Pearson Street smashburgers
You might say that a recent Saturday collaboration between chefs Chris Pearson and Nouk Couturier-Bernard was nothing short of a smashing success – and more.
Pearson, along with business partners son Cory and wife Kris, owner-operators of Pearson Street Smash Burgers ‘N’ Melts, teamed up with Rockland-born Couturier-Bernard on their Embrun food truck to serve a varied special menu to area food-lovers.
The two businesses each brought unique and distinct flavours to the one-day pop-up and, along with a couple of cooks assisting in the small galley-style kitchen, hammered out dozens of smash burgers, lobster rolls, steak frites and a duck-and-soba-noodle dish for more than 250 people.
Based in Embrun, Pearson Street hit the road running in 2021 as a stationary, permanent food truck and catering company which grew out of Chris Pearson’s long experience in the food-and-beverage industry.
Having cut his culinary teeth in professional restaurant kitchens as a young teen, he gained corporate cooking experience with the Calgary-based Moxie’s group and helped grow the brand in Ontario as a regional chef for about two decades.
“I’ve been a chef my whole life,” said Pearson who went to school for hotel and restaurant management in Manitoba.
The Pearsons’ operation is 20 feet of trailer built out with culinary equipment designed to execute their business model.
For his part in the Saturday collaboration, the self-taught Couturier-Bernard, 25, is an Ottawa cook who last year did a stagiaire at Marc Lepine’s Atelier, a top Canadian modernist restaurant in the Glebe Annex.
He said the Saturday collaboration was inspired by his friendship with Cory, who also works at Ottawa’s Restaurant 18 – and driven by a shared desire to promote area farms and turn a spotlight on the local food scene.
Couturier-Bernard’s menu was lobster-langoustine rolls, Gillette Farm steak frites with aioli, Asian-style Mariposa Farm duck with mango-pepper salad and soba noodles, a cheese box with three area cheeses and “Grandma’s pie” for dessert.
“I think the event went well, and I was very happy,” said Couturier-Bernard who is currently in the planning stages with a business partner for his own restaurant, La Micheline, a French-style wine bar in Rockland. “Cory and I thought the lobster roll would sell the best. And we sold out and could have sold more.”
Couturier-Bernard said he’s done several collaborations with Ottawa restaurants, but this was his first with a food truck.
His new venture will draw on the heritage and recipes of his Acadian grandmother’s kitchen and those of his Franco-Ontarian roots.
For their regular service since 2021, Pearson Street has been something of a landmark in Yahoo Park where their customers have access to picnic tables and covered seating for about 40; there’s a ball diamond nearby, a splash pad and playground, hockey rink and a bowling alley adjacent.
There perhaps couldn’t be a better venue for smashing burgers, a favourite food of Chris Pearson.
“For some reason, I just love burgers and the smash burger got my attention,” he said. “But we elevate that and add some more quality. The patties aren’t pre-formed and frozen. We’re fresh to order, and we felt that was something we could add to the food scene here in Embrun.”
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[Banner photo/Kris Pearson]
