MONTREAL — Award-winning Quebec chef Marcel Kretz died on January 31, at the age of 91, at the Sainte-Agathe Hospital Centre, surrounded by his loved ones.
Born in Alsace, France, chef Kretz arrived in Quebec in 1953 after obtaining his cooking diploma from the École hôtelière de Strasbourg. For nearly 30 years, he made the reputation of the La Sapinière table, which was the first Relais et Châteaux in Canada. Kretz was the first Canadian chef to become a member of the Order of Canada in 1998 and he also received the Ordre du Québec in 2018.
Over the course of his career, Kretz participated in a number of culinary competitions and has won several medals. Moreover, the trophy awarded to the best apprentice cook of the year by the Society of Chefs, Cooks and Pastry Chefs of Quebec (SCCPQ) bears his name.
Although he retired in 1990, he continued to teach at the École hôtelière des Laurentides, sitting on various committees and culinary competition juries and acting in as a mentor to a whole generation of young cooks.
Kretz is survived by his wife Nicole Rochon, his three children, including Simon Kretz, publishing director at La Presse, as well as five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
