My dearest, my most cherished readers, The time has come for me to put down my…

When I was a child, the holidays were nothing special in my family. School was out,…

Every time I get close to a body of water, no matter how big or small,…

Could my heart be hardening or are my tear ducts drying up? I don’t remember the…

I often ask myself where I found the strength, courage and, above all, the expertise to…

I write my letters like I used to pick berries in the summer. I delighted in…

Opened on May 27, 1987, the day I turned 40, Cora restaurants celebrated their 38th anniversary this year.…

Early in the story of Cora restaurants, around the time when we had opened our sixth…

A gratitude list is an expression of thanks for the people and things that make you…

The other night, this aging body dreamt of death. It was wrapping itself in the bedsheets,…

MOMThis hard-working woman from Gaspésie who gave birth to me. She died fairly young in a…

This is a story I learned through the crooked branches of our genealogical tree. Ancestors Charles-Louis…

In the Laurentians where I’ve lived for over 32 years, the intense summer heat followed by…

I’m crazy about magazines and, recently, I discovered another one. It turns out the magazine “Bel…

I have very few regrets. Just one in all honesty, but it’s bigger than the world’s…

Just like at the movies, I open the curtains wide. I no longer try to forget…

Writing on a blank page is like watching the tiny feet of flies dancing on the…

Nature amazes me, with the brightness of the sun, the sweet feeling of a warm breeze,…

Time flies while you count the mornings you have left on your fingers. I have beetles…

Dear readers, this week’s letter wasn’t written by your favourite author. Instead, we handed the honour…

I’ve already confessed in a few of my letters that I’m constantly purchasing books. New or…

The first Cora restaurant opened its doors on May 27, 1987, exactly on the day I turned 40.…

There are some stories I just never tire of telling. I always feel tremendous happiness remembering…

This July is turning out to be so beautiful that it makes me forget all the…

Have you ever noticed the plate of complimentary fudge next to the cash register at Cora…

Late one night, I was raising my arms, touching my legs, turning my head to one…

In my big home, transformed into a library, there’s only a small corner left with room…

What should I make of this strange theme occupying my mind today? I fold and unfold…

For Father’s Day, I’m sharing this story with you: the time I resuscitated my Father’s memory…

One morning, at the grocery store, miserable like a pumpkin who thinks it’s a vegetable, I…

Do you remember my friend the journalist who’s interviewed me on a few occasions with her…

The older I get, the more I’m tempted to jump the fence of common sense. I…

During the last five years, I’ve recounted my life story. I’ve shared my best recipes and…

Before I fly away, will I manage to remove my heart from its case of sorrow?…

This morning, I’m revisiting another childhood memory just for you. My father had taken advantage of…

For this letter, I’m going to snuggle up with the past and cherish the memory of…

My firstborn’s fingers are stained in bright colours. He struggles, painting all day long, to find…

I’ve already shared with you that I dreamt of becoming a writer when I was young.…

The body in which I inhabit is starting to frighten me. Has it reached the maximum…

Might I find a gallant man here on earth, amiable and kind, like Grandpa Frédéric? Dear…

Dear readers, I’m improving my writing skills as you continue to read my letters. The whiteness…

I quickly forgot the matchmaker’s good advice. Would I be recognized at every street corner? It…

The attentive matchmaker insisted that all her candidates were highly desirable. She had found me four…

What are single men and women looking for? A presence, a partner, maybe true love? One…

I finally decided to take action in September 2021. I called the dating agency and made…

I’m writing this morning to alleviate the wild churning of ideas pounding my head. I search…

Do you remember the sweet journalist who’s interviewed me on several occasions? She’s back with even…

The number 7 has always held a special fascination for people, transcending cultures and eras. Did…

The other morning at the coffee shop, my friends were salivating just thinking about the pâté…

The other night, I was perusing the pages of the November LIRE (“to read” in French)…

After reading my November 24 letter, Carmen Jobin, a loyal reader, reminded me that maybe it was…

Caramel, caramel, you spin me like a carousel! I certainly don’t have a sweet tooth, but…

As you already know, we opened our very first Cora restaurant in May 1987 and it…

Thirty-seven years have passed, and yet, I still remember as if it were yesterday the excited…

I’ve already told you the story of a delicious recipe a sweet customer had given me…

I believe that creating is more than a gift from heaven. After publishing some 250 letters,…

This morning brings a furious sky like a stormy sea or battlefield, ink blue, black lines,…

Dear Mireille Mathez,Thank you for reading my letter every Sunday! At the end of the summer,…

The calm sea was at odds with the thousand giant fish swirling in my head. What…

I was 20 and 153 days old the day I met the man who’d become my husband.…

I’d been languishing away for nearly eight months at my mother-in-law’s house, with no running water…

