Porcmeilleur Marché Jean-Talon

There are few places in Montreal that exude the rich cultural history of the city quite like the Jean-Talon Market. The farmers that once defined Quebec fill the stalls with their wares, while new generations of shoppers looking for a simpler way to live fill their baskets. Helping to bridge the generational gap is Porcmeilleur, run by young couple Pascal Viens and Josiane Palardy. Open since 2004, the butcher shop offers a wide variety of milk-fed pork products that come directly from the family farm.

Porcmeilleur started out as a small operation, with Josiane and her father, Michel, delivering to neighbours of their small farm in Ste-Madeleine. “When the Jean-Talon Market wanted to open up a fourth wing, they said there would be space for boutiques,” says Pascal. Josiane’s parents and grandparents had already been there for 45 years selling vegetables. “They said to us, 'You have to open a butcher shop'. We said, 'OK, let’s go.'”