canadian really.”  

Under normal circumstances (read: pre COVID-19), Les Fougères offered a diverse rolling menu, where La Salles would shift the items every couple of weeks, largely dependent on whatever particular bounty nature made available.

But when COVID-19 forced the closure of the restaurant, Warren-Part says they shifted their focus to their production kitchen and store, where they offer natural prepared foods and wholesale.  

Explaining the addition of a limited takeout menu to Les Fougères Warren-Part says, “We have to embrace this model to the point where it becomes part of our business formula. And not just during COVID but probably forever.” 

Although Les Fougères is currently open for sit down dining, per Quebec’s provincial regulations, Warren-Part explains that there is limited seating, limited hours, and an online reservation system allowing diners to be staggered throughout the six-hour dinner shift.  

Although it’s premature to cite specific numbers that will determine the sustainability of this new model, the restaurant owner is simply thankful that things seem to be moving forward and is happy to be taking it day by day.

“We feel so enormously appreciative and grateful for our community that really has kept on coming in whatever format it is, whether it’s phoning in to order or eventually being able to come into the restaurant wearing masks.”  

The additional restaurants in Ottawa that made the Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list include Riviera (#26), Atelier (#32) and Alice (#94).  

For more information, or to book a reservation at Les Fougères, go to their website. 

Click here to see all of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants of 2020.