Christophe Mamelonet finalist for Revelation of the Year

It was actually one of his former teachers who texted him to congratulate him on his nomination, something he was completely unaware of. " It's truly a great honor and I'm really surprised to hear it ," he admitted a few minutes after learning the news. The Lauriers de la gastronomie québécoise, for their part, emphasized that he was "a talent to watch and a true rising star in the Gaspé restaurant industry. " An appointment all the more satisfying given that Christophe Mamelonet initially had no plans for a career in the restaurant industry before his teenage years. Starting out as a self-taught pizza maker, he was quickly thrust into the adventure by taking charge of the kitchens at Café de l'Atlantique one beautiful July evening. " I had no experience, but a cook left, and I learned at 1 p.m. that I would be in charge of the kitchen for the evening shift. We had 180 customers. It was a great introduction ," he recalls with a laugh. The restaurant flame quickly took root, as he took charge of the kitchens at La Maison du Pêcheur following the death in 2015 of his father, Georges Mamelonet, a well-known businessman and politician who had founded the legendary restaurant in 1985. To broaden his horizons, after a DEC in Restaurant Management, Christophe Mamelonet last year obtained a professional specialization certificate in Market Cuisine from the École hôtelière de la Capitale. " I saw that I needed to improve in this area because I developed a bit on the job. I learned a lot of things, about local products, new cooking techniques; that's really where the takeoff happened ," he analyzes. And for good reason, since the latter now finds himself in the running alongside rising names such as Camilo Nacimento-Lapointe (Menu Extra, Montreal) who won the 10th edition of the popular show Les Chefs! or Fanny Ducharme (L'Épicurieux, Val-David), a former Pied-de-Cochon and named by David McMillan in the book 20 leading chefs choose 100 emerging chefs . In short, the name Christophe Mamelonet now resonates even in the halls of Quebec gastronomy. The Lauriers winners will be awarded by vote, but only professionals working in the industry are called upon to do so. The winners will be announced at a gala on May 24. Note that three other finalists from the Gaspé are in the running: Benoît Couillard of Auval (Val-d'Espoir) in the Brewer/Winemaker/Beverage Producer of the Year category, Antoine Nicolas of Un Océan de saveurs (Gaspé) as Producer of the Year, and Carl Pelletier of Couleur Chocolat (Sainte-Anne-des-Monts) as Artisan of the Year and for the Gastronomic Tourism Award. The company has set up a welcoming glass-enclosed space where visitors can observe the artisan's work, and more importantly, virtual reality headsets where visitors can experience all the stages of chocolate making. This is also the third nomination in as many years of the Lauriers de la gastronomie québécoise awards for Benoît Couillard. He had previously been nominated twice in the Artisan of the Year category. Another article will follow in our April 31 print edition.