St. Lawrence

JC Poirier has been feeding Vancouverites for more than two decades at his popular eateries; he is the co-owner at Pourhouse, Pizzeria Farina, Joe Pizza and Ask For Luigi. Somehow though, the successful, award-winning chef felt like something was missing.

Born in St. Jerome, Quebec and raised in Montreal, Quebec City and Hull, among a large extended French-Canadian family, JC was always reminiscing about his roots. “Food represents who you are…in 2016, I really started thinking about being a kid going to my grandfather’s sugar shack, or eating my mom’s roast chicken quiche and vol-au-vent (pot pie with puff pastry). I wanted to feel that pure happiness again,” says the affable chef.

So, in the summer of 2017, JC opened St. Lawrence in a building on Powell Street from 1902. Once home to Komura grocery store, JC kept the original floor tiles to honour the Japanese family who ran the shop. St. Lawrence is chic and homey, resplendent in hues of deep blue, black-and-white photographs of JC with his parents, a gorgeous stained-glass window and monogrammed china dishes. Everything – from its moniker (the restaurant is named for the St. Lawrence River, which was next to JC’s grandparents' home), carte du jour, drink list, décor, service and music – represents his love and appreciation of his origins.