Star Quebec City Chef's Restaurant Files for $1.2 Million Bankruptcy

Popular Quebec City chef Marie-Chantal Lepage made the wrong kind of headlines this weekend after Le Journal de Montréal went public with news that her restaurant, l'Espace MC Chef, had filed for bankruptcy to the tune of $1.2 million. In a strange twist, Lepage will soon take on a plum post as executive chef at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. Reporter Nicolas Saillant writes (translated) that "court documents also indicate that employees are among the creditors" and that "a total of 71 suppliers will incur financial losses of $310,000." The restaurant opened two years ago.

L'Espace MC Chef's website offers this cryptic, metaphor-laden and somewhat awkward statement today (translated): "As you may already know, l'Espace MC Chef on rue Dalhousie is closed but we are happy to announce that we are gently braising our next masterpiece! We unfortunately cannot say more or disclose the ingredients but you should smell the aromas in the media soon."