Saint-Jacques market is an historic building in Montreal. Shops are re-opening gradually. I should be pleased to document the progress, on this website. Currently in the process of doing so.
Marche Saint-Jacques is one of the oldest markets in Canada. Located in Montreal, the Art Deco public market was established in 1872. The market is famous for its fresh farm produce & fruits, traditional food and more importantly for its fresh vegetable stalls. Yet there are also shops and stores. The main purpose of the market is to provide healthy farm produce and foods to locals as well as visitors at affordable prices.
The market closed doors for several years due to internal management problems and other logistics not clearly known and was converted to a city office.
Some new shops have already been opened” /> which include:
- Premiere Moisson which is a bakery shop.
- Fromagerie Atwater a cheese shop
- La Mer fish shop
- Marché Jean-Talon which sells almost everything from Gourmet retailing to farm produce.
- There is also a fresh pasta shop, a greengrocer, an olive product store, a coffee shop and a tea shop.
This site was initially established late 2012 and operated through to early 2014. It was established in French with the main purpose of guiding locals who wanted to shop at various Gourmet shops and other farm produce traders in Marche Saint-Jacques after the market was reopened.
The site now has much better content and great posts about visit the public market. The site will also have content about travelling to Montreal and its environs.
When I was about 6 years old, I was definitely a chubby fellow. Now, at that young age, I didn’t even know there was slim and chubby. I was just a child eating as much junk and sweet foods as I could and my mom didn’t want to deny me anything. So I shoved the sugary chocolate cream doughnuts down every time I had a chance and don’t get me started on the hot dogs.
By the time I was 15 my classmate didn’t pass up the chance of educating on the difference between the three groups of slim, healthy and down right fat, and unfortunately I fell in the last group. So I started becoming self-conscious and my head almost permanently stuck to the downward position because that’s how I mostly walked at school and boy, weren’t there many school trips and camping and all that. I didn’t even make it to be a football player and I really wanted to save lives back then.
The more my head faced down the more doughnuts I ate and somehow this really made me feel better. I simply refused to give up my doughnuts and ice creams. What can I say; they really tasted good.
I made the decision to eat healthy
We moved to Quebec when I was 21 and my heart almost flew out of my chest when I saw this very cute girl on my way to the market. My grandmother has cancer and she sends me to the market every Friday at 4.00 pm for groceries, she has a special diet and only buys groceries from Marche Saint Jacques market. The cute girl was selling in one of the shops in there. She had deep blue eyes, dark hair with a few blonde highlights, unfortunately she didn’t even look at me. Well I was normally noticed because of how big I was but he didn’t even see that.
Oh I was going to make her look at me for sure, in fact she was never going to take her eyes off me and so the pizza had to go. My grandmother had tried for years to get me on a diet with most of the food she sent me for at the Marche Saint Jacques market and now I was ready to try her organic food to become healthy.
She had breast cancer and so she knew well which types of food had what effect to the body and now I made it my business to know that too. I embarked on a weight loss journey eating only healthy organic food from the Marche saint Jacques market like cheese, fresh untreated dairy products, healthy olive product, pasta, green fresh vegetables, among others.
Getting started on the healthy organic diet
I started learning how to make tasty yet healthy simple meals from organic food products that I had bought at this market. I use all kinds of products but I made sure they are fresh. For breakfast I made sure I had a fresh fruit before anything then a protein but it all had to be fresh and not canned food. That made a huge difference. My grandmother opted for this produce because it was fresh and rich in all the enrichments she needed for strength and good health so I just followed suit.
For a snack I wasn’t eating ice cream anymore, I ate fruits and healthy tasty organic salads instead made out of the fresh traditional vegetables there. I missed my strict diet with a little exercise and stuck to it until I started seeing desirable results. There are more than one ways in which organic food is better for your body. It’s more nutritious and healthier than processed food which is packed with unhealthy supplements. It also tastes better.
There are gourmet shops at that market also that have fresh gourmet products that are good for your health. These became a key part of my new healthy diet as well.
Got the desired results
Well, after a while I was a healthy size and I fit into tights without reaping them at the edges. I stuck to this diet even after I had lost about 80 pounds and was confident in my skin now, fitting in the trendy clothes and that too in small sizes from XL, walking with my head high and visiting new places. I went to the market after I had lost it and she pretended to pick the same fruit I was picking, at end of the apologies she asked for my name and number. Check mate!
