At 63, Pierre Houle has chosen to bet everything on his new business, which specializes in small gourmet bites, perfect for aperitifs.
After a career in communications, notably as a host, he took the plunge by launching Monsieur MaBoule in 2019.
The one who describes himself as a gourmet creator has been passionate regarding food since he was three apples high. As a child, he climbed on a bench to help his mother cook her famous meatballs to accompany the spaghetti.
“Already at that time, when I was doing that, I had the impression of participating in something grandiose and magical,” he recalls.
“I have always associated the pleasure of eating with a festive and unifying side. And Mr. MaBoule, that’s exactly it. When people buy my product, it’s because they want to share a good moment at the table,” adds the entrepreneur.
The spark plug
But why balls exactly? He became interested in this type of food following having prepared too much salmon tartare for a reception.
“The next day, we received people from the family and I didn’t want to lose that, says Pierre. So spontaneously I made balls and breaded them. It gave an extraordinary semi-cooked and a great success around the table.
In the weeks that followed, he began to deconstruct the kitchen into a ball. Hundreds of recipes have been tested. “For nine months, I threw myself into it, I made three different balls a day!” he laughs. To the point of filling three freezers and testing his spouse’s patience!
PHOTO DIDIER DEBUSSCHÈRE
Here we see the Poutine ball, prepared for the SuperBowl. You can get it on Friday and Saturday at the Grand Marché.
A dream frame
To start his business, he turned to the Mycélium agri-food incubator, located at the Grand Marché. From the fall of 2019, he followed a training course to validate his recipes and concoct a marketing plan. “It helped me a lot,” he said, in an interview in the kitchens of the organization that would make any cook dream.
His “little balls of happiness,” as he calls them, are currently offered in four varieties: ham and cheese tapas, snails, duck and maple-chili chicken. More flavors will be offered soon, including vegetarian balls.
Photo provided by Monsieur MaBoule
A snail ball.
Generous, these premium bites are brimming with meat. Your guests will see nothing but fire and believe that it is homemade. “I don’t compromise on quality,” emphasizes the designer.
His products quickly found their customers. During the holiday season, nearly 70,000 balls were sold, and the special edition SuperBowl was also a great success.
Some restaurateurs have even become customers, sniffing out a good deal to make up for the lack of manpower.
The bites, prepared by a subcontractor, are sold already cooked and frozen. All that remains is to reheat them, in the oven or in the air fryer, for example.
Boxes of eight balls are available starting at $16 at IGA des Sources and IGA Convivio, and at certain other grocery stores.
Pierre Houle has absolutely no regrets regarding having risked everything by going into business. “I believed in it and I got involved. I’m 63 and I’ve never been so focused in my life. I don’t feel like I’m working.”
- Monsieur MaBoule will be at the Grand Marché on Friday and Saturday to present and sell his products.
- For more details: monsieurmaboule.net
The Mycélium agri-food incubator, located in the heart of the Grand Marché, has supported more than 70 start-ups since its opening in 2019. At least twenty have led to flourishing businesses, such as Monsieur MaBoule, Les macaroons de Sophie and food for animals Green paws.
PHOTO DIDIER DEBUSSCHÈRE
Pierre Houle, alias Monsieur Maboule, in the kitchens of Mycélium at the Grand Marché.
The coaching is spread over a period of 12 to 18 months and offers entrepreneurs assistance for all stages, from idea to commercialization.
“We will accompany them, check if the product is viable and if it meets a need,” explains Ariane Simpson of the Créneau d’excellence Aliments Santé, which manages Mycélium’s operations.
The advantage? “It can allow you to move forward, to drill faster and to go further than solo,” she adds.
Mycélium is unique because, in addition to having state-of-the-art facilities, the organization has a showcase in the Grand Marché that allows creators to test their products with customers.
the 10e cohort begins its training on March 16.