We’d been in Greece for more than seven months. Husband still hadn’t found a job. He’d…

I didn’t know what to do! I still hadn’t heard from Husband, who was supposed to…

Thirteen days without news about Husband, who was likely still in Cologne searching for a job.…

My friend Thanassis insisted so much that Husband finally accepted to take a short trip to…

On our way back from the hospital, neither Thanassis, my husband or I said a single…

In 1972’s Greece, when a woman gave birth, she was required to stay at home for…

The old driver of the bus that was taking us to Thessaloniki had just hit a…

Dear readers,I’ve finally decided to pour my heart out. Over the next 10 weeks, starting September 8,…

During the 13 years of marriage to the man who desiccated my life, I was forbidden…

For over two long weeks, not one brilliant idea, not one speck of inspiration, not a…

In my last letter, I announced that I had finally booked a cruise to Alaska –…

You may remember that I published my bucket list in June 2020. Well, I’m excited to…

The more I write, the more I can do it anywhere: in a coffee shop, a…

Dear readers, do you remember the journalist who has interviewed me on a few occasions? Well,…

For the first time in my life, I’m interested in astrology. I was born on May…

The other day, I was invited to give a lecture about my book in a long-term…

I don’t have illusions anymore. I’m too old to be a young prodigy, but my stubborn…

A few months ago, my good friend Éric and I went on a road trip to…

In Gaspésie, hay was baled at the end of June or early July. The year I…

Here we go! I’ve finally decided to write fiction. I’ve been toying with the idea for…

I love to write, and this morning, I want to offer you a list of specially…

What do I have left to do before I die? It can happen at any time,…

I didn’t have friends during my years as a businesswoman. I was surrounded by caring colleagues,…

The snow has melted, the cold weather has turned mild and the grass is getting greener…

I was 5 and I already knew you were terribly sad, Mom. A martyr with eczema-ridden…

WARNING: This letter contains graphic details related to death that may offend some readers. Reader discretion…

I read somewhere that “the way we tell a story has a great influence on our…

Since all of us in the family are restaurateurs and excellent cooks, our Easter brunch was,…

A gratitude list is an expression of thanks for the people and things that make you…

Have you ever noticed how the never-ending cycle of daily life keeps us from thinking about…

Dear readers, it’s the end of March and my journalist friend reached out to me, suggesting…

This is a story I learned through the crooked branches of our genealogical tree. Ancestors Charles-Louis…

Just the other night, I was twenty,a young girl clinging to my side.We were walking at…

I dillydally, I have fun, I ramble on. I often feel like I’m writing as if…

After my letter appeared recounting my shopping spree at the town’s grocery store (published on February…

I need you, dear readers! This is the 211th letter that’s being published and I wonder…

I’ve spent the day penning a love poem. I’m hungry, but nothing tempts me. Not even…

Rain or shine,at the coffee shop where I write,handsome men go to and froin search of…

I’m the type of writer who finishes a letter on Tuesday and wants to start a…

I’ve long known that January is the time when we reflect upon the resolutions that will…

A few days after my book signing event at the Salon du livre de Montreal (Montreal…

This story dates back to the fall of 1987, a few months after we opened our…

It’s misery to think that there’s always something we’re missing; that we’re incomplete, unfinished and in…

Come what may, the pages of the calendar continue to turn over, and I’m still here.…

This Christmas, I want to express my immeasurable gratitude to all my readers. Did you know…

“As we get older,” said Victor Hugo, “let’s try to win at what we might call the beauty…

This morning another memory tugs at my mind – a wonderful story begging for the spotlight.…

I’ve been fascinated by the evolution of the world for the longest time; it has been…

A few memories have been resurfacing and disturbing my mind these days. Perhaps it’s because of…

I’m in love with a cat and I’d be willing to do anything to have him!…

Self-made leaders are driven by one of the best reasons in the world: to create something…

The other night, this aging body dreamt of death. It was wrapping itself in the bedsheets,…

When I was a child in Caplan, we’d swim in the Baie des Chaleurs. I was…

In the Laurentians where I’ve lived for over 30 years, a sudden cold has reddened the…

The other day, I experienced something that was incredible. I wondered if I was in the…

7:30 a.m. at the coffee shop Believe it or not, the rain is pouring so hard…

I was having a hard time falling asleep last night, so I tried to imagine what…

Do you remember, dear readers, a lady named Isabel who has interviewed me a few times…

I have a terrible story on my mind and I would like to get it out…

Saying YES to life is to agree to what happens, to whatever comes our way. I…

Nature amazes me, with the brightness of the sun, the sweet feeling of a warm breeze,…

