This summer, gelato saved Anne-Genevieve Poitras鈥檚 business. Scoop by scoop, she served customers from between the bars of her shop window. 鈥淚t was a gorgeous summer,鈥� she says, 鈥渟o I was scooping gelato every day. Thank God for that.鈥�
In mid-June, a fire started at the back of (198 East 21st Ave). Fortunately, no one was hurt, though the 14 residential tenants on the second level had to find new accommodation. There was no fire or water damage to the mostly wooden property, but smoke damaged all of Poitras鈥檚 inventory.
鈥淚 had to start from scratch. Zero inventory. Empty store,鈥� she says in her Quebecois accent.
Hence the gelato, which was half of Poitras鈥檚 focus in culinary school. Originally from Montreal, she studied pastry and baking at the Institut du Tourisme et d鈥橦么tellerie du Qu茅bec,聽 a well-respected hospitality school. When it came time to specialize, she chose chocolate and ice cream. Though trained in sweets, she also spent time on the savoury side, notably working at Toque! with Normand Laprise.
Poitras moved to 麻豆传媒映画in 2006, wanting to improve her English. In 2009, she opened Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France. 鈥淚 felt like there was a need for a French chocolate shop because when I arrived, I couldn鈥檛 find any,鈥� she says.
She also couldn鈥檛 find a supplier of Cacao Barry chocolate, which she had used in Montreal. It took three months of cajoling and negotiating to get a reliable supply. Today, several 麻豆传媒映画chocolatiers use Cacao Barry 鈥� and arguably, they have Poitras to thank for its availability.
But she鈥檚 quiet about those accomplishments, preferring to put her energy into the shop. From the trompe l鈥檕eil mural outside to the perfectly spherical truffles in wide-bellied glass jars, there is a deceptive simplicity to Poitras鈥檚 work.
Take, for instance, her chocolate squares. They鈥檙e small squares of chocolate, each dusted with something different: lavender, chili peppers, espresso beans, etc.
But look closely and you鈥檒l notice that each one features a different single-origin chocolate, each chosen for its distinct flavour profile that complements the garnish. These are not haphazard pairings; these are the work of someone with a deep respect for chocolate. And one of them, the milk chocolate square studded with almond, fleur de sel and coconut, won a silver medal in the 2012 Canadian competition of the International Chocolate Awards (disclosure: I鈥檓 the Canadian partner for the awards).
The caramels are some of the best in the city and come in chocolate, vanilla and sea salt; the drinking chocolate is decadent without being over the top. Rounding out the collection are sauces, including salted caramel and hazelnut-chocolate, which Poitras will gleefully serve to you on top of a Liege waffle (made by Damien鈥檚 Belgian Waffles in Steveston).
Poitras re-opened on Sept. 27 and is glad to be back in business, especially since she has a new parklet out front. It opened in June, just four days before the fire.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a public space,鈥� she says. 鈥淏eing from Montreal, I love public spaces. They bring something to the architecture of the city.鈥�
It was a year-long project, and a major effort for Poitras. 鈥淚 thought they set the parklet on fire,鈥� she says, with relief in her voice.
After the fire, she questioned whether to restart the business. 鈥淐lients were grabbing my hand through the window and saying, 鈥業t鈥檚 going to be okay,鈥� and 鈥榃e can鈥檛 wait to see you inside,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淚 imagined not seeing them and I was not going to have it. Without them, [the reopening] would not have happened.鈥�
