DANIEL VÉZINA
A CULINARY MAESTRO FOR GOING ON 30 YEARS
The Restaurateur
In 1991, Daniel opened his first restaurant, Laurie Raphaël, with his wife Suzanne Gagnon in Quebec City's Old Port district. In 1996, he purchased a building on Rue Dalhousie in order to boost his establishment's seating capacity.
In 2005, Daniel and Suzanne worked their innovative magic again as they gave Laurie Raphaël a made-in-Quebec facelift, transforming it into a restaurant/workshop/boutique.
In fall 2007, the two partners opened a second Laurie Raphaël, this time in Montreal, at Hôtel Le Germain. This gem of a restaurant can accommodate up to 55 diners and also boasts a boutique on the main floor.
The Teacher
Since 2005, Daniel Vézina has been at the helm of the Workshop, where he delivers cooking classes and shares his vast culinary know-how. He also hosts meal demonstrations where he cooks up gourmet masterpieces featuring fresh local products for private guests.
The TV Host
Starting in 1996, Daniel Vézina co-hosted a TV show with Suzanne Lapointe on Radio-Canada entitled Attention c'est chaud, which ran for four years. He subsenquently collaborated on various other TV shows, including Des kiwis et des hommes, Passeport pour la Gourmandise, Tout le monde à table, à la Di Stasio and Pour le plaisir, in addition to a number of radio shows.
The Writer
From 2003 to 2008, Daniel Vézina wrote a monthly food column for the Montreal daily La Presse, in which he discussed a host of culinary topics, including nutritional information, and shared his favorite recipes and cooking tips.
In 1997, he published his first cookbook Daniel Vézina en direct du Laurie Raphaël, followed by a second in 2001 entitled A Taste of My Quebec, and his most recent release, Le fruit de ma Passion, a selection of writting from his monthly food column that ran for five years in La Presse.
Community Involvement and Awards
Daniel Vézina and Suzanne Gagnon were honorary co-chairs of the 11th Quebec Entrepreneurship Awards for 2008-2009. These awards seek to foster entrepreneurship in Quebec through the recognition of new businesses in the education and community sectors.
Over the years, laurie raphaël has collected its fair share of awards, including the Regional Cuisine Development Award for the Quebec City area at the Quebec Grand Prix of Tourism Gala, the 2002 Renaud Cyr Award for National Merit in the Food and Restaurant Industry, and many others that you can see on this website.
Daniel Vézina and Suzanne Gagnon are closely involved in the Eastern Quebec Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation, for which they have held a Gourmet Golf Tournament every year for the past five years. All the restaurant employees pitch in on the day of the tournament and also offer a day of volunteer work every year. This year, the event netted a total of $32,000 for the Foundation.
