Vanya Filipovic

Having grown up in her parent’s restaurants in Quebec’s Laurentians and later on in southern Vermont, Vanya tried with all her might to veer into her own lane and to work in literature or cinema, but always ended up in what turned out to be her OBVIOUS calling -- hospitality. Vanya worked in a wide array of restaurants in the US and Canada, and eventually was on the opening team of Montreal’s now-iconic Joe Beef restaurant. With the team behind Joe Beef, Vanya opened up several other restaurants, bistros, and wine bars, including Le Vin Papillon and Liverpool House. In 2009, after a life-changing trip to the Jura region of France, and a stint working with a wine importer, she opened up her own wine importing company in Montreal, Les Vins Dame-Jeanne, specializing in artisanal wines made from the heart, wines elaborated with minimal intervention and maximal emotion. From 2005 to 2019, Vanya created and helmed the wine program at Joe Beef, and the more vegetable focused Vin Papillon. In 2018, she and chef Marc-Olivier Frappier married and opened Mon Lapin in Montreal’s Little Italy, the couple’s beloved home neighbourhood. She starred in the local TV sensation Super Naturel, where she took the audience through her world of vignerons in Champagne, Sicily and Vermont. She also contributed to several radio shows, such as CBC’s ‘On est pas sorti de l’Auberge’, and ‘Penelope’, where she gave wine advice to listeners. Vanya also published wine blurbs in Vermont’s The Art of Eating, and gave interviews for publications such as Pipette Magazine, Noble Rot, Food & Wine, The Punch, Wine & Spirit, and many more. During the heart of the pandemic, Vanya and the Mon Lapin team created Casgrain BBQ, a fried chicken joint, which kept their team employed and gave joy to their neighbourhood. In 2018, Vanya was awarded Best Sommelier in Canada from Canada's 100 Best, and in 2024 she was awarded Meilleur Sommelière du Québec by Les Lauriers de la Gastronomie. In December 2024, Vanya and her Mon Lapin team opened Rôtisserie La Lune, a chic and joyful rôtisserie chicken bistro, just a few doors away from Mon Lapin. Today she splits her time between Mon Lapin, La Lune and Les Vins Dame-Jeanne, enjoys loads of wine focused travel and some exotic holidays with her husband Marco and their dog Alba.