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Living a Healthy Lifestyle
We all love shopping. Personally I shop for recreation. I’m not talking about online shopping but the ‘real shopping’. Every once in a week I usually go to a market place located near my place to shop for fresh organic groceries. This is a change in me which I adapted after a painful quest to lose weight.
Initially, I used to lie around and call for the pizza guy to deliver the fast food to me at home. I also loved other fats foods and before long, I had gained so much weight that I never realized that it was a health hazard. It all dawned to me that things are terribly bad after I Was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.
This is an almost fatal disease and according to the advice and recommendations of the health care provider whom I seeing, there was an urgent urge to review my diet as well as my lifestyle. All this came to me as a shock because I realized that I had to adapt to a new lifestyle that I wasn’t used to. But there were no alternatives.
That is how my craving for fresh organic fruits and vegetables started. I realized how much I must have been missing as I adapted the lifestyle. Because of the need of exercising, I would normally walk to the market place which is near my place and do the shopping and then walk back home.
However, during summer last year something peculiar happened. That day, I had gone to the market as usual. In the gated market place, there is a coffee parlor where I usually take my favorite cappuccino whenever I visit the place. Cappuccino was one drink that I couldn’t cut as part of the dieting. I stayed at the place sipping my drink while chatting with the attendant who I made friends with for about 30 minutes.
I then went on with my shopping. When I was sure that everything that I needed was packed, I decided to leave. The load was a bit heavy that day for a reason I didn’t immediately understand. I thought of taking a cab, but decided against the thought. I decided to walk as usual.
About a hundred yards from the market, I started feeling dizzy. I knew that I need an insulin injection but I had carried none. That was the last thing that I remember because I fell down unconscious with the groceries that I was carrying.
When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed and a nurse was smiling at me. She must been attending to me. She explained how I fell unconscious and some Good Samaritan who saw the incident immediately called the ER and there I was brought. I was lucky that I never got injured.
Anyway, I still love shopping so much that I still visit the market place even today.
Do You Love Cheese? Maybe You Should
Probably it’s the dairy in cheese which reminds us of motherly love and hence the popularity of cheese. Many people across the world love cheese. Did you know that even dogs love cheese? And I’m not kidding.
Recently I had a unique and memorable cheese experience in a small market in Marche Saint- Jacques in Quebec, Canada where I had gone for my summer vacation.
This summer while holidaying in Canada, I decided to bike to the newly re-opened public market of Marche Saint-Jacques. I was really craving for some cheese and I was told that the market has some awesome gourmet shops and a cheese stalls which had a lovely variety of cheeses was one of them. I decided to give the market a try although I postponed the visit for quiet a number of days because I was doubtful that a visit to the place would be worth it. However as my vacation days were ending, I thought to give it a try.
It was really critical to me because I completely crave for cheese and the thoughts of munching a Brie de Meaux, the creamy cheese with a tinge of sourness, and feeling it go down my throat as I have it with some sumptuous bagnettes or sweet pickles and a glass of my favorite Merlot made me increase the desire to visit the market in the morning prior to the end of my vacation.
However, I still harbored doubts that I would find no nice cheese because I was told that the market was recently re-opened and many shops and stalls were yet to be established. How wrong was this impression?
I made the hour biking to the market and to my surprise, I encountered a great cheese experience that I lamented having second doubts about the market and postponing my visit for several days. I was welcomed by the hospitable wonderful smell and brilliant front-door display of Fromagerie Atwater. If you don’t know, Atwater stalls are some of the best and most admired cheese stalls in Quebec and Canada as a whole.
They are considered the ‘home of cheese’ because of their wonderful variety of cheeses. Get it right, when it comes to cheese, Atwater will never fail you. With the hundreds of cheese varieties, both local and international, to choose from, the outlet boasts a one with memorable cheese experiences.
The recently re-opened Marche Saint-Jacques market, admittedly, is much modest the discouraging tales suggested while I made inquiries and the cheese shop gave me a great treat that I can’t forget. By the time that I arrived, the market was already bubbling with numerous activities and both vendors and shoppers could be seen busying themselves in their various activities.
Feeling a little belated, I quickly located Atwater, thanks to a nice Canadian brunette who helped me trace it among the several busy gourmet shops. Anyhow, I still could have located it due to its unique and colorful external display.
