A native of Hull, Georges Laurier started working at the age of 15 for a well-known local caterer. Later, he enrolled in the education programme of a university but then changed his mind, deciding to pursue his first passion: cooking. He left school to work full-time on his career of choice as a chef.

After internships at established restaurants in Switzerland, France, and New York, Georges Laurier participated, as a member of the support staff for the Ottawa-Hull team, in a series of cooking competitions at the regional, national and international levels, including the World Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt. Over the course of his career, Georges Laurier has been the chef at a variety of renowned establishments, such as the iconic Café Henry Burger, the American ambassador’s residence, Auberge le Moulin in Wakefield, the Canadian Museum of History and C’est Bon Cooking, the Ottawa cooking school.

In 1995 he opened his own restaurant, Laurier sur Montcalm. His establishment would go on to win many Grands Prix du Tourisme awards and a Four Diamond rating from CAA-Quebec. Turning to other challenges for a time, chef Georges spent about a decade with Rational, a company that makes high-tech combination ovens. Eventually, however, the lure of the kitchen drew him back.

Chef Laurier now oversees the magic in the Restaurant la Quintessence kitchen, where his creations are an artful blend of styles and flavours. His culinary style can be defined as regional cuisine with a contemporary Nordic influence and firm roots in French gastronomy. “It has to have taste,” he likes to say. Always on the lookout for the finest local or regional ingredients, he keeps close ties with the area’s producers.