It was a standout performance for the St. Lawrence team yesterday when the top dining destination captured the title of Restaurant of the Year and a win in the Best Upscale category at the 2022 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards.
This was the third time St. Lawrence has received the honour ofRestaurant of the Year having previously won this title in 2018 and 2019. Yesterday’s new accolades add to a successful year as earlier St. Lawrence was named in the top three of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants for 2022.
“St. Lawrence is a marvel of a restaurant. It’s tough to imagine another space that feels as vital and fresh at its half-decade mark. Most places—especially successful ones—quickly fall into a pattern of greatest hits speckled with the odd Instagram-worthy special, but St. Lawrence still seems like it should be in the running for Best New Restaurant. The kitchen (anchored by ever-present chef/owner J-C Poirier and backed by the tightest line in town, including chef de cuisine and pâté en croûte whisperer Colin Johnson and sous chef Jake Isaak) and the front of house (GM Julie Sopuck, somm David Lawson and barkeep Sarah Hawkins) work together like Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey after a summer of furtive dance lessons.” — Vancouver Magazne’s October 2022 Issue
Poirier, who was named Vancouver magazine’s ‘Chef of the Year’ in 2019, adds this accolade in an exciting year as he prepares to launch his first cookbook with Penguin Random House Canada titled Where the River Narrows on November 8. With over 125 beautifully photographed recipes, Where the River Narrows is a direct translation of the Algonquin word “kebec,” describing the area around Québec City where the St. Lawrence River is hemmed in by towering cliffs. Québec is where J-C’s love for the nostalgic beauty of French cooking began. In this debut cookbook, he shares recipes from both cultures, Québécois and French, and the intersections between them—whether from the menu of his Vancouver restaurant, St. Lawrence, or his kitchen at home.
The Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards are judged by a panel of leading culinary experts and critics and were handed out at a formal award show at the Rocky Mountaineer Train Station in Vancouver on October 4, 2022. A full list of winners from the 2022 edition of the annual awards is available at www.vanmag.com.
