…Where 'La Gourmandise' is not a sin!

Beer

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#iGourmand #Lucito #LucPaquin #Food #Restaurant #DiningExperience #Beer #Spirits #Wine #Consultant

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The Dining Experience

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The Dining Experience

I was reading this morning about someone being asked about what was their best restaurant meal in a particular city. It got me thinking as I am not a regular restaurant fiend to start with, as most of the time the food is better at home than in most restaurants, and there is more to the dining experience than the actual food. I have the same problem answering the question ‘What Is My Favorite Food’, as it always depends on my mood at the moment I am asked, how hungry I am, the phase of the moon, and velocity of the wind, and other more esoteric factors.

I have eaten in revered restaurants where the cooking was so good that there is no hope in this lifetime that I will ever be able to attain this perfection in my kitchen, in overrated restaurants living only on their reputation and / or ‘Inness’ factor, in restaurants that serve solid-but-uninspired food, in fast-food joints, in food stalls on the street or in markets where I ended up with food poisoning, and in places that fit anywhere in or out of this spectrum. What makes the dining experience is not the food itself, though it is a major part of it, but it is a combination of food, service, atmosphere, and who you are sharing the meal with.

By nature I tend to stay away from the new ‘Trendy’ places as from past experiences they seem to rely on glitziness, gimmicks, and at times shock food to generate their often undeserved reputations. I know that it is difficult to differentiate yourself from the crowds, but spending millions in decor and nada in the kitchen does not make for a nice restaurant. Also the noise level in a lot of trendy places makes enjoying even the best food in the world very difficult. I also dislike the fact that most of the times you have to reserve a long time ahead to get in. Since most of the time I have no idea what I will be doing in the next hour, let alone in 3 months time, and if I will even be in the mood to go out for that type of food that night. I normally go the reservation route only when I am traveling out of town and I know I will be in need of a restaurant on such and such dates, thus reserving is a no-brainer at those times.

Back to the subject of the dining experience, I have noticed that to have an exceptional experience you need to first have well prepared and presented good food that is pleasant to eat. If for shock value the chef is into weird combinations of food, just for sake of being different, I tend to stay away from their place. The same is for experimental cooking, I am all for experimentation, but if you cannot find focus in a dish you should not serve it to paying clients until you finish playing with the ingredients. I have seen chefs bringing you small serving of dishes they are working on to get feedback, and I am all for that, but I would not build a menu with untried recipes, just as I would not serve untried recipes to guests at home. I have ranted already about dishes that are presented for the ‘Picture’ look, but that are difficult to eat and enjoy, so I will not go there today.

I also tend to stay away from the cult of the ‘Star Chef’. Some of their restaurants are stunning and serve sublime food, but a lot tend to lack in the personal touches. If they are at the head of a culinary empire, chances are that they are not the ones supervising the daily running of their restaurants, and whoever is doing a stellar job at it does not get the recognition they deserve, and normally stays in the background as not to take the stardom from the ‘Star Chef’. It is nice to think about your favorite TV Chef preparing your meal for you in the kitchen, but they are probably at some cocktail party, on the set of their TV show, or on another continent when your visit their restaurants. That does not mean that I have not had exceptional dining experiences in their restaurants…

Now that we have a nicely prepared meal on our plates, we now need good service. The staff should be attentive, and not overbearing. They also should know about the food and the chef’s philosophy. There is nothing more annoying than asking how a dish is prepared, or what an advertised ingredient in a recipe is is, and seeing the staff running to the kitchen to ask. If the menu specifies an ingredient it would be good idea to let the staff know what it is before letting them loose on the public. That is, as long as it does not go to the other extreme and they start pontificating about the type of salt they use, or refuse to bring you salt because the chef does not want you to ruin his dishes with it.

Where was I? A plate of nice food, attentive-but-not-overbearing staff… Next on the list is atmosphere. I tend to prefer a quiet relaxed atmosphere, to a frantic noisy one. That is in my nature, as I abhor noise and hyperactivity. If you have to shout to your dinner companions to get heard, it is does not make for a nice dining experience. I’m not really crazy about church-like atmospheres either, as they make you uncomfortable about having any conversation during the meal. I used to be more tolerant of this in the past, as before I met Normita, I used to travel the world on business alone, and dine in the best places by myself. I could concentrate more on the food, at the detriment of not sharing the experience in those days, but I would not go back to them. Your preference of atmosphere may vary, but you have to be comfortable to enjoy the meal.

Dining companions are important too. I find business meals, especially with new business acquaintances, to be normally strained, as you do not know the people, their tastes, and their ideas. It is a great way to get to know people, and it is one of my prime factors in doing business with anybody. I need to share a nice meal with them so that we can appreciate it together. I tend to stay away from doing business with people who do not share my love of food and wine, and the few times that I have not done so in the past, I paid for it dearly in the long run. Dining with loved ones and close friends is a rewarding experience, and it is one of the nicest things in life.

