Cora Mussely Tsouflidou

For the founder of Chez Cora and Cora's Breakfast & Lunch restaurants, initiative, perseverance, self-confidence and boundless energy have been the main ingredients in her recipe for success.

Cora Mussely Tsouflidou was born into a modest family in Caplan, a little village in the Gaspe peninsula. Cora had all the ingredients for success right from the very start. In 1960, she enrolled at Montreal's Cardinal Leger Institute, promising to pay for her education. There she studied Latin, Greek, literature, art and other courses that would prepare her for a professional career. But destiny had other plans: Cora was now expecting her first child, so she quit college during her final year to devote herself to her new family, and to the two other children who would soon follow. Cora abandoned her plans for a career to become a loving full-time mom.

When her husband left her ten years later, Cora was suddenly a single mother with three teenagers to support. With her characteristic aplomb, Cora bought a small neighbourhood canteen, worked hard, tripled its value and sold it. Not one to rest on her laurels, she became a hostess in a well-known Montreal restaurant, where she worked her way up the ladder as a day manager, general manager and junior partner. For the next five years, Cora perfected her knowledge of the foodservice industry until she mastered all aspects of the hospitality trade. In May 1987, Cora bought a defunct snack bar on Cote-Vertu Road in the Ville Saint-Laurent district of Montreal and embarked on a venture that would take her further than she'd ever dreamed.

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the network, Cora remains up to date in the industry and regularly visits restaurants. She ensures that her standards of quality are being respected by remaining in contact with her customers, her main source of inspiration and motivation. Cora takes to heart and remains implicated in the creation of new dishes by testing and evaluating new recipes in order to better introduce them in the restaurants.

In the business world, Cora is the best example of a "self-made business woman". In 2003, she wins the Governor General's award. She has also won several awards including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Manufacturing / Consumer Products Category, the Pinnacle Award and the Tops in Hospitality Award from Food Service and Hospitality magazine. The Cora Franchise Group Inc. network has annual sales of over $100 million. The "Chez Cora" banner is recognized as the leader in the breakfast industry in Quebec, and Cora's Breakfast & Lunch is well on its way to becoming a preeminent leader across Canada.