4 Montreal chefs on kindness, memory and the meaning of sharing food

CBC Quebec has launched its Make the Season Kind campaign. It's our annual campaign that focuses on food insecurity, while also celebrating kindness, generosity and community spirit around the province.

In four different kitchens across Montreal, the stories couldn’t be more distinct: a smoky lentil soup rooted in family care; a century-old kebab recipe reimagined in Quebec; a rustic Mexican cookie brought back to life and a cozy congee that turns leftovers into love. 

Yet the thread tying these chefs together is the same — kindness, memory and the belief that food is far more than sustenance.

This series is part of CBC’s annual Make the Season Kind campaign, a celebration of kindness, generosity and community spirit. 

Here is what four Montreal chefs shared about cooking, connection and the dishes that ground them.

In the compact kitchen of Restaurant Gus in the city’s Little Italy neighbourhood, chef David Ferguson stirs a bubbling pot of lentil soup perfumed with chipotle, cumin and lime. 

Cooking, for him, has always been about immediate connection. “You get this instant gratification,” he said, describing the joy of watching someone enjoy a dish he’s made.

Lentils feel universal to him — nutritious, comforting and woven through many cultures. They also remind him of his childhood, when he’d complain about lentil soup only to realize later how much intention his mother put into it.

He blends the soup just enough to keep its texture, then finishes it with cumin, lemon, sour cream and cilantro. 

“You can almost taste the kindness,” Ferguson said, describing what he wants diners to feel in every bite.

At Mama Khan’s restaurant in the Plateau neighbourhood, the sizzling Adat Khan kebab — crispy, aromatic and tender — carries more than flavour. It carries legacy. 

The recipe has been in Abdul Raziq Khan’s family for over a century, passed from his great-great-grandfather down to his mother, the restaurant’s original head chef.

Khan had no professional cooking background when he opened the restaurant. His mother taught him everything, and he says he quickly discovered how intimate it feels to share food. Customers often tell him stories of their childhood, sparked by the familiar taste of the kebab.

“People come here and tell me that food took me back to Peshawar or I haven’t [tasted] a food like this in 20 years," he said.