Gabriel

"on the national, continental and global fronts. Desmarais himself had also participated in general market investments through a maze of personal and family-held investment and holding companies so inter¬ twined that even their names seem to merge: Prime, Gabriel, Gelco, Trans-Canada Corporation Fund, Sanpalo, Pansolo, Nordex, Probec, Abonnec, Primgab, Beldo, Polprim, Louidem, Paquerais, Adremed, Sofiamar — all were vehicles to ensure that the portion of wealth accruing to the Desmarais family interest in Power and its holdings, along with other, private investments, moved upward as dividends, at the minimum rate of personal tax payable by individual family members, for management, reinvestment and other dispositions."

"I’ve learned that an effective way to achieve all those goals with a new chef (and to get to know the essence of the person) is to return with him to his roots. It was a moving experience to travel with Gabriel in Alsace and to see his homeland through his eyes and his palate. Of course the region holds special meaning for me too; my parents had lived in the neighboring Lorraine for the first two years of their marriage. Alsace-Lorraine has historically been a melting pot, with French, German, Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish cultures living together through war and hardship, producing a resilient people and excellent, soul-satisfying food."

"We spent our time driving through farmland, strolling around small towns and villages, and studying dozens of menus—their shape, size, categories, formats, and even font styles. We talked about what kind of uniforms we’d want our staff to wear. We checked out pottery and furniture shops and discussed décor. We visited dozens of pastry, cheese, and butcher shops. It was easy to see how Gabriel’s very personal style of cooking had been nurtured in and around the farmhouses of his extended family. He told me, for instance, all about the classic Alsatian baeckoffe, a pork, veal, or beef stew made by marinating the meat in local white wines (Riesling, Edelzwicker, and Sylvaner), and then baking it with layers of potatoes (sliced an eighth of an inch thin), carrots, leeks, onions, parsley, pepper, and tomatoes on top."

"Our gastronomic adventure was my version of an off-site management meeting designed to help me get to know, motivate, and build bonds with a new colleague. I love to encourage a pastry chef or a cook or an executive chef to remember the first time he or she ever successfully cooked chocolate chip cookies or brownies (or, in Gabriel’s case, tarte flambée)."