Jean-François Vachon

The Climb

Training at ITHQ gave Jean-François Vachon the technical base for a career built on precision, restraint, and a disciplined read on classic form. The work then moved into Montreal service, first as chef at Thursday's Montréal in Montreal (2014–2016), then in a longer stretch as chef at L'Express in Montreal (2016–2025). Over that span, his name became associated with exactness over flourish and continuity over novelty.

Today

The core of Vachon’s cooking at L'Express in Montreal was Classic French bistro fare, with beef tartare as the clearest marker of that chapter. A recipe shared from the kitchen ties Jean-François Vachon directly to the dish, making authorship visible without pulling it away from its tradition. The signature is not built on departure; it is built on making a familiar plate read cleanly. Other enduring dishes linked to that work include poached marrow bones and steak tartare (bien relevé). Onglet frites is also named among the standards he preserved, which points to a cook working inside a stable vocabulary and keeping the small disciplines of the bistro intact. These are plates that depend on balance, texture, and recognition more than reinvention. That is the practical shape of Vachon’s profile: the food is specific, not decorative. It reflects a kitchen where lineage matters and where the task is to keep a classic style clear, consistent, and legible on the plate. At L'Express in Montreal, Jean-François Vachon worked less in spectacle than in maintenance, holding the codes of French bistro cooking in place.

Career - chef, Thursday's Montréal, Montreal (2014–2016) - chef, L'Express, Montreal (2016–2025) Education: ITHQ

Signature

Jean-François's signature dishes include beef tartare, poached marrow bones, steak tartare, onglet frites, and rognons.

Recognition

Recognition around Vachon is dish-level and exact. The clearest markers are the named preparations tied to his 2016 to 2025 chef tenure: tartare, marrow bones, steak tartare, and onglet frites. The reputation is not built on one break from the form, but on repetition, craft, and the steady handling of recognizable plates. Seen as a lineage, the progression is straightforward: ITHQ provides the training; Thursday's Montréal in Montreal (2014–2016) marks an early professional chapter; and L'Express in Montreal (2016–2025) carries the French bistro vocabulary forward through dishes that stayed clear under Jean-François Vachon’s hand.

FAQ Where did Jean-François Vachon train or study? Jean-François Vachon trained at ITHQ. What is Jean-François Vachon known for? Classic French bistro dishes.