This work is relevant for Design because it serves not just as a repository of recipes but as a visual embodiment of a culinary heritage. From the cover to the layout, typography, and choice of imagery, each design decision has been deliberately crafted to encapsulate and celebrate this tradition. With a design philosophy that extends beyond aesthetics, aiming to forge a narrative journey that immerses readers into the very heart of the recipes. By marrying design with cultural heritage, we have redefined what a cookbook can be—transforming it from a simple collection of recipes into a family time capsule.

The book was not available for purchase. The aim was to publish a sufficient number of copies to meet legal requirements and ensure its official preservation in the Quebec National Archives and Library. Two copies were designated for this purpose, with the remainder being distributed within the online community that participated in the book.

A grocer and holiday tradition

IGA, a premier grocer in Quebec, has crafted a unique holiday tradition over the past four years, releasing an annual short film that put food at the center of a heartwarming holiday tale.

The legislative context

The last few years were marked by COVID-19 restrictions, preventing family gatherings. When restrictions were finally lifted, Quebec families could once again legally come together.

Quebecers and Christmas

Quebec's predominantly Christian culture means Christmas is a major celebration. The province embraces the French-Canadian Réveillon, a festive Christmas Eve dinner, complete with traditional dishes such as tourtière and ragoût de pattes (pigs’ feet stew). Each of these recipes is often written on handwritten recipe cards and preserved in a homemade recipe scrapbook.

Quebec Embroidery

The relationship between Quebec's residents and the tradition of embroidery is deeply rooted in the province's cultural heritage. Embroidery has held a special place in domestic life. It's a craft that has adorned past generations’ kitchens across the province, with tablecloths, table runners, napkins, and placemats often featuring intricate embroidered designs.

For the past five years, every holiday season, IGA, a major supermarket chain in Quebec, has presented the public with an original animated film. These films are designed to inspire togetherness and celebrate food, love, and especially the love of food, adding a magical touch to family time. In 2022, with the Quebec government lifting restrictions on family gatherings, meaning large traditional family dinners were back on the table, IGA launched a campaign that would forge a deeper connection with Quebec's population than previous campaigns.The objective was to increase brand fame and boost engagement with the brand. The total budget allocated for the campaign was $2.5 million, and the goal was to reach the entire province.

Family recipes have the unique power to preserve our dearest holiday memories. Passed down through handwritten notes or by memory, nowadays with the digitization of everything and the onslaught of modern cookbooks, they’re disappearing over time, along with their creators. When families reunited after a 3-year pandemic hiatus, IGA saw the opportunity to protect their culinary heritage forever. They leveraged a national rule stating that every published book must be permanently preserved and made available to all by Quebec's government in the National Archives and Library. IGA then created Quebec's first collective family cookbook. Targeting every family in Quebec and asking them on social media to share their personal holiday recipes, including notes and photos and turning the book into a family time capsule.

The book's primary aim extends beyond merely preserving family recipes; it seeks to honour and celebrate every visual element that embodies this heritage. To achieve this, each recipe was rewritten by hand by the generation that created and carried this legacy, safeguarding the unique handwriting style associated with traditional recipe cards. Furthermore, all accompanying fonts were made in Quebec. The design of each page echoes the look of past generations' recipe scrapbooks where these culinary secrets were kept. To honour the kitchens that have witnessed the creation of these recipes, each book is enveloped in a woven and embroidered cover to reflect the visual aesthetics of traditional kitchens, ensuring these cherished familial bonds are forever etched in Quebec's culinary history. Once the book was completed, IGA officially enshrined it in Quebec's National Archives and Library, making the book forever available for free to everyone, online and offline.

The idea struck a chord. The campaign films promoting the book became the most viewed and appreciated films in the brand’s history, cumulating over 4.6 million completed views. At the same time, the Family Cookvault initiative generated an impressive 5911% increase in social media interactions compared to the previous holiday campaign. Perhaps most compellingly, the initiative rekindled the public conversation around the preservation of holiday culinary heritage, inspiring numerous local chefs, including Ricardo — Quebec’s most beloved family chef — to participate.