00:06My name is Kirsten Rich, also known as The Blonde Abroad. I spend most of my year on the road
00:12and live for new experiences.
00:14Montreal has always been at the top of my list for places to explore and it's my first time in
00:20the city.
00:20It has everything from art to culture to food and especially the music.
00:26So I'm really excited to see what the city is all about.
00:31On every street there are the most stunning pieces of street art.
00:34It seems like what started as back alley graffiti is now celebrated here and street artists are given a canvas
00:40for all to see.
00:41Key to this movement is a unique artist named Shelley Miller.
00:45I'd heard that she didn't use regular paint and was really interested to see what her art was all about.
00:51How did you describe your art? Like what are you creating here?
00:54I've been working on some sugar tiles. I roll out the tiles with fondant and then once they're dry,
01:00and hard I paint on them with edible inks. And then as a secondary practice I also do piped stuff.
01:08So I do all these decorative piped things in royal icing in the studio and then after they get hard
01:14I pack them up and then I take them with me to the site.
01:18I was really interested to learn more about the voice of the city so Shelley took me out to explore.
01:25How would you describe the Montreal art scene?
01:27Well I think it's always been a place that there's been a strong culture of graffiti and street art.
01:33And you know we have a lot of support for the sanctioned stuff. There's mural festival, there's a lot of
01:39collectives that do murals.
01:41People are starting to see it as a legitimate art form and they're condemning it less and wanting to support
01:46it more.
01:47I think what Shelley's doing is incredible. There's so much more to it than just a pretty sort of mural.
01:52But she's created something so beautiful and unique that's temporary as well.
02:00Before I left home my friends told me that food trucks in Montreal are next level.
02:05Au pied de cochon is known worldwide for its poutine but the restaurant has a four month waiting list.
02:12Rather than miss out they have a food truck serving the most popular items from the menu.
02:16The truck travels all over so everyone can get a taste.
02:20So how does Au pied de cochon kind of represent Montreal food culture?
02:24It's very Quebecois, it's very like maple syrup, foie gras.
02:27So you guys have set the bar pretty high but you're still delivering fresh, really good food at a food
02:33truck sort of price.
02:35Yeah and it's a good community like everyone else has that same mentality in the culture here in Montreal.
02:41We all want to do things that are homemade, affordable and like just bring everything sort of to the same
02:47standard as like I think the restaurant industry in Montreal is kicking it up a notch.
02:51So the same way we want to do it with the food trucks.
02:54So this was really unique because I've never seen a food truck that's actually like from farm to truck.
03:00They're growing their own food, it's really fresh ingredients but you still get that food truck vibes with the prices.
03:06Montreal has something different, special even. Artists around every corner.
03:10The music scene is exploding in the city and I'm on my way to meet a new voice to find
03:16out how Montreal brings out her unique sound.
03:21Nadei is quietly making a name for herself. Her sound and style are influenced by growing up in such a
03:28multicultural hub.
03:29She wanted to meet at Apartment 200, a local spot in the Saint Laurent district. Apartment 200 serves as a
03:36home to musicians hoping to make a name for themselves in the city.
03:39One of the most important aspect of the music scene here is that it has its own identity.
03:46Like recently when I started doing shows outside of Canada, people will say stuff as like, this sounds very Montreal.
03:56You know, it has a sound now.
03:58It has its own voice.
03:59Yeah, it has its own voice.
04:00Why do you think that is?
04:01There is a strong sense of inclusion.
04:06Montreal, if you walk around, you're not going to see one person that looks like the other.
04:10Multi-ethnic would be just like an understatement.
04:12So I think you just get exposed to, you know, a lot of different sounds and probably that's what creates
04:18Montreal's diversity.
04:21Montreal seems to have that kind of flair that you're looking for when you're visiting somewhere,
04:26but it has a comfort to it where I see why a lot of people call it home.
04:31They say that there's something in the water that makes the people of Montreal beautiful, and that makes sense.
04:36But there must be something in the poutine that the residents create the most stunning art and write amazing music.
04:43And the food?
04:44Well, I'll definitely be back for the food.
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