Grey Goose is launching a market and dinner series inspired by the French Riviera

Grey Goose is launching a market and dinner series inspired by the French Riviera

This summer, Grey Goose is making all your carefree, vodka-sipping French Riviera dreams come true by launching a duo of dynamite experiences for Torontonians. The first is an al fresco marketplace in downtown Toronto, and the second is a prix fixe dinner in collaboration with French Michelin-starred chef Christophe Dufau. “Grey Goose is all about bringing the best experiences with friends to life by creating unforgettable moments,” says Yann Marois, the brand’s Senior Vice-President. “We’re celebrating a summer well lived with the spirit of the French Riviera, showcasing extraordinary flavours paired with the drink of summer, the Grey Goose Le Grand Fizz.”

Called the Grey Goose Marché, the chic outdoor market will immediately transport shoppers to the turquoise Mediterranean coast—a place where the air is salty, the fashion is breezy and it’s totally appropriate to sip midday vodka sodas on stone terraces. The marketplace will be selling everything you’d find streetside on the Côte d’Azur, including perfectly ripe fruits and vegetables, fresh-baked baguettes, mouth-watering pastries and gorgeous floral bouquets that look like they were picked straight from the coastlines of Nice. Only the finest local pâtisseries, vendors and cafés will be featured, including Thobors Boulangerie, Delysées, Barocco Coffee Company, the Pop Stand, and more.

They’re sparing no expense on the setting, which will be delightfully airy and lush—with plenty of Instagrammable booths and installations. Best of all, there will be a Grey Goose Le Grand Fizz bar, where shoppers can fuel up on ultra-refreshing summer spritzes. The whole experience will be the perfect midday antidote to the daily grind.

The brand will also be hosting a special dinner with chef Dufau and Grey Goose ambassador Stephanie Lamb. Dufau is known mostly for his Provence restaurant Les Bacchanales located just outside of Nice. As the owner and executive chef, he uses only the most seasonally appropriate, hyper-local ingredients (he’s even been known to deep-sea dive to find the freshest sea cucumbers). The menu, which has earned him a Michelin star ranking for 10 years running, is inventive and changes every week. This dinner will mark the first time he’s made his way to Toronto, providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for local foodies to witness his culinary talents first hand.

“I am thrilled to bring the taste and spirit of the French Riviera to Canada for Grey Goose Marché,” says Dufau. “I love shopping the local markets of the Côte d’Azur, where I’m inspired by the colours and flavours of the season to create a new menu every week. The idea behind the Grey Goose Marché made this a natural fit, as the brand’s own field-to-bottle craftsmanship also resonates with my culinary style.” One of the reasons Grey Goose is known as the world’s best-tasting vodka is because of its fully traceable process using the finest French ingredients; it is distilled only once, for a rich and full-bodied taste.

The exclusive, one-night-only dinner will be held at the beautiful (and very fitting, name-wise) west-end restaurant Bacchanal. The French spot was one of Toronto Life’s top three best new restaurants of last year and has a reputation for seriously indulgent Parisian desserts. For $170 per person (plus tax and gratuities), Torontonians will dine on a three-course pairing menu, complete with a series of amuse-bouches, inspired by the flavours of the French Riviera. Dufau’s custom menu will feature local market-fresh ingredients, with each dish designed to pair perfectly with a signature Grey Goose cocktail. Reservations are required, and interested diners should call Bacchanal to book as space is limited. Trust us, you’ll have serious food envy when you see all the post-event coverage posted to social media.

Grey Goose Marché:
Thursday, June 21: 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday, June 22: 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
160 Queen St. W.
Must be 19 years or older to enter

Bacchanal Restaurant and Grey Goose Vodka Present a Michelin Star Experience:
$170. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 21. 60 Sudbury St., 416-586-1188, bacchanal.ca.