This last delivery of 2023 invites you to discover the preparation of the show Les Chefs! for spring 2024, an overview of the challenge of francizing foreign restaurant workers in Quebec and the arrival of a new banner specializing in Korean-style fried chicken.
Let's start with the preparation for the 13th season of Chefs entitled "The Confrontation" and bringing together 12 former participants each representing a season of the show. Among them, Jean-Simon Petit, master charcutier since the first season in 2010, Luca Cianciulli from the Moccione restaurant for season 2, and Sébastien Laframboise, participant for the third time. Three women, Ashley Thornton, Suzy Rainville and Brenda Poirier, will also join the competition.
New this year is the addition of a new candidate selected after trio auditions. The usual judges, including Jean-Luc Boulay and Normand Laprise, will be present, with Élyse Marquis as host and Colombe St-Pierre as coach. Filming will begin in February, with broadcast planned for the spring.
Despite the arrival of MasterChef Quebec, the team remains confident in the continued success of the Chefs. The 12th season attracted an average of 814,000 viewers with a viewing share of 27%.
Let's continue with this file on the Frenchization of foreign workers. The Tim Hortons restaurant in Saint-Félicien, Lac-Saint-Jean, brings together French students, temporary foreign workers and local residents daily, creating a multicultural atmosphere.
The owner, Maxime Tremblay, employs around 165 people, including around ten foreign workers, mainly from Chile. Some, like Sairon Aliaga, recently chose Saint-Félicien as their permanent place to live. Although multilingual, Aliaga recognizes that learning French is a priority for him.
Temporary foreign workers have undergone language training before arriving, but the language barrier sometimes persists, resulting in the use of Google Translate to facilitate communication. Despite some challenges, the owner plans to offer French classes to his Chilean employees, aiming to fully integrate them into the team.
The recruitment of temporary foreign workers is increasing in the region, with the Inclusia Group organization providing support to local entrepreneurs in their recruitment and onboarding efforts. The organization has seen a significant increase in the number of participants registered for its services over the past three years, coming from various countries, many of which have French as a second language.
Let's end with the arrival of the Korean restaurant chain Chicken Plus+, which opened its first branch in Quebec on December 22, after its launch in Seoul in 2016.
Known for its crispy fried chicken and variety of Tteokbokkis, the chain already has over 500 branches worldwide. The new address in Quebec, located at 3505, rue Clemenceau in Beauport, will share space with another Korean restaurant, Chung Chun. Guests will be able to enjoy traditional Korean recipes to the sound of K-Pop music from 11 a.m.
Four other openings are planned in Quebec and Montreal in the coming months.
