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Maestro Culinaire and Équiterre have joined forces to reduce the environmental footprint of major events through a planetary health menu offered to Palais des congrès de Montréal clients. Adapted to serving a high volume of food, this menu focuses on sustainability and local sourcing to promote healthy and responsible eating.
A leader in convention catering in Québec since 1983 and the Palais’ exclusive food partner since 2007—where they set the table for over 400,000 diners per year—Maestro Culinaire is ideally placed to turn Équiterre’s idea into reality. The organization, committed to social and environmental justice, was looking for a caterer capable of meeting its high-volume catering needs. The project’s first aim was to design a process for developing a sustainable, large-scale menu. Under the impetus of Jacques Haddad, Director General of Maestro Culinaire at the Palais, the initiative led to the development of a comprehensive menu integrated into the caterer’s regular offer.
Together, the two organizations set the criteria for the menu, chose the suppliers and food, then designed and tested each dish.
It’s a menu designed from local, sustainable and nutritious foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes as well as local and sustainable sources of protein. It limits the use of processed foods, favouring seasonal items produced using environmentally-friendly agricultural methods. A key element of this approach is prioritizing plant-based ingredients.
There are several benefits to adopting a planetary health menu. Environmentally, reducing transportation distances decreases greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on imports. Foods brought in by plane require 10 to 20 times more fuel than those produced locally—eating locally and in season reduces emissions by about 25% to 30%. Fresher, less processed foods are also healthier, while buying directly benefits the local economy and saves money.
A fervent advocate of Québec’s terroir, Maestro Culinaire has long been using environmentally responsible practices: reducing waste, composting, participating in the Palais’ green roof, and sourcing from local producers. Smarter Seafood and Ocean Wise certified, the caterer also uses 100% Québec flour.
For its planetary health menu, Maestro Culinaire deepened its regional and seasonal roots, creating new partnerships with sustainable producers on platforms such as Arrivage and the food hub L’aube for ultra-local supplies.
The planetary health menu is available to all Palais clients, and the dishes featured are an integral part of the regular menu offered by its exclusive food partner.
Maestro Culinaire’s unwavering commitment to Québec’s biofood economy was recently highlighted when it received Aliments du Québec au menu distinction, which recognizes institutions and restaurants that promote Québec products in their culinary offer.
Credit: Aurore Chollet – Studio Point Devue (courtesy of Équiterre)