Relais Châteaux Style In Your Grocery Aisle

There was a mini-flurry of publicity late last summer over Jérôme Ferrer's supermarket gambit. Now, it seems, the Europea Relais Châteaux Grand Chef has done it: Ferrer's prêt-à-manger line of products is in IGA stores across Quebec as of today.

The development is the culmination of a year-long process which saw Ferrer and partners invest $2 million in a 9,000 square feet food prep space in Point St. Charles. The entire prêt-à-manger line will stem from this "Centre de transformation agroalimentaire tradition et qualité".

Ferrer had this to say about the new venture last September (translated from French):

I thought at a certain age I would feel my physical strength falter a bit and I would no longer be able support my current workweek of 90 to 100 hours. I wanted to start thinking with my partners about an ambitious project that matched my values and allowed me to continue to work with food, even in my older age.

All this has put Ferrer in a generous mood.

J'offre aux 10 premiers #selfie avec mon plat, 1 repas pour 2 à l'Europea valeur 500$ :) #concours #lancement @IGAQC pic.twitter.com/yZGacalOuf

— Jérôme Ferrer (@GroupeEuropea) January 27, 2014

· Jérôme Ferrer [Official Site]
· Europea [Official Site]