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By Sonia Morin

mori0172@algonquincollege.com

Chef Marc Miron is passionate about one thing in life: food.

It’s only fitting his new restaurant and cooking school located in Orleans be called Cuisine & Passion.

The little gourmet shop, owned by Miron, an Algonquin graduate, opened its doors on March 31, 2008, at 2297 St. Joseph Blvd.

Miron earned his chef's papers in 1985. He took night courses in the culinary skills program, learning the basics of cooking and French cuisine in the evenings.

He gained valuable working experience in the field, including 20 years from the Four Seasons Hotel chain as executive sous-chef in Montreal, and later as executive chef at Four Seasons hotels in Nevis in the Caribbean, Bali, Indonesia, Sydney, Australia and Vancouver.

Now, Miron, originally from Hull, returned to the region to share his passion and knowledge of cooking with the community. After spending so much time in exotic locations around the globe, coming back to Orleans was a homecoming of sorts.

Miron is helped in the kitchen by his wife Chantal Gagné, who has also been a cook for 20 years, and sometimes their two children lend a hand.

Since opening six months ago, Cuisine & Passion’s business has been good.
“Our business is growing steadily each day. Every day I see new and returning faces,” said Gagné.

Cuisine & Passion prepares freshly made meals with no preservatives or artificial colouring, “the way food is supposed to be made,” said Miron. Most of the products used and sold are locally grown.”We try the best we can to offer local, home-grown products to our customers,” said Miron.

For those in a hurry, they offer meals to go with the touch and taste of haute cuisine without the hassle. Fine diners looking to refine their palettes and who are in no rush can have lunch there as well.

The menu offers a variety of main, side dishes and desserts such as ricotta cheese, spinach and roasted nuts lasagna, seafood panaché in a white wine sauce with chili, slow baked Cornish hen with olives and chorizo and apple crumble. The menu changes on a weekly basis.