Forming Tomorrow's Gourmets
A Child-Friendly Restaurant

"We often don't know how to interest children in gastronomy. I think that's very unfortunate," says Jean-Michel.

Jean-Michel and his wife Brigitte have two daughters: Marine, who loves to cook (perhaps one day she'll follow in her father's footsteps!), and the younger Alexandra. Though she would rather go horseback riding than put on an apron, Alexandra is an enthusiastic eater who thrills with delight at her father's caramelized rice pudding served with light chocolate cream and a cappuccino sorbet.

The Lorains show a sensitive awareness, both as parents and as restaurant owners, and are breaking new ground in the way they are helping form tomorrow's gourmets. "These days," Jean-Michel says, "you can't force a child to sit at a restaurant table for three hours. Children get tired, as do parents, and in the end no one enjoys what should be a special occasion. At La Côte Saint-Jacques, we have developed a concept to introduce the pleasures of fine food to children of any age. It's a question of educating their tastebuds, and finding an appropriate environment where they feel comfortable. We have a children's menu, cookbooks for children, a room where they can eat, and a play room. It's very important, and the formula we offer is quite simple. Children choose a dish, just like the grown-ups, in either a half portion or a full portion depending on their age, and we give them a first course and a dessert in order to expose them to different tastes and to give them an understanding of various textures and flavours. If their palate is not yet very adventurous, we can always prepare a little sole meunière or a chicken breast for them.

"The whole family benefits. Children can dine with their parents and then slip out to the play room, or they can eat in the little room set aside for them. The parents can relax. Nothing pleased me more than when some parents made another reservation in our restaurant because their children had asked to go back."