As part of the Portraits of merchants & professionals of Côte-des-Neiges project (3rd edition), we invited Francis Faubert Cloutier to accompany us on a series of visits to 10 SDC Côte-des-Neiges businesses that took part in the project.
Interview with
Salah | Portraits of merchants & professionals of Côte-des-Neiges
Find out more about your local Côte-des-Neiges merchants and professionals! // Looking back on our meeting with : Salah Rammal, Owner of Fruitello
Salah Rammal, the Heart Behind Fruitello
Salah Rammal opened Fruitello in 2023, and already, he has an impressive collection of testimonials from satisfied customers! “For me, success is when everyone is satisfied!” he declares right from the start. Watching Salah prepare waffles and pancakes, as well as cocktails, is a delight in itself. Instantly, our mouths water.
The signature dish is the Paradiso. It’s a fruit salad with ashta, a coagulated dairy product made from fresh milk served with strawberries, avocados, bananas, mangoes, pineapples, cantaloupes, almonds, raisins, ground pistachios, and honey on top. “That’s paradise!” Salah exclaims.
“Mr. Fruitello” is first and foremost a cocktail specialist. But since the opening, he has developed his own pancake recipe. “You have to find the right balance between the ingredients and the perfect texture,” he explains. According to several customers from France or Barcelona, after the first bite, it was clear to them that they had just tasted the best pancake in Montreal.
For Salah, the secret lies in using quality ingredients. As he works with fruits and vegetables in the morning, the businessman can easily source fresh products. The portions are so generous that it can sometimes be difficult to finish one’s dish.
In this paradise for children, tourists, and food enthusiasts, Salah lets his inspiration run wild to create new fruit combinations that will adorn the pancakes, mousses, or cocktails. “I oftenoffer people what I’ve just created. It’s not on the menu, but I can guarantee it’s delicious!”
For this passionate man who is dedicated to increasing the happiness index of all his customers, he emphasizes that generosity must be genuine. “Generosity isn’t a business strategy for me; it’s just who I am, it’s in my culture!”
For Salah, Côte-des-Neiges is a neighborhood filled with life and movement. “It’s a bit like bees, bustling everywhere, it’s alive!”
Copywriter: Francis Faubert Cloutier
Photographer: Gaelle Leroyer
Art direction: Félicia Balzano (SDC Côte-des-Neiges)
Complete the experience by visiting the free exhibition from September 7 to December 5, 2023.
ABOUT THE PROJECT :
After a great success in 2021 and 2022, the SDC Côte-des-Neiges is proud to present the third anniversary edition of its Portraits of merchants & professionals of Côte-des-Neiges project through an exhibition on the Promenade Jean-Brillant from September 7 to December 5, 2023, as well as online interviews accessible via QR code on each panel.
The aim of this initiative is to put citizens in touch with businesses in the territory of the Société de développement commercial (SDC) Côte-des-Neiges. Through a series of portraits of 10 shops and businesses, we get to know 14 local business owners and managers. This social and cultural project is a real encounter with the human side of business life.
In this third edition, you’ll discover men and women, young professionals and established entrepreneurs, all from different cultures and backgrounds, with a diverse range of commercial offerings. The common denominator? Their love for Côte-des-Neiges.
This project is an initiative of the SDC Côte-des-Neiges, made possible through collaboration with the Maison de la culture CDN and the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.