La Route des Saveurs de Charlevoix

Since eating and drinking are two of our favorite activities, Manny and I knew that the Quebec road trip called La Route des Saveurs de Charlevoix was a must. At the Charlevoix tourist office, we got a beautiful brochure that highlighted 23 of the region’s proud producers and 16 restaurants that serve their products. I rarely get excited about brochures, but this one is so well laid out, enticing and professionally done, it is worthy of mention. We chose several of the most unique places to visit.

The Emu Center of Charlevoix was our first stop. How exciting to have the opportunity to get up close and personal with scores of the farm’s 400 emus. What curious creatures! They are related to the ostrich, but smaller, and like people, each one has its unique and often humorous personality.

Caroline et Roz

We learned that emu oil was discovered over 1,000 years ago by aborigines to help heal their injuries and ease pain. We bought several of the center’s products that supposedly have anti-inflammatory properties to help alleviate everything from hemorrhoids to wrinkles. We’ll keep you posted on our findings. 🙂

When we asked why the emu center was included on the culinary trail, the lovely Caroline showed us to the freezer that contained emu meat products. Touted by the American Heart Association, emu meat is higher in iron, protein and Vitamin C than beef and has the equivalent fat and cholesterol of poultry. I’ll let you know how we like the emu-burgers when we get up the nerve to make them.

Manny at La Ferme Basque

As some of you know, Manny is of Spanish Basque ancestry.  So of course, we had to check out La Ferme Basque and see what the French side of the Pyrenees had to offer. Isabel Mihura and Jean-Jacques Etcheberrigaray —and you think De Lizarriturri is difficult— specialize in a line of duck products.

We bought a small, very expensive container of mousse de foie gras to enjoy with a delicious baguette we planned to buy later in the day at the Boulangerie à Chacun son Pain, another stop on our Flavor Journey.

When we arrived at the bakery, we were not disappointed. À Chacun son Pain bakes the best French baguettes we have ever tasted, even lighter and crispier than the ones we ate in Paris.

At Laiterie Charlevoix, we were fortunate to witness a new tradition unfolding. The Labbé family, producer of fine cheeses since 1948, has decided to promote the Canadian cow, an endangered breed, by engaging a local artist each year to paint a scene on a life sized acrylic cow.

The first year, artist Guy Paquet created Célestine, which he painted dark blue and covered with stars, planets and galaxies. She is affectionately named Milky Way.

This year, we were honored to watch Jocelyne LaPointe put the finishing touches on Cleopatra, her colorful moo-sterpiece which vividly depicts the buildings and landscape of the charming town of Baie-Saint-Paul.

The Labbé family is obviously forward thinking, as they recently decided to minimize their carbon footprint by going green. Richard Lambert, the cheese producer’s spokesperson, proudly showed us the farm’s methanization treatment facility. As we entered the glass enclosed entrance we were overwhelmed by a strong pungent odor and enveloped in extreme humidity. We gazed in amazement at scores of lush tropical plants thriving in huge pools of water. Richard explained the process.

Le Domaine De La Vallée de Bras

We needed a nice aperitif to sip with our appetizers, so we headed to Le Domaine de La Vallée de Bras, anxious to sample the world’s first tomato wine. As we drove further and further into a clearly residential area over some rugged terrain on a very rainy day, we thought Gaston Pierre Simon —our GPS— who has a tendency to announce arrivals at destinations (with no destination in sight) had gotten it wrong. We almost gave up our quest. Fortunately, we persevered and finally arrived  at the correct address. A very nice two story home, but where was the winery? Then we saw the sign pointing to the basement of the house. We looked at each other, smiled and headed down the hill. A true cottage industry.

We were rewarded for our efforts and encountered the owner, Pascal Miche and his lovely wife Lucy both on the premises that day. When we told them of our blog, Pascal asked if we would like a tour. We excitedly followed them through the tiny tasting room and into another area where Pascal gave us booties to wear over our shoes. He then led us into an adjacent room sterile enough to be a hospital operating theater.

Pascal Miche, tomato winemaker

Pascal explained that the process of  making wine from tomatoes was very similar to that of grapes There were huge pristine stainless steel vats lining two of the walls, a strainer to remove unwanted debris, a press and finally a bottle filling and wine corking machine. All this in a space the size of a medium living room.

Pascal enthusiastically explained in rapid French while Lucy translated their story. Pascal is from Belgium. His grandfather was a farmer who one year had a particularly abundant crop of tomatoes. Not knowing what to do with so many, he decided to make tomato wine. Pascal took the recipe that had been in the family for four generations and refined the process, using six types of organic heirloom tomatoes, 3 for the dry tomato wine and 3 for the sweet one. Last year he successfully produced 17,000 bottles and this year 34,000.

Omerto, unique tomato wine

When we asked how they arrived at the wine’s name, Omerto, they smiled sweetly and told us it was to honor Pascal’s great grandfather, Omer, without whom there would be no tomato wine. The last syllable obviously comes from tomato. As we sipped the perfectly chilled aperitif, we chatted about their growing business. Manny and I were very impressed with this entrepreneurial couple who are doing everything right. The product is delicious, similar to a fine sherry. Their logo is simple, descriptive and elegant. Their marketing is strategic and well planned. And the Miches! They are personable, patient, meticulous and persevering: the perfect blend.

If this excursion sounds like something you would do on a European vacation, you would be correct, right down to La Chocolaterie du Village, a quaint shop which offers 50 varieties of Belgian Chocolate created by Yves Huppé and Line St-Pierre. Looking into the glass cases at the beautifully designed pieces of chocolate, we felt like we were selecting works of art which were (almost) too good to eat.

Chocolats Belges