Umami Épicerie: a local, vegan twist on fresh ramen.

Between family life, travelling, and outdoor living, good friends Cédric Charron and Hugo Lacasse (pictured below from right to left) prepare flavourful Japanese-inspired dishes that reflect their plant-based diets and environmental values. After launching Umami Épicerie and Gyoza Bar in 2021 as an extension to Cédric’s booming restaurant, the duo swiftly made a name for themselves as pioneers of vegan ramen in Montreal. 

Chef by trade, Cédric spent a year working in Japan after graduating from ITHQ. It was his love for his host country’s cuisine that prompted him to open his restaurant Umami Ramen & Izakaya in Mile-Ex in 2019. With an empty dining room once the 2020 shutdown hit, Cédric kept making his fresh noodles and homemade broths, selling them in some of Montreal's zero-waste grocery stores.  

Seeing a massive success, Cédric partnered with his friend Hugo, a restaurant and retail manager, to establish Umami Épicerie in January 2021. In the fall of the next year, the duo invested in a space on the Plateau which today acts as an atelier and culinary lab where new creations can be tested by anyone coming in to grab a bite at the counter - kind of like a test kitchen!

With the help of plant-based ingredients, freshness is their hallmark. This is obvious with their weekly made-to-order operations where Umami opts to freeze their products to extend shelf life without any additives. They strive to diversify the flavours and textures in their lineup, particularly for those hesitant about vegan food, proving that meat isn’t a necessary ingredient to make something nutritious and delicious.

In fact, the name Umami means “the essence of deliciousness” and refers to the fifth basic taste (glutamic acid) known as an ideal balance of flavours in the mouth. It’s often described as meaty or savoury but plant-based staples like miso, kimchi, soy, and seaweed are widely used in Asian cuisine to create the umami taste. The restaurant draws on this concept of balanced flavours to create their dishes.

Umami’s noodles are made by hand with the help of local flour and traditional machinerie. They imported their main tool from Japanese company Yamato but use Quebec wheat grown without synthetic pesticides to support responsible local farmers. They've built strong bonds with many nearby foodmakers, choosing tempeh from Labelle, tofu from the North Shore, and a mix of Gaspesian and Japanese wakame. They also creatively reuse ingredients to avoid food waste, like repurposing mushroom remnants from gyoza to make broth.

Looking ahead, Umami has plans to keep evolving their offerings of sauces, noodles, and ready-to-eat dishes to meet the growing demand. Their vision includes establishing a significant presence in restaurants, grocery stores, and caterers - an exciting prospect for growth in their niche. Try their selection of gyoza, broths, and ramen noodles prepared exclusively for Lufavores, or visit their épicerie on Mont-Royal Avenue to sample what they’re cooking up next!