Lesley Chesterman spent two decades documenting Montreal’s vibrant restaurant scene as The Gazette’s fine-dining critic. So the first thing she thought of upon hearing about a New York exhibition celebrating the Big Apple’s best restaurants a decade back was that Montreal should have its own.

“When I saw the images, it reminded me of the Montreal of days gone by — not only of my time as a restaurant critic, but also as a kid in Montreal; my parents went to restaurants,” said Chesterman, who is the spokesperson for the McCord Stewart Museum’s new exhibition On the Menu — Montreal: A Restaurant Story, which runs through Oct. 18, 2026.

“Restaurants are so important to the city of Montreal. They’re a major part of our identity.”

Chesterman pitched the idea to the McCord 10 years ago, but i

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