Philippe, the son of a chocolatier in Belgium, was born, so to speak, in the empire of taste. From a very young age, he loved the secrets kept in the pots and pans, the journeys that propelled him thousands of kilometers away from himself, and the solitude of books that provided deliverance. He logically left school for the joy of the kitchen at the age of 13.
An opportunity arose when the prestigious Parc Savoy in Brussels was looking for kitchen helpers. From then on, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the passion of cooking and creating a form of expression through this art. After completing a grand tour of France in the best establishments, Philippe was convinced to take the reins of a kitchen, which he embarked upon in Belgium at the end of the 1970s.
In 1983, the call of elsewhere, the desire to start over, and the difficulty of making a mark in a very saturated market led Philippe to attempt to establish himself in Quebec, a country he had visited with great interest a few years earlier. It was in this Quebec, newly opened to the pleasures of the table, that Philippe opened the restaurant “L’Odéon” on Parc Avenue. He stayed there for three years before moving his establishment to Des Pins Avenue, where his eponymous restaurant became a cornerstone of Montreal gastronomy for nearly 35 years.
Since the late 1990s, Laloux has dedicated himself to catering services, teaching in Quebec, India, and Egypt, and writing across various platforms. His latest work, “Le bonheur de cuire,” earned him the gold medal at the “Taste Canada Awards” for best cookbook in 2011. He is currently preparing a book dedicated to vegetarian cuisine in France, where he has been living since 2022. Philippe takes the photos and writes all the texts for his books, incorporating not only recipes but also stories and memories from the kitchen.
