Tête Carrée

Joshua Lauridsen moved to Montreal in 2008 to further his career as a chef with the idea of one day opening his own restaurant. While attending his sister’s wedding in Costa Rica, he came upon what would become the focus of his restaurant, Tête Carrée. “I had eaten food from this guy on the beach. He was just grilling off bread and garnishing it with pork or chicken and some sort of mayonnaise,” says Joshua. “I loved the idea of something simple and fresh like that, that you could just walk away with. So I thought about different concepts from around the world and about how they incorporate their bread into their cuisine. I then figured out a garnish with seasonal products from Quebec.”

With that idea in mind, he approached the Jean-Talon market in 2016 for a spot in their market. He was approved in mid-April and had to open by May 1. “I left my job, found a contractor and had to figure out how to build a miniature restaurant in two weeks. I also needed to get the licencing. That was fun,” laughs Joshua, who chose a market stand over his own brick and mortar restaurant. “I had seen friends succeed by opening in markets. I figured why not. It’s easier than trying to find someone to invest in a full restaurant.”