Interviews with the ITHQ

The 28th edition of the Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada will take place from September 14 to 20, 2021 at the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), in Montreal. We met with Liza Frulla, General Director of the ITHQ. Together, we discussed the institution's role in training the next generation of sommeliers and chefs in Quebec and its challenges during the pandemic.

International visibility for the Quebec province

Tourism has been the sector most affected by the pandemic worldwide. All tourist destinations are now preparing for the reopening and Quebec is no exception.

The ITHQ is the largest hotel school in Canada. It trains and professionalizes the next generation of tourism professionals in Quebec. As part of the international network of great schools in the hotel industry, ITHQ offers its students some of the best lecturers and internships abroad. promoting local talent.

A passionate and always improving workforce

It was noted that many people in the sector had to reorient themselves into other sectors of activity during the pandemic. However, passionate workers in the wine, tourism, and restaurant fields took the opportunity to improve their skills further. The ITHQ saw no slowdown in enrollment and even had to add a professional cooking class in superior cooking to keep up with demand.

Challenges brought by the pandemic

After over a year in a pandemic, the ITHQ, which provides professional, collegial, and university training, has had to learn to adapt to continue offering its training.

“We have adapted with 100% of our theoretical classes given online. Our teachers have been extraordinary in transforming all their theoretical courses to be able to give them remotely. We have been allowed to have our students face-to-face for practice classes. Indeed, they need to practice handling, working, tasting. Therefore, we have succeeded in giving face-to-face sommelier courses in compliance with sanitary measures, with distancing and mask. "

New opportunities for students and foreign producers 

The ITHQ has created virtual events allowing its students to meet 12 Spanish and Italian wine producers and taste their wines live, remotely. These are innovations that the ITHQ will keep for the future, allowing producers targeting the Quebec market to showcase their products without necessarily having to travel.

“We contribute to bettering our students' knowledge of local and international wines. We are also happy to contribute to the overall influence of Quebec as a major player on the international wine scene through our association with Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada."

The SAQ workshops by ITHQ are growing

Since 2015, the ITHQ has also organized, in collaboration with the SAQ, wine tasting workshops for the general public. These have been held virtually since the pandemic and the new formula has seen a 25% increase in registrations.

Major renovations for the ITHQ Hotel

In addition to the many projects of the ITHQ in the past year, major renovations have been made for its 42-room hotel. Built in 1972, it had already been renovated and decorated, but fundamental changes were required, including infrastructure and plumbing. The renovations were carried out with the values of the institution in mind, following the latest industry trends, and respecting the most recent environmental standards.

As it is a hotel of educational application, the graduating students in hotel management took part in the development of this new offer. This was a unique opportunity for them, with high added value, in a context where internships abroad were not possible. The ITHQ Hotel will reopen in the fall of 2021.

Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada is proud to hold the 2021 edition of this major event in partnership with an institution that promotes Quebec talent around the world.

Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada's 28th edition will take place from October 7 to 10, 2021 at the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) in Montreal. We met with Paul Caccia, Senior Director, Communications and Business Development at ITHQ to discuss the institution's sommelier training.

A crash course for students

"As the largest hotel school in Canada, it is only natural for the ITHQ to be associated with this great international wine competition in North America that is Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada. This is a unique opportunity for our students to participate in a major event and have a real experience, while putting their theoretical knowledge into practice. It is above all a great opportunity for them to meet representatives of the wine industry and to meet many international producers. With the sheer number of wines competing, it's like they're taking a crash course,” says Paul Caccia.

Sommelier training for every level of knowledge

The ITHQ is recognized for its professional training in high-level service and sommellerie. This training includes a practical component that takes place in its two application restaurants. Three-month internships, in Canada or abroad, with renowned wine producers are also on the program and end in reputed Michelin-starred restaurants or Relais & Châteaux.

With the SAQ workshops, ITHQ also introduces the general public to the world of wines and spirits and allows them to better taste, select and appreciate the wines available in Quebec. In addition to its 14 courses dedicated to the discovery of alcohol, the ITHQ offers the possibility of exploring food and wine pairings, by participating in tasting and cooking workshops.

