Gastronomic Tasting Menu and Cooking Class in Montreal Canada - Traveling Spoon (2024)

• Canada
• Montreal

Host offerings

• Apartment
• Professional cook
• Pets
• Vegetarian
• Alcohol
• Transportation
• Cooking class
• Market visit
• Food tour

MeetRobert

Robert has been cooking professionally for over 30+ years. For almost three decades, food has been the center of his life. He has worked as a food editor, restaurant designer, hotel operator, and chef. He launched his first restaurant pop-up as a high school junior and began traveling the world in search of flavor by 19. As a food writer, he was nominated as World’s Best Food Journalist and won numerous global accolades as a correspondent for Travel+Leisure, Gourmet, and Slow Food. As an Oxford-trained scholar, he has lectured at food conferences on four continents. As a culinary consultant, he has worked with generational talents like Michelin 3-star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Sydney’s top toque Neil Perry, and Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle. As a culinary and operations director, he has developed 50+ restaurants and luxury hotels in the US, UK, and Asia, including some of the world’s top brands (W Bangkok and Seoul, Fullerton Bay Singapore, Corinthia UK). He believes that food has a unique ability to connect people, transcend culture, and create lasting memories. He is so excited to share his passion and hopes his cooking can bring a few dollops (or more) of joy into your life!

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal:(1-10 guests)Robert is passionate about sharing the different local food cultures, so you can experience the diversity the Montreal food community has to offer. He combines European and American techniques with global inspirations and uses local produce, seafood, and farm products. The experience takes place in his home kitchen, which is in a historic 1800's building in the heart of Montreal’s famous Old Port neighborhood. Your meal is a unique luxury and culinary experience where you will enjoy a 4-course tasting menu that includes dishes inspired by Montreal's global food cultures. Expect a mix of Asian, Jewish, Caribbean, Portuguese, and Quebecois flavors, all part of a savory story about food, culture and people.

Cooking experience:(1-8 guests)Join an award-winning food writer (Travel+Leisure, Slow Food) and Michelin Star-trained Chef for a hybrid cooking class and 4-course tasting menu. You will prepare the menu together from scratch. The focus will be on professional techniques that define each course - searing, pan-roast, sauces, presentation, knife skill, plating - as if you were working in a top restaurant! So this will not be a typical cooking class, where you just follow a recipe. Rather, each guest will wholly collaborate with Robert on several courses, learning the professional techniques and concepts behind creating bold flavors and beautiful presentations.

Languages spoken:English

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.

• 4-Course Gastronomic Tasting Menu:

• Salmon Crudo (Caribbean) smoky cucumber, mango, sherry, chives

• Monkfish (Southern Thai) green curry, bamboo shoot, holy basil

• Duck (Persia) saffron, chickpeas, oregano, almonds

• Grey Owl Chèvre (Quebec) mache, blackberries, 25-year balsamic, clementine

MeetRobert

Robert has been cooking professionally for over 30+ years. For almost three decades, food has been the center of his life. He has worked as a food editor, restaurant designer, hotel operator, and chef. He launched his first restaurant pop-up as a high school junior and began traveling the world in search of flavor by 19. As a food writer, he was nominated as World’s Best Food Journalist and won numerous global accolades as a correspondent for Travel+Leisure, Gourmet, and Slow Food. As an Oxford-trained scholar, he has lectured at food conferences on four continents. As a culinary consultant, he has worked with generational talents like Michelin 3-star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Sydney’s top toque Neil Perry, and Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle. As a culinary and operations director, he has developed 50+ restaurants and luxury hotels in the US, UK, and Asia, including some of the world’s top brands (W Bangkok and Seoul, Fullerton Bay Singapore, Corinthia UK). He believes that food has a unique ability to connect people, transcend culture, and create lasting memories. He is so excited to share his passion and hopes his cooking can bring a few dollops (or more) of joy into your life!

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal:(1-10 guests)Robert is passionate about sharing the different local food cultures, so you can experience the diversity the Montreal food community has to offer. He combines European and American techniques with global inspirations and uses local produce, seafood, and farm products. The experience takes place in his home kitchen, which is in a historic 1800's building in the heart of Montreal’s famous Old Port neighborhood. Your meal is a unique luxury and culinary experience where you will enjoy a 4-course tasting menu that includes dishes inspired by Montreal's global food cultures. Expect a mix of Asian, Jewish, Caribbean, Portuguese, and Quebecois flavors, all part of a savory story about food, culture and people.

Cooking experience:(1-8 guests)Join an award-winning food writer (Travel+Leisure, Slow Food) and Michelin Star-trained Chef for a hybrid cooking class and 4-course tasting menu. You will prepare the menu together from scratch. The focus will be on professional techniques that define each course - searing, pan-roast, sauces, presentation, knife skill, plating - as if you were working in a top restaurant! So this will not be a typical cooking class, where you just follow a recipe. Rather, each guest will wholly collaborate with Robert on several courses, learning the professional techniques and concepts behind creating bold flavors and beautiful presentations.

Languages spoken:English

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.

• 4-Course Gastronomic Tasting Menu:

• Salmon Crudo (Caribbean) smoky cucumber, mango, sherry, chives

• Monkfish (Southern Thai) green curry, bamboo shoot, holy basil

• Duck (Persia) saffron, chickpeas, oregano, almonds

• Grey Owl Chèvre (Quebec) mache, blackberries, 25-year balsamic, clementine

ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

• >Cancellations and refunds

You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

• >Contact host

If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

• >Dietary restrictions

Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

• >More questions
• >Alcohol

Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

• >Changing timing

Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

• >Credit card and payment

Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

• >Meeting location and directions

Your host's detailed contact information, including their phone number, address, and direction notes, will all be provided immediately upon successful confirmation of your experience (after your hosts accepts your booking and your credit card is successfully processed). This information will be emailed to you to the email address you used to sign up, and will also be visible on your Traveling Spoon profile.

• >Pricing

All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

• >Private experiences

100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

• >Process and timing

Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

• >Safety and security

Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

• >Transportation

Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

• >Traveling solo

Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

• >Traveling with family

Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the “Notes” section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.

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