Jean-Martin Fortier, Well-known market gardener, brings an ambitious food sovereignty project to fruition in Unis TV’s new documentary series The Farmer’s Table (La table du fermier). The nine 48-minute episodes were directed by Christine Doyon and Sasha Campeau, and produced by Avanti-Toast. The series will be available inits entirety on TV5Unis rom March 14 and broadcast on Unis TV on Thursdays at 7 p.m. from April 4.

The project and its pitfalls
The adventure began with Jean-Martin Fortier’s acquisition of the Old Mill in Stanbridge East, in the Brome-Missisquoi region. The historic monument, built in 1849, now houses a bar. The series begins shortly after the purchase of this building, where everything remains to be done. On the one hectare of arable land, gardens and a carbon-neutral greenhouse also had to be created. The aim is to create the conditions to support the restaurant all year round.

“Initially, I wanted to look after just the garden and sublet the restaurant. In the end, I naively decided to embark on the whole project and document what it’s like to open a restaurant. It’s harder than I’d imagined. People are going to see me as they’ve never seen me before. It’s a project full of challenges and questioning,” says the market gardener.

The 100% local mission
Jean-Martin and his sidekicks, Philippe Tapp, general manager and co-owner, and Éric Gendron, executive chef, meet with local breeders and producers to source meat, alcohol and other foods they don’t grow. “One hundred percent local is possible, but it requires sacrifice,” says chef Éric Gendron in the series. For his part, Jean-Martin stresses that the entire team is invested with the mission of “demonstrating that we’re capable of eating local in Quebec all year round”. The menu evolves with the seasons, depending on the foods available.

Episodes illustrate the various stages leading up to the restaurant’s opening, as well as the challenges involved in sourcing 100% locally. The educational aspect is also present in The Farmer’s Table (La table du fermier). Biodynamic techniques, harvesting and preserving vegetables for an annual supply: Jean-Martin Fortier demonstrates that we must draw inspiration from yesterday’s methods to redefine tomorrow’s agriculture. Opening in 2022, L’Espace Old Mill has been selected by enRoute magazine as one of the ten best new restaurants in Canada in 2023.

A farmer who teaches
Jean-Martin Fortier is a farmer, author, teacher and advocate of regenerative agriculture on a human and profitable scale. He devotes his life to sharing his vision and expertise to help multiply small ecological farms and promote a global transition to nature- and community-based food systems. His television credits include the series Les fermiers and C’est plus qu’un jardin on Unis TV.

Broadcast
From Thursday March 14, the documentary series The Farmer’s Table (La table du fermier) will be available in its entirety on TV5Unis (on the Web and via mobile and TV applications). The series will also be broadcast Thursdays at 7 p.m. starting April 4 on the Unis TV channel included in the basic TV package across Canada. Unis TV bridges the gap between Canada’s French-speaking communities, showcasing the richness and diversity of the Canadian Francophonie.

Original idea: Jean-Martin Fortier
Director: Christine Doyon
Post-production director: Sasha Campeau
Content Producer: Nadia Ruel
Line Producers: Isabelle Panet-Raymond, Vicky Talbot
Executive producers : Patricia Blais, Monique Lamoureux, Ian Quenneville