Julie wasn't always a barbecue enthusiast. "When I was young, someone served me an overcooked skewer and I didn't really like it. Basically, I'm a cooking enthusiast."

His love for barbecue was declared in a rather unexpected way. It was during an evening with Ariane (the general manager of BBQ Québec) that everything changed.

“3 years ago I went to BBQ Fest with Ariane and Max and I saw the guys (Max and JP) doing BBQ and I thought it was cool. Then I tasted a steak cooked directly on the embers for the first time in my life. I said to myself: "I can die, I've lived what I had to live". I left there with lots of BBQ accessories including a salt board.”

The next morning, she was making breakfast on her barbecue, and since then, cooking on the BBQ has been an integral part of her life. At a party for Max at the Quebec store, she offered to help JP.

“I loved the place and I felt like we got along well with JP, so I told him that if he ever needed an assistant for classes, I was interested.”

A few months later, she received a call from JP who offered her a position as an assistant when he gave BBQ classes. An offer she accepted with pleasure. Over the months, she learned to perfect her techniques and her knowledge of BBQ with JP's valuable advice. Since March 2017, Julie has now been giving BBQ classes at the Quebec branch.

• Your BBQ? I currently have 3 barbecues: a green Weber Mastertouch with a black All-in-one, a Napoleon Pro 500 and, my favorite, a Kamado Blaze. I like it for the uniformity of its cooking, the stability of the heat and also the fact that it is indestructible! I am now considering buying a pellet BBQ.
• Favorite place to BBQ? At home, in my yard. When it’s cold, in the BBQ Québec classroom in Ste-Foy!
• Who do you BBQ for? For the people I love. It's my way of showing others that I love them. At Christmas, my whole family brings things to barbecue, it's really fun.
• How often do you BBQ? Every day.
• Your favorite spices? Argentina from BBQ Québec. Very good with feta cheese, brie, corn or popcorn.
• Do you eat spicy? Yes a little 3/5. Even my kids eat a little spicy. They like Ketchot sauce with their eggs.
• Meat or fish? Meat! There's nothing better than a good, thick sirloin steak.
• Your BBQ specialty? Desserts! I make a great peach and whiskey pie, or I make salt-board chocolate chip cookies, brownies, or crème brûlée.
• What does a Friday night look like for you? Since I have two kids, Friday night is junk food day. So we eat burgers or pizza on the barbecue.
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Traveling the world discovering all the BBQs!
• Your best BBQ memory? Whether it was when I did the BBQ for the mayor of Quebec City (Régis Labeaume), a BBQ class outside in the moonlight for VIP clients of Matériaux Lavoie, or more recently in San Francisco for the filming of a BBQ capsule, I feel extremely privileged to live all these great experiences as part of my work.