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From canine ambassadors to goat adoptions and first-class hospitality, Fairmont Hotels continue to delight and surprise.
Chefs Will Use Signature Goat Cheese for Montreal’s Beaver Club
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal has recently adopted a goat, affectionately named Blanche Neige (Snow White), to make the hotel’s signature cheeses for the legendary Beaver Club. A registered “show goat” with an impressive pedigree, Snow White was adopted from the local Fromagerie du Vieux St-François as part of the property’s ongoing commitment to supporting local cuisine and small artisan producers. While living at the fromagerie, Snow White will produce cheese for the menu at The Beaver Club, as well as for sale at the Fairmont Store.
“Before adopting Snow White, our culinary team decided that we wanted to create a unique and exclusive experience for our guests, while also promoting local, artisan cuisine” said Michel Busch, Director of Food & Beverage. “With Quebec’s reputation for award-winning cheese and the growing demand for locally-produced food, working with an artisan fromagerie here in Montreal was a natural choice.”
The Beaver Club’s Chef Martin Paquet will be using the goat cheese in a variety of dishes to complement the restaurant’s renowned cuisine, from entrées to desserts, including Asparagus Bundle with Goat Cheese and Confited Cherry Tomatoes; Snow White Iced Nougat and Snow White Cheesecake with Red Berries. The cheese is exclusive to the Beaver Club and the Fromagerie, and will include varieties such as La Tour Saint-François, the Peau d’ours and l’Ilot de Blanche Neige. They will also be available alongside a larger selection of Quebec cheeses as part of the gourmet cheese cart.
Chefs at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth have spent many years developing privileged relations with local producers, and due to the high volume of meals served at the hotel, some producers have fields, crops or special pens reserved solely for the hotel’s use. Due to the small size of La Fromagerie du Vieux St-François, the hotel’s culinary team has limited use of the cheese to the famed Beaver Club restaurant, one of the finest dining rooms in Montreal.
Snow White is a Saanen breed of goat, which originally comes from the Saanen Valley of Switzerland and is registered with the Canadian Livestock Records Corporation. She will live at La Fromagerie du Vieux St-François in Laval, which is managed by Suzanne Latour and her 19 year-old-son Samuel Ouimet.
Offering deluxe accommodations including two Fairmont Gold floors, a health club with indoor pool and 3 restaurants, the hotel has been awarded a Four Green Key Eco-rating by the Hotel Association of Canada for its environmental program and won the Sustainable Tourism award at the regional Tourism Gala in March 2010.
For more information about the fromagerie, please visit www.fromagerieduvieuxstfrancois.com. For more information about the Beaver Club, visitwww.beaverclub.ca. For more information about the hotel or to reserve, please visit www.fairmont.com/queenelizabeth or call 1 800 441-1414.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".