The facts
What the award rewards
The Prix excellence tourisme recognize the standout initiatives of Québec’s tourism industry each year. The Sustainable Tourism Initiative category rewards exemplary practice in environmental and social responsibility.
Maison Boire won it for its work toward becoming eco-responsible and self-sufficient — growing its own staples and drawing the rest from local producers.
It was the house’s first award, two and a half years after opening — and the only one given by the tourism industry rather than the restaurant trade.
The evening of November 14, 2019, in Drummondville
Nearly 350 industry figures gathered at the Centrexpo Cogeco. Fifteen trophies were presented.
The next day Le Droit ran the headline "Excellence en tourisme: les efforts de la Maison Boire sont récompensés". Le Granby Express wrote that the rue Court restaurant "did not go home empty-handed".
Two details are worth keeping. First: 220 submissions, one winner per category. Second: the jury was not made up of restaurateurs but of tourism and communications professionals — people who judge a practice, not a plate.
Why this one matters to a country table
A restaurant in Granby does not have the same relationship with its guests as an address in downtown Montreal. A large share of our diners drive: sixty minutes from Montreal, off Highway 10.
This award says the journey is part of the experience, and that a country house can be a reason to travel rather than a stop on the way to something else. The Eastern Townships are one of the richest pantries in the country: lakes, orchards, cheesemakers, Québec’s first wine region. Almost all of our producers are within an hour of here.
→ Our 17 producers, with their distances
The following year, LEAF ranked Maison Boire first in Canada. Two years later, Aliments du Québec au menu named it restaurateur of the year. The 2019 award was the first in a series that all says the same thing.
→ LEAF and first place in CanadaPress coverage
- Excellence en tourisme: les efforts de la Maison Boire sont récompensés — Le Droit, November 15, 2019 (French)
- La Maison Boire se démarque en tourisme durable — Le Granby Express, (French)
- Excellence in Tourism Awards 2019 — regional release — Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est, (French)
- 3rd Prix excellence tourisme — press release — Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec (French)
- Prix excellence tourisme archive — Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec (French)
Make the trip
Sixty minutes from Montreal, off Highway 10, free parking in downtown Granby. Service Wednesday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.