Coming home to fine dining

Les Fougères prepares more than 100 dishes, many of which are sold in shops elsewhere.

Only a 15-minute drive from downtown Gatineau and Ottawa, in the Gatineau Hills, is a star-studded restaurant that shines as brightly as the stars food lovers can see on a clear night in Chelsea, where it is located. We are talking about Les Fougères, the rendezvous of Outaouais gourmets, owned and operated by chefs Charles Part and Jennifer Warren-Part for almost 20 years.

Winners of numerous awards, these cordon bleu chefs offer a seasonal menu that highlights regional products. The refinement of their table begins with the care they take in preparing their dishes and—the secret of their success—their predilection for nothing but the best in the way of ingredients.

Much more than a cookbook

If you are ready to rise to a culinary challenge, you can try any of the 60 or so recipes selected by Jennifer and Charles for their cookbook and story of a year in the life of their restaurant, “A Year at Les Fougères”, published in 2009. In the introduction, Jennifer Warren-Part sets out the rationale for the book: “We decided to collect recipes and observations about what happened at Les Fougères over the course of a year in an effort to capture the way the land and seasons shape our lives and work.”

Restauranteurs, but also shopkeepers and caterers

In 2003, in response to numerous requests from customers, the owners opened a second kitchen to prepare gourmet takeout meals sold in a small boutique adjacent to the restaurant, and many of which are now available in shops elsewhere.

Today, Les Fougères prepares more than 100 dishes, including tourtières, pâtés, soups, sausages, lasagnas and terrines, as well as pizzas to die for!

In order to meet growing demand, the Parts recently invested heavily in increasing productivity. They acquired needed equipment and expanded and reconfigured the work areas to quadruple up on their lovingly prepared meals. This investment has paid off handsomely: today, their products are now distributed from the National Capital to Montréal as well as in Ontario, primarily in the health food niche market.

Canada Economic Development, a partner in the community

For its expansion, Les Fougères restaurant was awarded a funding from Canada Economic Development. “The project, which will result in the creation of eight jobs, is of considerable importance in a small Anglophone community like Chelsea,” said Charles Part.

Dining at home Les Fougères style

Any time you feel like treating yourself to a delicious meal but don’t feel up to taking the family out to a restaurant, drop by Les Fougères’ boutique or a shop that carries its gourmet takeout items and stock up on them. Thanks to Jennifer Warren-Part and Charles Part, dining at home can truly rival dining at a stellar restaurant. And family atmosphere is guaranteed!

As well, the next time you would like to get out of the kitchen and be wined and dined, you can be sure that at Les Fougères, you will be treated like royalty!