Cadillac Fairview has unveiled CF Marché des Promenades – what it calls a new gastronomic destination at CF Promenades St-Bruno in Montreal.
The shopping centre owner said its $70 million investment in the project has created a unique and vibrant gourmet culinary destination, where friends and families can reconnect and rediscover the pleasures of sharing a meal and conversation, as well as the best produits du terroir that the Montérégie and greater province has to offer.
With more than 40 artisans, food producers and restaurateurs in the 130,000-square-foot setting, the new CF Marché des Promenades is part of an innovative approach that delivers diversity of food and experiences, reigniting a passion for dining out while exploring CF’s best-in-class retail offering. In addition to the 35,000 square foot Avril Supermarché Santé, the Marché enables guests to explore eight diverse restaurants and a range of locally produced offerings.
The Marché includes an outdoor plaza, demo kitchen and an indoor entertainment area that will be used for different programs and activities year-round with something new for guests to experience and discover with every visit.
Brian Salpeter, Senior Vice President, Development of Cadillac Fairview, said the focus, like many other CF projects, was to create a destination for people.
“We asked ourselves what is going to make this site unique? What is going to make the property a true destination? How can we mix things up? How can we bring people and how can we create vibrancy at the property? So this is something we’ve been working on for a number of years. Everybody loves to talk about food and how great it is and how important it is but not always so easy to pull off and not easy to have a great vision in terms of what you want to do,” said Salpeter.
“There’s some great examples out there and some less good examples out there. We wanted to make sure that we really want something which was going to be authentic and genuine to the market. Unique as well and different. So this is something we’ve been working on for years. Certainly pre-pandemic. The idea was in St-Bruno, the South Shore, which is what we like to call the bread basket of Quebec in terms of a love of food where there is a tremendous number of food producers to really create one destination that speaks to all of that . . . We wanted to create a place where people would come and create memories. In order to do that it had to be much more than food. Food and entertainment. A place where you would have activation and event spaces and gathering spaces. And places where you can bring in different events throughout the year.”
Salpeter said the shopping centre now becomes a morning to night destination.
“It’s unlike anything anybody has done across Canada. I would say that this puts it among one of the top food destinations that I’ve seen anywhere travelling,” he said.
“Obviously different than what we’ve done at CF but very much focused on looking at the opportunities we have with our retail centre and as we’re looking at our next steps, also looking at mixed use and we can densify and bringing in residential and bringing in office and bringing all these elements together. This becomes an incredible anchor and destination for all that.”
The following are the food partners in CF Marché des Promenades:
- Avril Supermarché Santé
- Saint-Houblon
- 400 pieds de champignon
- Beignes d’Antan
- Brȗleries FARO
- Canard Goulu
- Edward Smoked Meat
- Érablement bon
- Fromagerie Boivin
- La Galerie Des Viandes
- Gaspésie
- Jardins d’Émilie
- Küto comptoir à tartares
- Kolkata Express
- La Bȇtise
- La Pantry par Dany Bolduc
- LApop
- La tomaterie
- Le Spot poissonnerie
- Le Spot bistro
- Le Local Dumpling
- Les CocoNuts
- Les Cochons tout ronds
- Les Moulins La Fayette
- Mercato Da Niccolò
- Maison Alegria
- Marché d’Émilie
- Matcha Zanmai
- Nature Zen
- Pépin pressé
- Praline & cie
- Quai des glaces
- Santito
- SAQ
- Signé Local
- Sojami
- Sous les oliviers
- Treize Chocolats
- Théophile Bar à vin
- TOMMY café
- Vin & passion
- Vertuose
Leonard Givis, Project Director, GH+A Design, said Cadillac Fairview started entertaining the idea of bringing a market hall onto the property back in 2012. The idea returned in 2016 with the demise of Target stores in Canada.
“It also opened up an opportunity for Cadillac Fairview to repurpose that existing part of the property to bring the market in there. There were many different variations of what that could be and of course it is always looking at a balance of having some anchor in there, making it primarily food, bringing in a bit of a restaurant row component. Food and beverage. And also it being a showcase for the local foods and products and artisans within the region – bringing them all under one roof,” said Givis.
Jean-François Plante is CF’s new chef ambassador for CF Marché des Promenades. Plante, who has 35 years of experience, will offer onsite workshops and many other inspiring and complimentary activities throughout the year. He’s authored more than 10 popular cookbooks and Plante will be integrating local gourmet products from the market into ideas and tips for all levels of cooking enthusiasts.
“In a year like no other, where we feel disconnected from one another, food has the ability to unite and bring people together. The CF Marché des Promenades exemplifies a true gourmet destination where people can not only shop for food and groceries, but also reconnect and spend time together,” said Plante.
CF Promenades St-Bruno opened in 1978 and in the past six years CF has invested $178 million into the transformation of the centre, starting with $49 million in 2015 to renovate all common areas and a major modernization of its Dining Hall. CF invested $35 million was to transform the former Sears store, and introduce a new concept 53,700 square foot Sports Experts / Atmosphere, as well as a new 43,500 square foot WINNERS. CF also expanded La Maison Simons to create a two-storey flagship store.
Most recently, CF Promenades St-Bruno welcomed Tesla and its full scale retail concept to the centre.
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CF Le Marché des Promenades (Image: GH+A Design) 
CF Le Marché des Promenades (Image: GH+A Design) 
CF Le Marché des Promenades (Image: GH+A Design) 
CF Le Marché des Promenades (Image: GH+A Design) 
CF Le Marché des Promenades (Image: GH+A Design) 
CF Le Marché des Promenades (Image: GH+A Design)
