What happens when a snowboarder with an entrepreneurial streak rents a cottage from a caterer looking to expand? In the case of Tania Decristofaro, the answer is Smoked meat Mont Tremblant, a gourmet smoked meat boutique and luncheonette redefining the classic Montreal staple in the heart of Mont-Tremblant.

Decristofaro always planned to move north. A fixture in the snowboarding industry, she spent six years managing Montreal’s largest snowboard shop, overseeing a team of 30, and repping for three major brands. When the pandemic hit, she and her partner left the city and headed to Mont-Tremblant where she planned on opening her own store.

But opportunity came in an unexpected form when Decristofaro, a passionate foodie, encountered Josée Labelle and her smoked meat recipe. Labelle, owner of La Brigade, was searching for a partner to grow the restaurant side of her business. So instead of a snowboard shop, Decristofaro pivoted to smoked meat – with her own twist.

She incorporated locally sourced ingredients: maple syrup from La Conception, stout ale from a Ste-Agathe microbrewery, with 100 percent Canadian Angus shoulder-cut beef. Unlike the classic method, Decristofaro’s version is prepared sous-vide for intensified flavours and a succulent, melt-in-your-mouth texture – less briny, more fine charcuterie.

On May 3, 2024, Smoked meat Mont Tremblant opened its doors off Route 117. Decristofaro personally designed the cozy, sugar-shack-inspired space, keeping costs low by repurposing materials with sustainability in mind. A Facebook page, a presence at MontTremblant’s summer market, and viral word-of-mouth turned the shop into a lunch-hour institution in mere months – 50% tourists, 50% locals, 100% packed.

Beyond its cult-favourite sandwiches, the boutique offers sliced smoked meat by the quarter pound and larger whole cuts for quick meals at home. House-made condiments, coleslaw, duckfat fries, and what Decristofaro confidently calls “the best” gourmet poutine sauce, round out the menu. There’s even a tempeh-based vegetarian option.

From snowboards to smoked meat, Decristofaro’s path has taken some wild turns – but the best runs rarely follow a straight line.