Biography
Caroline Lapointe grew up in the vibrant world of restaurant hospitality. At just ten years old, she discovered the inner workings of a demanding profession when her father, Jean-Yves Lapointe, purchased the restaurant Au Café Suisse in 1984 — a true Old Québec institution housed in a two-hundred-year-old building designated as a UNESCO heritage. In this legendary establishment, she learned early the importance of rigour, creativity, and attentive service — values that would shape her entire path.
After more than twenty years of work and research devoted to fondue, punctuated by trips to Switzerland, the Lapointe family opened a new chapter in 2003 with the acquisition of the restaurant La Grolla. Then, in 2007, Caroline embarked on an ambitious project: designing, producing, and marketing artisanal, ready‑to‑cook cheese fondues inspired by Québec’s culinary heritage. This is how 1001 Fondues was born. Reinventing oneself is never simple, but Caroline met the challenge with perseverance.
A visionary, she is notably behind the famous Hot Fondue Bread featured at the Québec City German Christmas Market. Today, Caroline is dedicated to showcasing a unique local terroir and pursues a clear ambition: to make a homegrown fondue stand out — distinctive, original, and truly authentic.
Multidisciplinary and passionate about philosophy, French literature, local and international cuisine, innovation, and outdoor running, she shares a common thread with 1001 Fondues: going where others don’t — and always further.
