Les Mal-Aimés wins the 9th edition of the Prix restaurateur Aliments du Québec au menu

Located in the heart of a vegetable farm, Les Mal-Aimés offers fine dining that highlights fruits and vegetables grown on site, along with carefully selected local products. Cooking over a wood fire is also central to its cuisine. Awarded a Michelin Green Star earlier this year, the restaurant celebrates a distinctly rural approach to fine dining, guided by the seasons and rooted in close relationships with artisans from the Haut-Saint-François region, from field to plate. 

“Congratulations to all the other finalist restaurants! We all thought you were going to win, except us!”, jokes Yannick Côté, market gardener and owner of Les Mal-Aimés. He was joined by Daniel Charbonneau, the restaurant’s chef, to accept the award. “We’re really not part of a traditional tourist circuit, but we’re absolutely delighted to be in our gardens and in our kitchen with Daniel. It’s important to us to showcase Québec products. We source a lot directly from our farm, but we’re also lucky to have access to an incredible network of local producers here in the Eastern Townships. We share this award with them,” he adds.

After reviewing the applications, the Aliments du Québec au menu team selected five finalists who stood out for the quality of their submissions, the proportion of local foods they source, and the way they showcase Québec foods and suppliers from their regions. Joining Les Mal-Aimés were Hoogan et Beaufort in Montréal; Coteau and Laurie Raphaël in Québec City; and Chez Mathilde in Tadoussac. 

To introduce these establishments to the public, Aliments du Québec invited host and culinary creator Geneviève O’Gleman to visit each one. In a series of videos shared on social media, she explored their worlds, their approaches to working with local foods, and the people behind their menus. 

By the end of the campaign, 2,400 people had taken part in the public vote. Les Mal-Aimés received the most votes. Voters were particularly impressed by its creative, bold and surprising cuisine, which invites diners to discover, and rediscover, local products, as well as by the inventive ways the restaurant transforms and showcases food grown on its farm. At the heart of its approach is a desire to give overlooked, neglected and even mal-aimé ingredients their rightful place on the plate. 

“This ninth edition reminds us of the essential role restaurateurs play in raising the profile of Québec foods. Each of our five finalists makes room for them in their own way, drawing on their circumstances, their region and their creativity. The Prix restaurateur recognizes that commitment and celebrates the people who put local products at the heart of their menus. We are especially proud to present this year’s award to Les Mal-Aimés,” said Mathilde Laroche-Bougie, head of the Aliments du Québec au menu program and strategic partnerships.

Aliments du Québec thanks the ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation, Colabor and l’Association Restauration Québec for their financial support. 

To download photos of the winning restaurant and the finalists, click here. To learn more about the Prix restaurateur and the Aliments du Québec au menu program, visit