Cassandra Lavoine, passionate about cooking since early childhood and author of six recipe books, a project whose success she could never have imagined, has attended several cooking courses and is now a recognized chef thanks to strong social networks.
In recent years, the 35-year-old businesswoman has multiplied her projects, launching, among other things, her beauty product lines, six recipe books – all crowned bestsellers in one day – and her Maison Ladore wine selection, not forgetting a range of jewelry, loungewear, Perfumes and more recently the famous Red Velvet Log, reproduced by Martin Dessert and sold in all IGAs in the province.
Breathless? No way. Looking back, the woman who grew up in L'Ancienne-Lorette, raised by an English-speaking mother and a French-speaking father, pinches herself and cannot realize how far she has come.
And it won't stop for a long time, because more recipe books in particular are about to be published.
The mother has more than 163,000 subscribers on Instagram, the social network that brought her to the pinnacle of culinary popularity, and admits that she has always dreamed of becoming a chef. “When I said that, people didn’t take me seriously,” she admits.
She also welcomes us with simplicity in her immaculate white marble kitchen, where she records most of her content for the social network.
She smiles and talks about her first online success that made her famous, her recipe for pappardelle with duck confit, which has now become a typical dish.
The 35-year-old businesswoman and chef Cassandra Lavoine is now followed by more than 163,000 subscribers on the social network Instagram. Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
She makes a living from cooking shows
Since she was a child, Cassandra has only listened to cooking shows on television. She raves about American chef Guy Fieri, who she admits could upset her if she met him in person. She also likes to be inspired by the British Gordon Ramsay and the American chef Cat Cora.
“It was a big dream for me to write a recipe book. But so big that I never thought I would make it,” says the charismatic entrepreneur who definitely has the wind in her sails.
Today, online cooking has become a marriage of the two things she loves most in the world: talking to people and sharing her culinary creativity. And finally she manages to make a living from it.
His secret? Well surrounded and above all supported by her husband, also entrepreneur, Maxime Bourdeau, former co-owner and co-founder of the WLKN boutiques. He behaves “a bit like his René Angélil,” she agrees with a laugh.
Beauty and cooking
Determined, even if school wasn't her strong point, she first studied cooking, sommelier and service at the Fierbourg vocational training center in Quebec. She then went to Montreal to learn restaurant management at the Institut de Tourisme et d'hôtellerie du Québec.
She then learned to cook and serve at the Louis-Hébert restaurant on the Grande-Allée for almost ten years.
However, finding it difficult to make ends meet, she pursued another of her passions: beauty, offering hair extensions to her friends. A service that quickly became a snowball effect, she says. So much so that in 2017 she opened her own salon, Les Précieuses, specializing in this theme, in Sainte-Foy, on the outskirts of Cap-Rouge.
Then the stars aligned and allowed him to achieve all his dreams. “It seems like I welcome all the other projects like a little icing on the cake,” she says.
However, she is considering the idea of creating a kitchen area in her living room where she will sell her own kitchen appliances, perhaps sometime in 2024…
Much
Entrepreneurship is…?
To thrive in something you truly believe in. It's also about being able to realize and select our projects 100%.
Who inspires you?
I have had wonderful role models throughout my life, including my very hard-working father. I've seen how incredibly committed it takes to run your own business.
And my mother, for her maternal side, sweet and warm. She taught me how to cook, so I owe her everything!
You become a politician, what do you change first?
I would try to change things in schools. I think there is a lack of cooking or nutrition courses in our schools. Learning to eat a balanced diet is the foundation of our health.