An opportunity for producers to get introduced

The ITHQ works with many European wineries represented by agencies in Quebec. These wineries can be introduced within the framework of sommelier training, but also during thematic events or promotional activities, where they can present the products of their countries.

“We offer producers the opportunity to meet our students in catering service and sommellerie, who will in a way be the future ambassadors of their wines. During visits to producers in Montreal, we also suggest that they stay at the ITHQ Hotel and enjoy a meal inspired by Quebec identity products in one of our 2 application restaurants. This is an opportunity for them to discover our educational facilities as well as the next generation of sommeliers in Quebec," continues Paul Caccia.

International recognition for Quebec

The ITHQ counts so many gradates success stories. Here are a few examples:

• Hugo Duchesne, sommelier teacher, was named Best Sommelier of Quebec in 2020. He will represent Canada at the next World Sommellerie Competition, in 2022;

• Carl Villeneuve-Lepage, an ITHQ graduate, was named Best Sommelier of Quebec in 2014 and Best Sommelier of Canada in 2017. He also won third place in the Best Sommelier of the Americas competition in 2018;

• Pier-Alexis Soulières, an ITHQ graduate, was crowned Best Sommelier of Quebec in 2017, Best Sommelier of the Americas in 2018, and represented the Americas at the Best Sommelier of the World competition in 2019;

• Jessica Rosval, graduate of ITHQ and chef of Casa Maria Luigia in Modena, Italy, has just been named best chef in the prestigious Bellavista Prize, awarded annually by the restaurant guide of L’Espresso magazine. "This is a real achievement, considering this is the first time that this recognition has been awarded to a chef who was not born in Italy! », concludes Paul Caccia.

While the 28th edition of the Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada took place from October 7 to 10, 2021 at the Institut de tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), in Montreal, we met Hugo Duchesne, professor of International Training in Service and Sommellerie at the ITHQ.

Sacred Best Sommelier of Quebec in September 2020, Hugo Duchesne participated in the Best Sommelier of Canada competition organized by the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers which took place from October 16 to 19 in Vancouver.

In addition to teaching full time at the ITHQ, Hugo Duchesne is also a sommelier at the H3 and Le Coureur des bois restaurants. 

Wanting to go further

While he had already been part of this competition in 2011, it was in 2019 that Hugo Duchesne rediscovered his desire to participate in the Best Sommelier of Quebec competition. He then accompanied Carl Villeneuve Lepage, a graduate of the ITHQ and Best Sommelier of Canada 2017, as a coach for the Best Sommelier of the World competition in Antwerp, Belgium.

 “Looking at the candidates, the schedules, and the stage, I felt that I was in the wrong chair. I really wanted to be in their place! "

After intensive training which began in 2015 with the preparation for the prestigious Court of Master Sommeliers, the ITHQ teacher won the Best Sommelier of Quebec competition in 2020. Once this distinction was in hand, it was natural to aim for the next step: the 2021 Best Sommelier of Canada competition.

“Entering the Best Sommelier of Canada competition requires a very high level of commitment. I used every minute of my free time to learn. I didn't hesitate to invest all my energy in it, with the idea of ​​becoming a better leader, in the industry and with my students. The mere fact of having been able to compete with exceptional sommeliers makes me very proud. And I am extremely happy to see my colleague Pier-Alexis Soulière, an ITHQ graduate, win the honors!"

Passion serving the next generation

Hugo Duchesne aspires to lead by example and show students that passion can be lived on all fronts, especially by following through on dreams.

"Being a sommelier means constantly seeking to update your knowledge and improve your skills, whether around the product, the tasting or the service. Entering a competition like this is the icing on the cake."

"It also means accepting to put yourself in danger. To get naked in front of our peers. It takes a good dose of confidence but also humility for the students to feel. I teach and still learn. This is also what competitions are used for, to humanize our profession."

Sélection Mondiales des Vins Canada offers its congratulations to Hugo Duchesne for his perseverance and dynamism. We wish for his dreams to come true.