Madame Chose

Madame Chose, located in the heart of the shopping center’s Galeries Gourmandes, an indoor market of sorts, featuring dozens of local producers and food artisans, is a multi-sensory restaurant that goes beyond simply adding bells and whistles to a decor. It is actually based on storytelling. Madame Chose is the story of an eccentric and ghostly grand dame that welcomes guests into her equally eccentric “home” (the restaurant) to celebrate life, experimentation, and creativity. She is a bourgeois bohemian and exuberant epicurean during the day and an exotic butterfly at night. Throughout her life she travelled the world, bringing back souvenirs, savors, and odors from around the globe. As a hip and extravagant grandmother, she is happiest when people come together to share and discover new flavours. Discreet and mysterious, she is everywhere, in each detail of the experience—but always invisible.

Madame Chose’s concept’s experiential and interactive design is innovative in that it brought together experts from traditional trades (construction, interior design, etc.) as well as trades that are not normally part of developing a restaurant: production designers, sculptors, artistic directors, lighting and sound specialists, and multimedia and tech professionals. Bringing together a multidisciplinary team—all with different perspectives—was a feat unto itself. Consistent communication with all stakeholders was key to ensuring that the overall concept and vision was respected.