On Sunday, September 8, over 6,000 people took to the grounds of Parc historique de la Pointe-du-Moulin for the latest edition of the Soup Festival. 

In all, some thirty soup makers played the game and competed for the famous Louche d'or in their respective categories: Most Beautiful Booth, Restaurants, Municipalities, Organizations and General Public. 

“Traffic on the site almost doubled this year, much to our delight. Congratulations to all soup makers. Taking part in our event is something that requires a lot of effort. Thank you for making this event a success year after year,” said Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot mayor Danie Deschênes. 

A guest chef with a passion for cooking and soups 

This year, former Chefs! 2023 contestant Michael Ho played the role of guest chef. He tasted some thirty soups concocted by the participants to determine his favorite. In addition to putting his taste buds to the test, the chef who opened his own restaurant in Montreal also showed off his talent by cooking a Japanese gazpacho. The recipe was served at the kiosk of the Ville de Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot. 

“Thank you to the City of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot for inviting me to this 2024 edition of the SOUP Festival. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience among you.The soup chefs impressed me with their varied culinary talents. It was very difficult to choose a favorite.I tasted all the soups and honestly, at least half of them were a wow.To make my choice, I based myself on four criteria: the beauty (the visual) of the soup, the taste, the flavours and the seasoning”, explained the principal of interest before revealing the soup that won his heart: the one from L'Île-Perrot's Le Khmer restaurant. 

The company, which occupied booth 6, won over the culinary professional for a good reason. “The tenderness of the meat reminded me of my childhood soups. The vegetables were cooked to perfection and it was seasoned just right,” he confided after welcoming the restaurant's representatives on stage to present them with a prize.In addition to a bouquet of flowers, the winners also received a $200 gift certificate from his restaurant. 

Four other winners 

In keeping with tradition, five Gold Louches were awarded in as many categories.The first was awarded for the most beautiful booth at the event. Not surprisingly, the Ville de Saint-Zotique took top honours with its “Roadwork” theme and its Pea Nest soup.The locality received a Costco subscription as a prize. 

In the Restaurateur category, Verger Labonté, a first-time participant in the Festival de la SOUPE, took home La louche de cette catégorie. 

In the Organization category, the trophy went to the Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal Foundation, which was participating in the SOUP Festival for the very first time.In the general public category, the Remax Esmaili team won the coveted award.This was the third time the company had won in one of the Festival de la SOUPE categories. 

Finally, it was the Town of Pincourt that stood out in the Municipal category. 

Beyond the soup, festival-goers also had the chance to discover numerous artists, as performances were presented on stage throughout the day. The soup tureens opened to the sounds of Oriental dance.Bollywood, Latin and Brazilian dances followed. 

Children were also entertained in the family zone. Finally, festival-goers were able to discover, or rediscover, the historic buildings, including the mill and the miller's house. The luckiest among them were able to take a sleigh ride, watch demonstrations of period crafts and even have stories told by storyteller Jean-Marc Lavigne.