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    The Main

    Montreal's Cultural Directory

    Help us improve! Share your thoughts on how we can make your experience better.

    Leave feedback

    For partnerships and collaborations:

    partnerships@themain.com

    Content

    • Articles
    • Food & Drink
    • Arts & Culture
    • History Lesson
    • Bulletin
    • Events

    Guides

    • All Guides
    • Best Restaurants
    • Best Cafés
    • Best Bars
    • Best Brunch
    • Best Bakeries

    Explore Montreal

    • Browse Directory
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    • Bars
    • Cafés
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    Legal

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    The Main Media Inc. 2026

    ✦ Built By Field Office

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      --°C|Wednesday, May 20, 2026|
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      --°C|Wednesday, May 20, 2026|
      Subscribe today to get 3 free articles per month.Get 50% off your first 5 rides with Lyft
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      EN/FR
      The Main Logo
      Magazine
      Sections
      • Arts & Culture
      • Beyond Montreal
      • Design
      • Food & Drink
      • History Lessons
      • The Bulletin
      Explore
      Popular Guides
      • The Best Restaurants in Montreal
      • Best new Restaurants
      • Best Cafés
      • Unique Boutiques
      • Romantic Restaurants
      • Best Bookstores
      • See all Guides
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      • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
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      • Mile-Ex
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      • Boutique / Store
      • Bar
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      Near the Metro
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      ByIvy Lerner-Frank

      February 29, 2024 · 7 min read

      Talking queer food—and where to find it in Montreal
      Alex Ketchum, assistant professor at the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies at McGill, on queer food—how to define it, and where to find it. | Photograph: Sid Baar / @sayhey_studio

      The Main is reader-supported. Subscriptions are what keep us independent. Five dollars a month — the restaurants, the guides, the weekly bulletin, and what to do each weekend. Support us today.

      Alex Ketchum has been thinking about feminist cafés and queer food for a long time. So much so that Ketchum, assistant professor at the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies at McGill has written a book about it: Ingredients for Revolution, an exploration of the history of feminist restaurants, cafés, and coffeehouses, with a comprehensive look at the ways these spots foster non-capitalist, non-hierarchical business practices.

      And now she’s thinking about queer food in Montreal (and elsewhere), how to define it, and where to find it.

      Food politics, business practices, political activism

      “One way to think about queer food has to do with the producers themselves,” Ketchum says. “Are there queer chefs or queer owners or managers? That’s a traditional way to think of it, even talking about the marketing of the restaurant, café, or bar.” 

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      Related Classics

      From our archive.

      Food & Drink

      Talking Queer Food—and Where to Find it in Montreal

      Montreal's a queer-friendly city. How does that influence its hospitality industry and the safe spaces of its restaurants, cafés and bars?

      ByIvy Lerner-Frank

      February 29, 2024 · 7 min read

      Talking queer food—and where to find it in Montreal
      Alex Ketchum, assistant professor at the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies at McGill, on queer food—how to define it, and where to find it. | Photograph: Sid Baar / @sayhey_studio

      The Main is reader-supported. Subscriptions are what keep us independent. Five dollars a month — the restaurants, the guides, the weekly bulletin, and what to do each weekend. Support us today.

      Alex Ketchum has been thinking about feminist cafés and queer food for a long time. So much so that Ketchum, assistant professor at the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies at McGill has written a book about it: Ingredients for Revolution, an exploration of the history of feminist restaurants, cafés, and coffeehouses, with a comprehensive look at the ways these spots foster non-capitalist, non-hierarchical business practices.

      And now she’s thinking about queer food in Montreal (and elsewhere), how to define it, and where to find it.

      Food politics, business practices, political activism

      “One way to think about queer food has to do with the producers themselves,” Ketchum says. “Are there queer chefs or queer owners or managers? That’s a traditional way to think of it, even talking about the marketing of the restaurant, café, or bar.” 

      Free account required

      For readers who care about Montreal

      Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.

      Independent. Local. Reader-supported.

      or

      Already a member? Sign in

      Comments

      Welcome to The Main's comments section!

      Share your thoughts and join the conversation. Please be respectful and constructive.

      No comments yet. Be the first!

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