MONTREAL — Normand Laprise, grand chef, Relais & Châteaux, and co-owner of Toqué restaurant in Montreal, has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award for his book, “Toqué Creators of a New Quebec Gastronomy (Les Éditions du Passage).”

The tome has been nominated in the category known as “cooking from a professional point of view.” Photographer Dominique Malaterre, who shot the photos in Laprise’s book, is also nominated. “This enormous recognition by the James Beard Foundation is a tribute to our gastronomy, my team of professionals and the publisher who participated in producing this little book of 500 pages,” said Laprise.

MONTREAL — David McMillan, co-owner of Joe Beef, is among a throng of restaurateurs speaking out about what’s now being referred to as “Pastagate.” This comes in response to letters from the Office Québécois de la Langue Française (OQLF), the agency responsible for ensuring compliance with the Charter of the French language and promoting French in public places.

The media frenzy began at Buonanotte in Montreal, where the restaurant’s owners were written up by OQLF for using the words “pasta” and “calamari” on their menu without including a French translation. Now, other restaurateurs are saying they have received similar complaints.

LONGUEUIL, Q.C. — The Quebec organization that was robbed of six-million pounds of maple syrup last summer will be getting most of the sweet substance back, according to Quebec police, who announced they made two arrests in the ongoing case.

Last summer, during a routine check, barrels of maple syrup went missing from a warehouse belonging to The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers in St-Louis-de-Blandford, Que. Upon investigation, the Federation discovered approximately 60 per cent of the warehouse's supply of maple syrup had been stolen.

MONTREAL — Quebec’s liquor board has told owners of a Montreal bar they must ban live rap and hip-hop music to obtain a liquor licence, according The Canadian Press.

Owners of Le Pionnier, a Montreal-based restaurant, who hoped to obtain a liquor licence, were surprised to learn the news. “My first reaction was [that] it's very discriminatory,” Diane Marois, who co-owns the bar with her husband, Ron Bracken, told The Canadian Press.