Les Jardins du Monarque: the living legacy of a passion passed down from father to son.

The legendary Laval restaurant Le Mitoyen is the very heart of the Sainte-Dorothée neighborhood in Laval. Dating back to 1870, this historic red-roofed building has witnessed the changing eras of Île Jésus: from rural life to bustling urban life, and its transformation into a true Quebec culinary institution. Run and reinvented by self-taught chef Richard Bastien, this magnificent local institution has been a fixture of Laval’s landscape for nearly five decades.

Sitting on the veranda of his restaurant, Chef Richard Bastien recounts his childhood in the nearby streets—fond, warm memories that resonate like poetry, set to the rhythm of raindrops falling on the vintage skylights. Inspired by French cuisine and his mother’s famous blood sausage, the Laval native sought to charm his guests by offering a gourmet dining experience—a bold venture in the late 1970s.

“We were a bit naive, but very determined. We could have moved mountains. Above all, we were supported by an emerging cultural scene—with painters, writers, and visual artists. There was room, and we decided to take it,” said Mr. Bastien.

The Monarch Butterfly's Migration

While their respective restaurants— Le Mitoyen and Monarque — are thriving, it was only natural for chef-owners Richard and Jérémie Bastien, a father-son duo, to join forces and channel their love of local ingredients by transforming a family plot of land into a veritable Garden of Eden.

Located at the end of a small, almost hidden street in a residential neighborhood of Sainte-Dorothée, the Bastien family’s property—where Richard Bastien and his siblings were born—has now been transformed into Les Jardins du Monarque.

After three years of hard work, the two entrepreneurs finally reaped the rewards of their efforts at the end of their first season of vegetable farming.

“Next year, we plan to double our vegetable production. We’re currently able to supply our two restaurants, as well as sell at farmers’ markets and to a few other restaurants,” says Mr. Bastien proudly.

The response from customers and employees is unanimous: the quality of the vegetables harvested at Les Jardins du Monarque—located just a stone’s throw from Le Mitoyen restaurant—is absolutely breathtaking and brilliantly enhances the flavors of the gourmet dishes prepared on-site with passion and conviction. “The customers are incredibly enthusiastic about this project!” says the chef-owner enthusiastically.