Montreal chef Danny Smiles loves Hudson, however the metropolis is looking

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Properly-known Montreal chef Danny Smiles got here to Hudson for a bit nation dwelling, however he clearly nonetheless yearns for the thrill and pleasure of working a restaurant within the coronary heart of the large metropolis.

For years, he was the chef at Le Bremner, superstar chef and TV star Chuck Hughes’s well-known restaurant within the Previous Port that closed throughout the pandemic, and Hughes and Smiles additionally labored collectively cooking up high-end grub for the artists performing on the Osheaga pageant.

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Smiles was named govt chef and normal supervisor of the historic Willow Inn on the banks of Lake of Two Mountains in Hudson within the spring of 2021 and some months later he moved out to the quiet city. Smiles — winner of Iron Chef Canada — liked being on the market together with his spouse and two younger boys, River, 2, and Lennon, 4.

However in a dialog this week on the Willow Inn, the place he was welcoming a bunch of highschool youngsters from Gatineau, Smiles mentioned he’s going to be spending much more time within the metropolis within the coming months. Quickly after it was introduced in August acclaimed Plateau eater Maison Publique was closing its doorways, Smiles reached a cope with Maison Publique proprietor Derek Dammann to take over the situation.

Smiles can be opening a brand new restaurant on the identical premises on Marquette St. within the coronary heart of the Plateau in February. That’s along with one other newish Plateau enterprise for Smiles — Double’s, a designer dive/hamburger joint that he opened in April on Parc Ave. It’s already a well-liked spot each with locals and visiting celebs, most notably Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who swung by there after the band’s live performance on the Verdun Auditorium in July.

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“There’s one thing as a chef, I imply I like it out right here, however I had an incredible alternative to take one thing over within the metropolis, so generally you simply want to return and do it yet another time,” Smiles mentioned. “I like beginning new tasks. Taking (the Willow Inn) on was superb and to observe it develop, that was one thing actually particular. And opening up a bar in April (Double’s), that’s actually totally different. That’s targeted simply on being collectively. It’s like Cheers. It’s simply bar meals and having enjoyable. It’s been an actual success. It’s been good. The idea is dive bar, sports activities bar, everyone seems to be welcome. It’s very accessible. Attempt to preserve the prices low for individuals to have a very good time.”

He was pretty tight-lipped about precisely what he has up his sleeve for the Maison Publique area, however he did reveal a number of particulars.

“All I can say is I’m actually excited and I’m making an attempt to not expose an excessive amount of data. We’re a February opening if the whole lot goes properly. I’m partnered up with three of my closest associates. We’re extraordinarily enthusiastic about meals and eating places and we’re going to do it our method.”

He’s properly conscious he has some huge sneakers — or is it frying pans? — to fill following within the footsteps of Dammann’s Maison Publique, one of many nation’s most praised eating places.

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“He’s positively certainly one of my favorite cooks within the metropolis,” Smiles mentioned. “It’s very robust to suppose you’re taking on an area that individuals liked proper throughout the nation. Individuals would journey from everywhere in the world to eat there. It was a really particular place and I believe he was prepared to shut the chapter and he was glad to move it alongside. That’s my responsibility. To maintain it alive and preserve his ideology of meals. Now we have the identical concepts about high quality and native (merchandise).”

The scholars on the Willow Inn on Thursday have been from Philemon Wright Excessive College in Gatineau, introduced there as a part of Cheese4Change, a youth program created by Tre Stelle Cheese to lift consciousness about sustainable meals. Smiles gave the youngsters a tour of the inn’s gardens, confirmed them how they labored within the kitchen after which served them a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches, salad and tiramisu.

Smiles might find yourself spending extra time in central Montreal within the coming months, however he doesn’t remorse for one second shifting his dwelling and work out to Hudson.

“I’ve been a metropolis chef my entire life, I all the time labored within the metropolis,” Smiles mentioned. “It was a pleasant problem to take (over) the Willow Inn that’s been right here 200 years and there’s plenty of historical past. … It was a time, within the pandemic, that I sort of wanted a breath of contemporary air, one thing totally different. It’s been superb. The standard of life, the neighborhood, the neighbourhood. There’s a extremely robust neighborhood in Hudson. There’s plenty of nice companies and other people that do exactly phenomenal stuff.”

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