Montréalités Eats

As a student, living in an apartment away from home, I can say eating healthy is not always a top priority. During my first year of university, most of my money was spent on outings with friends, clothes, coffee, tuition, rent, textbooks, and coffee. Buying and eating healthy food did not come before school. I cannot count the amount of times I chose a package of Kraft Dinner or Ramen noodles over a meal containing actual nutritional value. I picked unhealthy food options because the price of the food was cheap and the cook time was minimal. Eating healthy in-between going to class, procrastinating on assignments, working, or hanging out with friends seemed impossible. There was so much to do and no time to make a healthy and cheap meal decision.

Just Eyeball It! creator Jonathan Cote Lahue. Photo taken by Olivia Robinson.

Having a YouTube channel is not new for Jonathan Cote Lahue, who has been experimenting with his cooking channel Just Eyeball It! for two and a half years now. With the success of the channel and the drive to experiment with other genres Jonathan has started four other YouTube channels that focus on everything from gaming to daily events. Being an official YouTuber comes naturally to Jonathan who is upbeat, lively and excitable. Key aspects that any successful YouTuber needs to have.

Slicing tomatoes and onions, mixing ground beef with secret spice combos, hand cutting potatoes into perfect French fry slices, and warming handmade buns to perfection: Working at a high end burger joint requires more than just flipping patties. Burger fabrication is an art that only cooking experience can help you with. For 21 year old Wesley, finding new ways to gain experience is how he got to his sous-chef position at Montreal's Burger Bar.

I am an avid gardener and I have been for at least five years now. It is the feel of dirt between my fingers, the hopefulness of having a plant sprout out of the ground, and the pride when that plant blooms which keeps me gardening year after year. Gardening brings with it a sense of determination and an appreciation of nature. I live on a small cattle farm which brings with it its own amount of awe; however, gardening introduced me to a new world filled with insects, birds, and pesky rodents. Insects that I had never seen before found their way in between my tiger lilies and my rosebushes. Caterpillars hung out on milkweed leaves, and humming birds would occasionally reveal their presence by a quick glint of green feathers as they themselves found something to eat.

All photos in this post are courtesy of Adam Castonguay Photography

I attended a private event at La Champagnerie on Monday, February 17th as part of the John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (read more). For those interested in hosting an event there, I would not recommend having over 150 people as we were 160 and it was completely packed. Both restaurant and bar, La Champagnerie is beautifully located on rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal, literally across the street from Marche Bonsecours. It's a great place to take tourists!

The space itself is very cool. There are two bars and two semi-levels. The main bar is in the centre of the main room and is surrounded by small tables to the side where you can sit in small groups. At the back of the venue, there is a second level with a second bar and large booths that are perfect for getting bottle service with a group of friends. The front end of the restaurant offers little windowed alcoves that are the perfect setting for a romantic date.