About
About / 'Round Table Tours
‘Round Table Tours wants to share Montreal’s food landscape with the world.
Our goal is to guide people through culinary adventures that bring them beyond the cheap clichés normally destined for tourists; to allow for the exploration of Montreal’s unique food scene, its cultures and neighbourhoods.
Montreal is the oldest metropolis in Canada, influenced as much by European as North American culture, a place that is multilingual and cosmopolitan. The city has deep roots in culinary nostalgia and a newly revived street-food scene alongside a flourishing community of innovative healthy green food businesses and urban agriculture. We aim to reveal the behind-the-scenes food creations and their most talented chefs, entrepreneurs and historical figures that make Montreal so special.
Montreal is also the cycling capital of North America. We take advantage of the wonderful paths to offer cycling, as well as walking tours.
Join us with friends, family, lovers or work colleagues and immerse your senses in Montreal
About / Mélissa Simard
Mélissa Simard loves everything about food - the variety of taste, the history and the way food brings people together. Her desire to share this love with others led Melissa to create ‘Round Table Tours in December, 2012.
Mélissa is a certified Montreal Tour Guide and Professional Cook with an Honours degree in Canadian Studies from McGill. This makes her adept in both food and history, immigration and identity and how it pertains to eating. She has years of experience in the food industry, including working in restaurants, catering, conducting cooking workshops, and food blogging. She is also versed in planning highly successful food tours and creating customized culinary experiences for small groups and corporate events.
She is also an advocate for business models that are eco-friendly and unique, including sustainable urban food production, awareness around habits and food choices and food as a social vehicle. Much of her vision has been sculpted during the 12 years she has been organizing a dinner club and her five years of orchestrating group cleanses.
About / Our Team
Darren Shore
Guide
Round Table Tour's guide for the Montreal Jewish Food Tour, Darren grew up in Montreal, studied political science and journalism, worked in communications and fundraising for non-profit organizations and a local university, and travelled to over 60 countries before becoming a tour guide. He’s a fan of history, politics, hockey, cycling, playing his viola and, of course, food. He's also the father of a beautiful baby girl.
Marie-Ève Laplante
Guide
Born in Montreal, Marie-Ève Laplante studied acting before enrolling in sommellerie training at the ITHQ in Montreal and becoming a sommellière-caviste at the Parisian institution La Robe et le Palais. There, she specialized in natural wines and collaborated on gourmet plays with reputable French artists. After coming back to Montreal, she studied Business Launching for Restaurants and became a sommelière and second Maître D at restaurant and natural wine bar Pastaga. One daughter later, she took over the wine program at Auberge Val Carroll. Recently, she's been creating tours and gastronomic events to promote Quebec agrotourism.
Amie Watson
Guide/Marketing
Amie is a heavyweight food writer and TV personality but a featherweight foodie. She loves writing recipes and restaurant reviews for her blog, www.multiculturiosity.com and freelancing with enRoute, Menu International, Fine Dining Lovers, and Gayot.com in Montreal and Quebec City. She's currently working on a new food television show for CBC. She loves all things local, organic, gluten-free and dairy-free, but only if they’re delicious. Celery root? Nope. She's looking forward to the launch of Glutton Guide's Montreal edition an e-guide to Montreal food scene co-written with Melissa Simard.
@MissWattson