Restaurant Le Virunga

Virunga is an African-inspired restaurant in Montreal located at 851 Rachel Street East. The concept came from the culinary passion of Zoya de Frias and her mother, Maria-Josée. Born in the Congo, Zoya came to Québec to study mathematics, statistics and computer science at Concordia University. After she graduated, Zoya worked in the field for 10 months before realizing it wasn't for her. "Even though I really loved computing and my course, I didn't like the idea of ​​being stuck behind a computer all day," she says.

The young restaurateur admits she has always had a special relationship with food. In the de Frias household, the table was always a place for socializing. As for Maria-Josée, she decided to complete her professional business management training at LaSalle College. She soon discovered that African products weren't particularly well represented in Montreal and that is what gave the duo the push they needed to open their own restaurant.