A balmy summer evening. The light breeze caresses our hands and we walk the streets with a light step. We are going to meet some friends in a good restaurant after an active day under the blazing sun. We set foot in a small room, the light is subdued and dense, the guests with shining eyes and rosy cheekbones eat heartily between bursts of laughter.Ah! Summer in Montreal ... yes it will be back!
We still have vivid memories of our first visit to the Tuck Shop. Two summers ago our friend Reesa invited us there and we were lucky enough to spend the evening on the big table in the backyard. The ingredients were fresh, the dishes simple and finely executed. I let myself be carried away by the natural flow of this pleasant moment and I had the impression for a moment to find myself in our vegetable garden on the farm. I could never replicate the experience with us, but it is this feeling of closeness, of intimacy, that makes an experience memorable. A rich service, in all its facets, and without pretension.
So what a nice surprise to see a message on our Facebook page from Margaret, Théo's mother informing us that her son loves our vinegars and wants to sell them at his restaurant, Tuck Shop, you know?
For more than a year, we have felt deprived of opportunities to share, to exchange ideas, to discover, to let go. One of the most effervescent industries in our metropolis is being left behind and this is where the shoe pinches. Like many of their colleagues, the Tuck Shop restaurant had to quickly reinvent itself. Wine merchant, grocer and restaurant with seasonal take-out dishes: this is what now defines the business. And in this new reality, partnerships, mutual aid and solidarity are essential.
A week or two ago, I picked up a take out. It was a rainy, dark evening. When I walked through the door, it was as if nothing had changed (except for the masks). The warm light of the place immediately put a balm on this gray day. I was greeted by a warm team and I felt all the care that had been put in preparing my order and in choosing the wine to accompany it. A natural resilience that does a lot of good to see.
It is by knowing all the attention that is put in the choice of ingredients and products found at Tuck Shop that we consider ourselves fortunate to be part of the selection of products for sale at them.