I must admit that I’ve been to other Fromagerie Atwater elsewhere, but there is something unique which made me love the place in this old Canadian market.
I really loved the store. They sell more than just cheese, but its the cheese that I went there for. And of course the fresh meats and wine they were selling needed to be scheduled in my agenda. They had a large variety of cheeses to choose from. As if I had chosen the best day or luck was on my side, I met that they were selling 3 cheeses for $14 that day. I quickly knew that I had one of the best opportunities to sample different cheeses that I had never tried before and that is exactly what I did.
The staff were lovely and friendly and after having some nice cheese time, I realised what I really missed during the entire vacation. I love you Atwater
Why Marche Saint-Jacques
Shopping for fresh farm produce in Marche Saint- Jacques which is home to various food and vegetable stalls is one awesome experience that you should be willing to give a try if you live in Quebec, Canada or you are visiting the region. You get the opportunity to shop healthy and quality groceries at affordable prices.
Also you get the chance sample various gourmet products from various world-class produces in the market. They include bakery products, cheese, espresso coffee, pasta etc. In the market you can as well buy some traditional foods, fruits or vegetable which may be difficult to find in other places.
During my recent visit to the area on a warm beautiful afternoon, there was one shop in the market which completely blew me off and made me yearn for more the market’s shopping experience. It was Marche-Jean Talon. This French shop seemed to stock almost anything that a shopper would be looking for.
From gardening products, to kitchenware and other beautiful and quality products. They even they had an outdoor coffee patio where I took a position which offered a complete view of the entire market as I sipped a cup of espresso coffee that I had ordered. The coffee itself was excellent and of high quality increasing my admiration for the retail stall.
The staff were so friendly and professional. They talked and served me nicely and in an hospitable manner. As I chatted with one lady steward called Jean, I came to realize that although the market was recently reopened after a long period of being in non-operational, it was still attracting a huge number of shoppers, both locally and from visitors who came touring Canada especially during spring and summer.
I did notice some closed stalls in the market and when I inquired about them, she was so eager and kind to tell me that almost all of them had been booked and were awaiting to be opened anytime. She was quick to point that hopefully the next time that I visit I would find the place completely unique because they were expecting that all the stalls will be in operation and selling various wares and farm produce.
Generally, the afternoon experience at the place was a good one and by the time I left the place I was jovial and happy. I extended my tip to Jean for her warm hospitality and kindness and she seemed so happy and appreciative in the manner in which she thanked me.
Probably the next time I make a visit to the market I will do so in the morning hours. I also hope that by then the market will be optimally occupied and at a better state to offer me a more enriched experience.
Shopping for organic fresh groceries in Marche Saint-Jacques in Canada
Marche Saint-Jacques in Canada is a perfect place to shop for organic fresh groceries. It is a public market with a variety of fresh organic groceries. It is the best stop to shop for everything on your grocery list. Fresh groceries have more nutrients, better taste, are safer for babies and children and further ensures that the environment is safe from inorganic waste.
Planning to visit Marche Saint-Jacques for shopping deserves adequate preparations because the experience is like no other and it will certainly be a memorable adventure. Transport is a key factor to consider. Depending on urgency and number of people to travel one should be keen on choosing the means of transport. If you are on vacation and plan spending a weekend in the region, then it is vital to plan for accommodation prior to your visit.
You need to understand that the place is not that big and and such crucial thing like a place to relax needs proper arrangement. Factor in the duration you plan to sight-see and adventure to as to make adequate preparation. You don’t want a poor shopping experience or a failed vacation because of failing to plan.
Some things which you also need to know while planning the visit include the fact that the newly re-opened market used to serve as a city office building for several years and is being returned to its immediate original vocation of being a public market thus there few retail shops and grocery stores opened. You therefore should not get overwhelmed about visiting the place only to be disappointed by finding that only few joints are opened.
The time for shopping is also limited as on weekends the market is operational from 9am to 6pm and during weekdays it is operational between 9am and 7pm limiting the shopping hours.
Nevertheless, there are several organic stores to shop for fresh groceries in Marche Saint-Jacques. There are also several gourmet retail shops which offer various quality product and will certainly increase the quality of your visit even if you are accompanied by friends or family.
French is the most widespread used language therefore basic knowledge of it is also an added advantage to your visit
In a nutshell, a shopping experience in Marche Saint-Jacques is the best as it offers a variety of fresh organic groceries both in retail and large scale.