Dear readers,I am surprised and amazed as I realize this morning that I’m writing my 200th…

Finally! I’ll swear it on the holy book: I’m thrilled to be alive! On May 27,…

I am ecstatic, stunned, amazed and so very happy! The letter entitled “Writing in a coffee…

The other day at Indigo, I was looking for the latest book by my favourite author,…

8:05 a.m. at the coffee shopCould my heart be hardening? I don’t remember the last time…

7:36 a.m. at the coffee shopI love using the word YES. Three small letters heavy with…

Why did I wait so long to write? I suppose I needed to be shaken, like…

Surely you remember Isabel P., whom I’ve mentioned to you before. It’s the third time we’ve…

I was at my favourite bookstore the other day when a woman struck up a conversation…

Dear André G., I haven’t forgotten about you. You’re on my mind every morning since I…

Time flies while we count on our fingers the mornings we have left. I have beetles…

I finally did it! I finally went to Place des Arts in Montreal. Seeing an opera…

I have been wanting to write this letter to myself for a long time and I’ve…

Surely you remember Isabel P., the young lady who interviewed me a few weeks ago as…

Early this morning, Morpheus was tugging on my bedspread to wake me out of my slumber.…

I would like to jump into the void with you, hand in hand. I am deeply…

7:32 a.m. at the coffee shopAs you know, I almost always write my Sunday letters at…

Dear Jocelyne B. from Shawinigan, I’ve just read your comment from March 12 in which you…

Dear Isabel P., what a nice surprise! Your interest in me is refreshing and I am…

7:34 at the coffee shopLast night, I dreamt of a tattoo. How strange it was! It…

7:30 a.m. at the coffee shopHow can I fill this strange and silent morning with words?…

10:35 a.m. at the head office on Wednesday morningArgh! This morning, I am irritated. I have…

7:35 a.m. at the coffee shopI write just like I knit, with different coloured wools. I’m…

8:10 a.m. at the coffee shopThere is no other way to put it — I’m in…

7:40 a.m. at the coffee shopI sit at my usual table and beg Lady Inspiration to…

7:32 a.m. at the coffee shopThis morning, the snowy landscape looks like it has been punched…

7:30 a.m. on my way to the coffee shopThis morning, as I left the house, I…

5:49 a.m. at the ALT Hotel, TorontoFinally! I am able to return and fulfill my duties…

7:35 a.m. at the coffee shopThe snow painted our picturesque Laurentian town all white overnight. When…

This morning, I wait for the words to come to me. I wait patiently while they…

4:14 p.m., Estérel ResortBelieve it or not, we are celebrating 35 years in business this year.…

7:38 a.m. at the coffee shopBlessed is the fall because it means citrus jam season is…

The other night, I was sitting in front of the television, half following the action on…

7 :34 a.m. at the town’s coffee shopThere is no better story to tell you about…

Early last Friday, I left my beautiful surroundings in the Laurentians and headed south towards the…

7:40 a.m.What is going on this morning? The cold is tickling my nose! I go to…

Back from my Gaspesian tour and already settled into a daily routine, what else is there…

I finally arrive in Rimouski at 5:20 p.m. I’m starving! I follow the river and, when…

10:47 a.m. I am eating cherries as I drive. The pits fly out the big open…

Have you ever noticed that the return trip always passes faster than the trip there? We…

Who would have guessed it? I’m sitting with a large black tea at the McDonald’s in…

Perhaps I have forgotten? Did I tell you about Amqui, the heart of the Matapedia Valley?…

The morning air tingles my nose. As soon as I wake up, I imagine thousands of…

I am not exaggerating when I say my Gaspésie journey is exceptional. Goodbye Paris, London and…

Vacation time is slow time. So I calm down, tidy up my desk, stack three notebooks,…

Yet another tale from our first tiny restaurant, located in front of a huge building that…

I don’t know about you, but I love the lists of unusual questions you often find…

These days, when I apply lipstick in front of the mirror, I occasionally notice little devil…

I have finally had time to think, cooped up in my big house with six sofas.…

What is this strange feeling that has come over me this morning? I’m afraid a wolf…

Dear Mme CoraCompany’s Head OfficeCity of Ste-ThérèseQuebec   Today I am finally taking the liberty of…

Cora Breakfast and Lunch turns 35 on May 27. And yes, dear customers, we’re still here. All…

– We write to discover who we are. – We write to sow hope in our…

I was very unsure whether to publish the story A BIG RED COUCH POTATO. Although it…

When I first discovered the alphabet in first grade, I started writing and have never really…

This holiday season, let’s celebrate the simple fact of being alive despite the many difficulties we’ve…

