Philippe Mollé
Grand ambassadeur
Portrait
Seasoned chef and food writer Philippe Mollé.
Philippe Mollé died peacefully at home on October 19, 2024, at the age of 72. Born in France, he worked in Tahiti, Japan, and Ivory Coast before landing in Montréal in 1980, where he fell head-over-heels in love with maple. For more than 15 years, it was the honour and pleasure of every maple producer and our association that Philippe had a passion for our products.
Philippe was particularly fond of maple sugar, especially for sweets and baking, preferring it, he said, to processed sugar because of its nutritional benefits and varied textures.
At the same time, he said it was not an “easy” product. With its wide variety of flavours and textures, the master chef once admitted that it made him work. “It’s like a beautiful woman. Take a gentle approach, go easy, spoil her, and respect her. It’s an extraordinary product. It’s liquid gold. I value it as such.”
To our everlasting gratitude, Philippe saw beyond the product to those who produce it, expressing deep admiration for the women and men of the sugar bush. “Sure, we can make something interesting in the kitchen, but that’s only because the producers did their work first. They fascinate me. I’m inspired by them, and I want to build on their contribution. I respect those people because, without good products, you can’t make good food.”
Philippe said cooking with maple was an immense pleasure. “To me, the fundamentals are functionality, flavour, and fun. When you enjoy cooking with a wonderful product, you can’t help but be happy.”
Philippe's secret
“I recommend always having at least two grades of maple syrup in your pantry. Use a light syrup for things like vinaigrettes and sauces, for instance, a haskap berry sauce with spices and pepper to serve with game. And a darker, robust syrup with more body and maturity is just heavenly. The secret is to play with these products and make them your own. That’s what’ll make the difference for you.”
Maple...a slice of Life
“Maple came into my life through a combination of circumstances. I was at a party at a friend’s house and was served a kir with maple syrup instead of the traditional cassis (blackcurrant) syrup. It was the first time I encountered its taste and smell. I’d just come from Polynesia where everything is about coconut but even there they were talking about maple. The effect on me was immediate: I liked its special, fine, delicate flavour and I started thinking about all the things I could do with it. I knew at that very moment that I was going to work with maple.”
Grand Ambassador
Philippe Mollé was a meaningful part of us, of Québec Maple Syrup Producers, for over 15 years. He served as a mentor and advocate for maple to numerous well-known chefs and will always bear the title of Grand Maple Ambassador.