A nine-course tasting menu during Montréal en Lumière brought together Alma Montréal and Denver chef Johnny Curiel, examining heirloom corn, regional Mexican cooking and natural Spanish wines.
At the far end of Avenue Lajoie, inside Bar Luz, the kitchen of Alma Montréal hosted a collaborative dinner during Montréal en Lumière centered on heirloom corn and regional Mexican cooking traditions. The evening brought together Alma Montréal and guest chef Johnny Curiel, the Guadalajara-born chef behind Alma Fonda Fina, whose restaurant recently earned a Michelin star and recognition on the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list. For a night in Montreal, the collaboration explored how Mexican culinary traditions intersect with Quebec ingredients within a contemporary tasting menu.
Inside Bar Luz, the layout of the dining room emphasized the ingredients central to the menu. Dried corn cobs, bundles of herbs and strings of chiles hung above the open kitchen, marking the boundary between the bar and cooking space. From counter seats, diners could observe the final plating of each dish. Portraits of Alma Montréal’s chef Juan Lopez Luna’s abuela framed the walls, reflecting the staff’s explanation that the menu draws inspiration from the women in his life.
The meal began with a margarita before moving into a nine-course tasting menu built around heirloom corn and regional Mexican techniques. The opening dish, totopos with guacamole and chapulines, introduced corn sourced from Tlaxcala and processed through nixtamalization, the traditional method of cooking corn with limestone before grinding into fresh masa. The dish incorporated toasted chapulines (crickets) and scorched kernels of corn, ingredients that remain present in everyday cooking across several regions of Mexico.
Seafood courses formed another thread of the menu. An aguachile verde combined shrimp with habanero tatemado and ice raspadas, while scallops were served in their shells with tomato butter and serrano chile. Together these plates referenced culinary traditions established in coastal regions.
Pétoncle dans sa croquille, beurre au tomate, serrano.
Other courses focused on masa-based preparations. Chochoyotes — small dumplings made from masa and commonly associated with Oaxacan cuisine — were paired with smoked mackerel and chiletole verde, a broth thickened with corn. Roasted sweet potato appeared with fresh requesón, fennel, and salsa macha. These selections, among the highlights of the nine-course progression, reinforced emphasis on corn-based cooking and regional techniques.
Aguachile verde, crevette, habanero tatemado, raspadas.
Wine pairings accompanied each course and formed a parallel narrative throughout the meal. Alma Montréal’s cellar centers on natural wines from Catalonia and Spain, many sourced through the restaurant’s co-owner and sommelier Lindsay Brennan’s importing agency. The restaurant has worked with several of these producers for more than seven years, maintaining relationships with winemakers who cultivate small vineyards and continue family agricultural traditions. These low-production wines reflect both the terroir of their vineyards and the practices of the individuals farming them.
Seven wines were served during the tasting, illustrating the diversity of Alma’s cellar. Among the selections were a sparkling rosé, an orange wine macerated on its skins, a crisp white wine with pronounced acidity, and a wine aged in Spanish sherry barrels. The pairings were designed to accompany each course as mentioned on their website, introducing diners to wines rarely available outside specialized import programs.
A later course, the tetela de frijol, a triangular masa pocket filled with beans and served with mole poblano, highlighted a preparation found across central Mexico. The final savoury dish incorporated local ingredients, presenting Quebec wild boar prepared arriero style and served with freshly pressed tortillas. The plate illustrated Alma’s broader philosophy of fostering conversation between landscapes, coupling culinary traditions without compromising the identity of either cuisine.
Mextlapique, bar rayé, mousse de chipotle.
Dessert concluded the meal with arroz con leche, a traditional rice pudding served in many Mexican households and restaurants. The dish provided a familiar conclusion to the progression of courses.
In a city celebrated for its culinary diversity, Alma offers a rare perspective as a restaurant that views ingredients as carriers of history, and fostering an evening that shares how culinary customs travel and evolve. Their collaboration with Johnny Curiel during Montréal en Lumière extended this mission, transforming one night’s dinner into a dialogue across regions, generations, and the people who sustain them internationally.
If you happen to find yourself out and about on a night in Montréal, check out our blog post on the ultimate late night dive and snack spots to satisfy your cravings!
