The Taste of Success: Vanya Filipovic on Wine, Hospitality and Building Vin Mon Lapin

Vanya Filipovic has helped build some of Canada’s most celebrated restaurants. But ask the award-winning sommelier what makes a restaurant unforgettable, and she won’t begin with the food or wine... She’ll tell you it’s how you feel when you leave. In this episode, Liza sits down with the restaurateur behind Joe Beef and Vin Papillon’s influential wine programs and the co-founder of Mon Lapin, named Canada’s best restaurant, and Rôtisserie La Lune. Vanya shares how growing up in her parents’ restaurant shaped her instincts for hospitality, why she left the security of Joe Beef after 15 years and what it took to build an acclaimed restaurant with her husband, chef Marco Frappier, and their partners. In this episode: How Vanya helped shape Joe Beef and Montreal’s evolving restaurant culture What separates a technically good wine from one with genuine “energy” Why she helped champion natural wine and now questions the usefulness of the label The philosophy behind Mon Lapin and its rise to becoming Canada’s best restaurant Why she hires for the “twinkly eye” rather than experience alone How the pandemic nearly cost them everything and ultimately strengthened the business Why thoughtful hospitality depends on curiosity, memory and attention to detail And, as always, Liza asks the question at the heart of every conversation: What is the smartest big deal you’ve ever made? For Vanya, it came down to two defining choices: choosing Montreal and choosing the right partner.