Name: Soundbites
Start: 2020-10-28
End: 2021-03-31
Location: Phi Centre

Behind every great chef lies a story. This fall, PHI is glad to present the second edition of Soundbites, a culinary experience completed by an audio recording to accompany your meal and guide you through a multisensorial journey. We’ve teamed up with three restaurants in Montreal to bring an intimate outing to these restaurants straight to the comfort of your own home.

Let yourself be taken away on a culinary journey while the chefs tell you their stories, and complete their three-course service with a soundtrack carefully selected for the occasion. We invite you to enjoy a menu that is meticulously designed, all the while listening to the audio experience, provided by the PHI Centre, all of which is combined to create a true culinary voyage adapted to our new reality.

This fall, let yourself be swept away by the delectable cookery and the inspiring tales of Maria-José de Frias (Le Virunga), brothers Akim and Abdel Acacia (Piklìz), and Danny St Pierre (Accommodation Danny).

The restaurants

The second edition of Soundbites is proud to present Le Virunga, a Congolese restaurant which carefully blends local products and contemporary pan-African recipes to create a comforting culinary voyage. Chef Maria-José de Frias’ story mixes culture, travel, and integrity to create a heart-warming, mouth-watering experience.

“Tonight, we traveled through sound and flavor thanks to you. In these hard times, it did us so much good!”- Client

The Piklìz restaurant, created by two Canadian brothers from Haitian origins, Akim and Abdel Acacia, is celebrating its first anniversary this year. Based on a strong family story and heritage, Piklìz is the result of strong entrepreneurial and management skills as well as family recipes, the two strengths which, combined, led to this delectable Caribbean fusion.

“Excellent meal and beautiful, moving audio experience to accompany it all. Thank you for introducing us to the Acacia brothers’ cooking.”- Client

Finally, PHI is proud to feature, for the second time around, chef Danny St-Pierre. With 30 years of cooking experience under his belt, Danny has decided to return to Montreal to reconnect with local cuisine. He puts a modern twist on local cuisine to create a newly revisited cuisine in his latest restaurant, Accommodation Danny.

Bundles

See pages by chef to learn more about the experience

Maria-José de Frias

Portugal, Congo, Belgium, Canada. The story of chef Maria-José de Frias mixes culture, mixity, identity, art and audacity. After visits to the Bitoque and the Mess Hall (now the Central), it is in her own restaurant, Le Virunga, that she blends spices from Cameroon, Beninese accompaniments, Tanzanian marinades and Quebec products. She offers authentic dishes that are updated and offer a different, but accurate vision of a modern-day Africa in perpetual evolution. The result is a bold and modern menu, but with a strong sense of identity and an invitation to share and discover.

The Acacia brothers

Piklìz is a family story first. Since childhood, cooking has been the recipe for daily happiness for the Acacia brothers, so it was part of their destiny to share this heritage with you.
Entrepreneurs by nature, they joined ambitions, talents and experiences to bring this project to life. Two Quebecois brothers of Haitian origin who combine management experience as owner of the guest house La Terrasse Blanche in Haiti for one, kitchen development and development as a chef for the other. Together, they have developed a vision focused on sharing the richness of this culture, which has always inhabited them. They will make it a success thanks to their love of cooking and especially thanks to you.

Danny St-Pierre

Danny St Pierre has nearly 30 years of experience in the kitchen. After working at the Montreal restaurant Toqué! he obtained his first chef's position at the restaurant Derrière les fagots in Laval. In business since 2005, he was co-owner until 2015 of the popular Auguste restaurant in Sherbrooke. Recently, Danny decided to return to Montreal to reconnect with local cuisine. Since his return, he has been involved in several restaurant projects including Le Central and the Toboggan Club, in addition to his latest Accommodation Danny.