One day, a well-intentioned journalist arrived at our offices and asked me how I managed to…

Another memory has prodded me to leave my warm bed on this chilly December morning.  Nicole, Marie,…

Bravo, Gigi! This morning another memory tugged at my mind – a wonderful story also begging…

I’ve have so much free time these days that I am beginning to feel nostalgic for…

What is optimism? Am I an optimist? Is it believing that everything is going to be…

Great news! Cora restaurants across Canada are hosting a fundraising event in support of Breakfast Club…

“It’s not that I’m smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” ALBERT EINSTEIN I…

With the arrival of franchising (in 1994) and all the organizational requirements that came with it,…

Dear lady, it is I who will sit at your desk this morning to write today’s…

The sun has not yet risen and I am like a sleepwalker, half-awake. I hear sharp…

Leaders are motivated by one of the best reasons in the world: to create something that…

“Try to learn English and shorthand typing,” my father told me in 1959, when I insisted…

An ode to girls and women of all ages When I opened my eyes this morning,…

Here I am, well into my golden years, once again ruminating about this or that. And…

This June is so beautiful that it makes me forget all the current miseries on Earth.…

I’ve picked up my pen hundreds of times to recreate a better life for myself on…

As kids in the Gaspésie in 1953, we ate every day thanks to the sea, which…

I am garrulous by nature, so journalists love to interview me. It was true in the…

Do you recall? Last October 8, I told you the story about the handsome Irishman who always…

This morning, dear reader, I feel like remembering the good ol’ days. A time when we…

I was sitting down in a vast dessert amusing myself like a child as I let…

Living on my small plot of countryside, I’m afraid I’ve become a wild weed kept alive…

I would love to have the ability to be omnipresent. A grand word that means “existing…

We opened our first small Cora restaurant on May 27, 1987, the very day of my…

Most of us are currently in the grip of the hardest phase of confinement since it…

(written on Christmas morning) Is Christmas morning ever tough! I’m feeling sad and lonely as I…

I woke up this morning with the distinct impression that I was holding a huge bouquet…

Thirty-three years have passed and yet I still remember as if it were yesterday the excited…

A friend walking in my shadow, you say? Well, no. Curiosity, always 10 steps ahead of…

After 24 months of handling the daily operations of our first small restaurant, I had the…

Have I already told you about the crushing summer heat in our very first small resto…

Like so many others, I experienced my share of hardship. That is, until I embraced my…

When I think about it, I realize just how far we have come in all areas…

When I opened my first modest breakfast restaurant, I was focused solely on delighting our customers…

Yet another tale from our first tiny restaurant, located in front of a huge building that…

At the end of 1990, our three restaurants had begun to generate a buzz, thanks to…

And everyone wants to know what you’re made of. So, for Mesdames Johanne Sansfacon, Chantal Payant,…

The original idea for the Buckwheat blessing came from our American cousins. One day, long before…

This letter is specially written for Mademoiselle Mel Carps, a loyal reader who wishes to know…

The story of the Fruit magic stretches all the way back to December 1990. We had…

I love writing when there is a story to tell. Rummaging in my head, digging up…

Has the dawn ever forgotten to bring us light each morning? Has the night ever failed…

A loyal reader would like to know the story behind our SAMIRA WAKE-UP. It goes like…

I add a little celery! We had opened our very first Cora in May ’87 and…

Autumn had just arrived, encumbering customers with heavier clothing, who now entered the diner looking for…

I consider myself to be a mature, reasonable, prudent and patient woman. And yet, ever since…

My bedroom curtains suddenly start to flutter. The dawn’s rays, gently alighting on my cheek, announce…

Their return is a reminder that nature is constantly at work. The trees have again donned…

My last perm was 6 months ago and my curls are now limply dangling at the…

Unstoppable Mother Nature is hard at work decorating the world in springtime beauty throughout our hemisphere.…

I still rave about this incredibly flavourful sandwich that’s so easy to make with regular ingredients…

Wow, am I ever blessed to have such clever colleagues. Yesterday morning, a colleague informed me…

It was so beautiful out! I didn’t cook today. It was simply too beautiful outside, almost…

Wanting it all, all the time. Am I the only one who misses dressing up in…

Talk about a life change. It’s 11:20 on a sunny, beautiful Monday morning and I’ve just…

I will humbly admit it: my eyes are bigger than my stomach! It’s a little weakness…

Thank goodness I watched Avatar again last evening. And yes, happily the good side won. Because…

I am often asked what my favourite breakfast is. Each time I reply without a second…

Twenty days have already passed since I isolated myself in my Laurentian home, where I have…

Oh boy! Most of us are entering our third week of self-isolation, limiting our contact with…