Patrice Pâtissier, located in Griffintown, is much more than just a pastry and dessert shop, it’s also a classroom for exploring different wines and pastries.
Griffintown / Little Burgundy is a thriving neighborhood with plenty of restaurants, bars, bistros, and cafes. At the moment, it is THE area to make wonderful new discoveries. You can walk around and discover the shops, restaurants and sports facilities, and the area also offers many activities for all tastes and budgets.
A perfect example of a ‘multifunctional’ place that perfectly meets the needs of neighborhood residents: Patrice Pâtissier. Both a gourmet counter with high quality pastries (to impress friends or indulge) and a café/bistro, diners can enjoy lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends.
”A gourmet pastry counter and a weekday lunch menu.”
This friendly place also offers (a well-kept secret) courses in the beautiful back room. Chez Patrice combines the passions of both owners, who are a couple; pastries for Patrice and wine for Marie-Josée.
The Story of Patrice Pâtisserie
Patrice Demers, who we know from the show Les desserts de Patrice on Canal Vie, and Marie-Josée Beaudoin, expert wine taster, both worked at Newtown and Les 400 coups, popular Montreal restaurants. In the winter of 2014, the couple decided to leave that world, which was less and less adapted to the lifestyle they desired, and chose to start their own project.
Combining their talents and passions, they dreamed of a gourmet space, close to home (they live in the area!), where Patrice could create and sell (and teach about) pastries and Marie-Josée could share her passion: wine! Patrice Pâtisserie opened in February 2014 on Notre-Dame Street West, a few blocks away from the Atwater Market. The classroom is behind the counter. You can eat your pastries there or take them to go.
“Patrice’s specialties include cream puffs, kouign-amann and lemon tarts.”
“From the beginning, when we first imagined a space here, we thought of it like a classroom. Everything was custom made: the table, the library corner, the “interactive” area with a television for presenting photos and videos during classes, etc. We really wanted to have our classroom in our image”, explains Marie-Josée Beaudoin, meeting with us on a Friday evening just before the start of “Cocktails & Champagne” class, offered just in time for the holidays.
Pastry courses are given by Patrice and are available on Wednesday and Friday evenings from 6:00pm to 9:30pm. The courses focus on topics such as: chocolate desserts, citrus, maple syrup desserts and pastry puffs.
“Wine courses are offered monthly and are based on a region or theme like “Cocktails & Champagne”.”
Wine tasting evenings are hosted by Marie-Josée Beaudoin. A course is offered monthly and focuses on regions or themes such as Italian or Spanish wines, sparkling wines, cocktails, etc. On Friday, December 4th, it was “Cocktails & Champagne” to “inspire you for the holiday season,” says Marie-Josée, happily serving students a punch so delicious our evening turns into a Christmas fairyland. We leave with the recipe and give ourselves the challenge of preparing it for New Year’s Eve!
Courses are 2 ½ hours long and generally include 6 tastings with appetizers, designed and served by Patrice Demers himself. The couple works together on all the classes they offer. You’ll immediately be charmed by the warmth of the room, the couples’ professionalism, and above all, the friendliness with which the course is taught. The number of ‘students’ is limited to 12, allowing adequate exchanges and discussions among the group. You feel like you’re among friends as Marie-Josée talks about her favorites. That night, our teacher’s favorite was: Cava Brut, Parès Balta, sold at the SAQ for $17.45. Marie-Josée always strives to offer participants some wonderful discoveries at low prices.
Looking for a gift idea?
You can buy gift certificates for one of the courses offered at Patrice. An excellent gift idea for that couple of friends that you never know what to give, or for yourself, if you’re seeking a different activity to do with friends on a Friday night. The class schedule is available on their Facebook and Twitter pages.
You can also subscribe to their newsletter, or better yet, go to the store and leave with some delicious pastries!
Patrice Pâtissier
2360 Notre-Dame Street West, Montreal
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00am to 6:00pm
Closed on Monday
