JHSB boss Mélie de Champlain: Job ‘is such a great fit’ Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter peterblack@qctonline.com (This is the second story in a two-part series. Part One appeared…
Tag Archives: June 19 2024
SNACS Book Fair another page-turning event
SNACS Book Fair another page-turning event Shirley Nadeau shirley@qctonline.com Some people opened books and flipped through the first few pages to be sure they hadn’t already read this one, as…
KWE! celebrates First Nations culture and heritage at Place Jean-Béliveau
KWE! celebrates First Nations culture and heritage at Place Jean-Béliveau Cassandra Kerwin cassandra@qctonline.com The seventh KWE! Festival brought people of all backgrounds together over the weekend. From June 14 to…
Tenth edition of Transat Québec-Saint-Malo spotlights Indigenous cultures
Tenth edition of Transat Québec-Saint-Malo spotlights Indigenous cultures Sarah Elworthy sarah@qctonline.com The St. Lawrence River is a thousand-year-old witness to the meeting of cultures from distant lands. This summer Quebec…
Quebec City gets ready to celebrate its 416th birthday
Quebec City gets ready to celebrate its 416th birthday Cassandra Kerwin cassandra@qctonline.com Quebec City is the place to be for cel- ebrating milestones this summer. In two weeks, on July…
REVIEW: Have you lost something? Maybe it’s in the Morrin Centre!
REVIEW: Have you lost something? Maybe it’s in the Morrin Centre! Shirley Nadeau shirley@qctonline.com From June 12 to 16, The Archive of Missing Things, billed as a very unusual “part…
Garrison Club commemorates 80th anniversary of D-Day landings
Garrison Club commemorates 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings Submitted by Capt. (ret.) J.M. Cousineau The D-Day landings in Normandy that took place on June 6, 1944, represented a crucial…
National Assembly doors open wide for public summer activities
National Assembly doors open wide for public summer activities
Danielle Burns
danielle@qctonline.com
Isabelle Giguère, general manager of information and visitations at the National Assembly, spoke to reporters June 12 to announce a multitude of free activities from June to September. The theme this summer is “an open parliament” and according to Giguère, the National Assembly is “one of the most open parliaments in the world,” welcoming over 100,000 visitors each year.
Free events on offer this summer will include the much appreciated Saturday outdoor yoga sessions on the grounds, a book club, musical performances and celebrations for the Fête Nationale (June 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.), two Flip Fabrique shows on June 30, line dancing July 20, a historical lecture about 18th-century dance for the Fêtes de la Nouvelle-France on Aug. 2, Urbainculteurs urban farming workshops, a drawing lesson on Aug. 24 and four high tea services throughout July and August.
Flip Fabrique entertained attendees with a joyful Cyr wheel act by Amélie Bolduc and a giant juggling cube act from Jasmin Blouin that had staffers glancing worriedly at the recently installed chandeliers. Blouin, who had done a trial run, manipulated the massive spinning circus prop with confidence.
Le Parlementaire executive chef Sébastien Laframboise served tantalizing appetizers from his new summer menu paying homage to the St. Lawrence River and its shores, featuring strawberries from Île d’Orléans, Nordic shrimp, salt cod, or bluefin tuna tataki as well as seasonal herbs and vegetable dishes often sourced from the garden in front of the National Assembly building. “If there’s no leaves in the garden, there’s no green salad on the table. I’m not going to buy some lettuce,” he said.
The chef told the QCT, “I’m big on desserts; I was a pastry chef for three or four years, so I think I’m a little bit harder on the pastry team than I am on the kitchen [team] … There’s a real thought process that goes into making the desserts, using the best ingredients. I always want chocolate. I always want something fruity.” The top chef (who has participated in the TV show with the same name) explained that there was a big scone competition going on between his British sous-chef Fred, pastry chef Caroline and himself. After a tight bake-off with their individual recipes, Laframboise acknowledged, “Obviously, the Brit [Fred’s grandmother’s recipe] won! It’s a round scone. We’re covering it with melilot (sweet clover) extract – a wild flower that tastes like honey and vanilla; it’s our vanilla from Quebec.” The scones, served with fresh fruit and a buttermilk whipped cream, will be served in the elegant dining room of Le Parlementaire on July 11 and 16 and Aug, 8 and 13 from 2:30 – 4 p.m.
Democratizing the National Assembly and getting residents and tourists to come experience the restaurant is Laframboise’s biggest challenge. “This is your place and open to everyone. You’re more than welcome to come in. We’re one of the only ones in the world that’s like this so you should enjoy it! We have a lot of tourists who come in and they’re really happy to see what’s inside because they can’t even see it in their own country or region. I grew up just across the river from Ottawa (Gatineau); I’ve never been inside Parliament; You can’t go in there unless you’re invited!”
To sign up for the free British high tea or any of the other activities, go to assnat.qc.ca/en/visiteurs to reserve a spot. Bring a valid photo ID to go through the airport-type security checkpoint at the entrance.
Second edition of Lévisium science festival a bright success
Second edition of Lévisium a bright success Myriam Labbé myriam@qctonline.com On the weekend of June 15, Quai Paquet in Lévis was filled with scientists and curious minds for the second…
Fifth edition of Soapbox Science draws record crowd
Fifth edition of Soapbox Science draws record crowd Myriam Labbé myriam@qctonline.com On June 16, 12 graduate students presented their PhD subjects perched atop soapboxes in a park near the Musée…