LESLEY CHESTERMAN has been the fine-dining critic of The Montreal Gazette since 1999. She also contributes Critic's Notebook, focusing on food and wine trends, and restaurant etiquette, as well as a question and answer column, Eater's Digest, to the Gazette's Food Section.
Prior to her career in food writing, she attended the Institut de Tourisme et d’Hotellerie du Quebec before working as a professional pastry chef in Quebec and in France, where she worked for renowned pastry chef, Yves Thuriès. She also taught at both the Pius X Culinary Institute and L’Académie Culinaire de Montreal.
Lesley has written three books, Boulangerie et Patisserie: Techniques de Base (2001), and Flavourville: Lesley Chesterman’s Guide to Dining out in Montreal (2002 and 2003). Her work has also appeared in Gourmet Magazine, Saveur, Nuvo, The Globe and Mail, Wine Tidings, Femme Plus, and The National Post.
