Perch: Soil/Land/Sea with Chef Justin Champagne-Lagarde

Fine dining in Canada often imports truffles, caviar, and foie gras from afar, but at Ottawa’s acclaimed restaurant Perch, chef-owner Justin Champagne-Lagarde builds high-level cuisine entirely around regional resourcefulness and native wild forage. At this masterclass and tasting event—the inaugural edition of the Bountiful Cookbook Club—Champagne-Lagarde joins culinary broadcaster Capri S. Cafaro to discuss his Taste Canada Award–nominated book, *Perch: Soil/Land/Sea*.

Tasting Menu & Presentation The evening combines a photographic journey through Champagne-Lagarde’s sourcing trips across the Canadian landscape with an intimate, multi-bite tasting menu demonstrating the philosophy behind his cooking:

• **House Rye Bread:** Sourdough rye accompanied by cultured house compound butter.
• **Scallop Macaron:** A delicate, savoury meringue shell paired with sweet sea scallop.
• **Shrimp Cone:** A crisp cone filled with cold-water shrimp tartare and sturgeon caviar.
• **Candied Beet Tube:** A structural bite pairing candied beet and fennel with crisp buckwheat and tangy cultured buttermilk.

The Chef & Host Justin Champagne-Lagarde trained at the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver, worked at Hawksworth and San Francisco's three-Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn, and served as sous chef at Ottawa's renowned Atelier before opening Perch in 2021.

Host Capri S. Cafaro is a food writer, host of PBS's *America the Bountiful*, and regular culinary commentator on CTV's *The Social*. Together, the pair will delve into sustainability, wild ingredient harvesting, and how chefs are redefining Canadian terroir.

The event takes place at The Depanneur's creative space at 192 Spadina Avenue (Suite 501). Signed copies of *Perch: Soil/Land/Sea* will also be available for purchase at a 25% discount.