François-Emmanuel Nicol

Tanière (French for 'den' or 'lair') represents one of the world's most extreme locavore philosophies: every ingredient on the menu must come from Quebec. No Pacific salmon, no tropical citrus, no European butter. This discipline forces an intimate relationship with Quebec's boreal forest, its rivers (char, trout, walleye), its game (bison, moose, venison) and its extraordinary dairy tradition.

François-Emmanuel Nicol is the executive chef and co-owner of Tanière³ in Quebec City, the only 2-Michelin-star restaurant in Quebec and the second in all of Canada. He creates strictly local boreal cuisine — ingredients exclusively from Quebec's forests, rivers, and farmland — zero imports — with avant-garde technique.

Quebec City, Canada — trained in French and Canadian fine dining; developed strict boreal cuisine philosophy

Career

• Chef at Canadian and French fine-dining restaurants, Quebec and France (2000s–2010)
• Chef / Co-Owner at Tanière³, Quebec City, Quebec (2017–present)

Mentored by French classical technique; boreal foraging tradition.