So, when faced with a question like ‘The Best Restaurant Meal You’ve Ever Had In…’ my answer might disappoint the Trendy Foodies, as the place would most likely not be the latest trendy place or the place to be seen by the proper Foodie crowd. It would likely be a place where I had great food and service, in a relaxed atmosphere, with the people I love. I tend to collect restaurant experiences in my mind as the whole experience, not just the badge of being at the right address. I have been in great restaurants on bad nights, some of my favorite places have also disappointed me at times, and I might have just made the wrong choice on the menu, so the right address is not always the best. The reverse is true and I have had exceptional meals in places where you would expect it the least. With all the ingredients that make a great dining experience put in the equation, the answer might be a big surprise even to you. It is just where you did enjoy yourself the most. What else is there?

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Lucito

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#iGourmand #Lucito #LucPaquin #Food #FoodCulture #Beer #Spirits #Wine #Consultant

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Food Culture

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Food Culture

I have been reminded many times recently on the vast contrasts between population with and without food culture. The easiest definition of what is food culture, in my mind, is that populations or people who have food culture live to eat, and those who don’t eat to live. Reduce to its bare essentials this is the simplest definition.

Generally in the northern parts of North America, meaning Canada and the US, the majority of the people do not live to eat, they generally eat to live, thus the great popularity of fast food. The French influence in Quebec is prevalent, though it is moderated by the North American influence, thus the food culture is not uniformly distributed in all the population.

The current climate in North America that is dominated by gourmet food and all of those food channels on TV is not real food culture, as it is a recent fad, and like all fads it will probably fade in the long term. There is also an elitist aspect to that fad that is not part of what I consider food culture. The good thing with such fads is that it may penetrate part of the population and in the long term help establish food culture in some groups of the population.

Our recent trip to Veracruz reminded me of the prevalence of food in my life, and what I consider the tenets of food culture. Like in most regions of Mexico the general population has a much closer relationship with food than elsewhere in North America. It is a cultural thing and people of all classes take their time to eat and enjoy it, and food is an essential part of appreciating daily life.

You see it in the town as people goes out to eat in the middle of the day, and take the time to enjoy the food and relax while eating it. A lot of offices have a 2 hour lunch time, since people like to take the time to enjoy their food. While we were visiting Veracruz we went to various places where the locals congregate to enjoy specialties at various times of the day. On one morning we went to Las Anitas, a little place in the industrial neighborhood that specializes in “Gorditas” and “Picaditas”. We went a little late for breakfast but the place was still crowded and people were eating like there was no tomorrow. On the way out of town we stopped for breakfast at Las Farolitos which was completely full in the middle of the morning, and which specializes in “Tamales De Elote” and other local specialties.

We went to a few seafood restaurants that were both excellent and relatively cheap for the type of meal we could get there. We were in town only for a few days so we did not have a chance to drive a little bit out of the town and visit little fishing villages where supremely good fresh seafood cost less than a fast food meal. We will definitely go back there to visit as the both the food and the people are great and the atmosphere is inviting and relaxing.

Even in Mexico City you see it in the outdoor markets where the food vendors are full of client from early morning to the end of the day, and you can barely move when it is lunch time. On Sunday morning everybody goes out to eat with the family and everywhere from nice restaurants to street vendors are full of clients. The same is true in the evenings where everybody goes out for an evening snack, and itinerant vendors shout their wares even in residential neighborhoods. From “Tamales” to “Sweet Breads”, to “Camotes”, everybody comes out to grab something to eat.

There is a complete obsession for food at all levels of society and traditional food are still king, and the penetration of most fast food place is not as great as other places due to a rich food culture that is shared by everybody. Of course the convenience of fast food is very attractive for the busy families, but a lot of people are more inclined in eating at local fast food concessions, thus in a way the food culture is still prevalent and tied to the local culture.

I will come back to the subject in the coming weeks, and drop me a note in the comments or via email on what is your relationship with food in your neck of the world and how does it compare to the local population.

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#iGourmand #Lucito #LucPaquin #Food #Wine #Beer #Spirits #FoodDrinkIndustry #FoodIndustry #DrinkIndustry #Recipe #Consultant

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Luc Paquin - Section 4

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Luc Paquin - Section 4

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Luc Paquin - Section 4

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My Philosophy

I started as a Gourmet, and over the years my love for the pleasures of good food and good drinks became bigger than my love of the rituals, rules and the complications normally associated with the Gourmet world. For the last 20 years I converted myself from a Gourmet to a Gourmand and I have been crusading worldwide to demystify and simplify the pleasures associated with good food and good drinks. My goal is to teach and help everyone who has an interest in good food and good drinks to appreciate this sensual subject. We have to remember that the pleasures of the table are the only ones that are essential for our survival as an individual. That is probably why that some consider them a sin!

Services Offered to the General Public

  • Introductory to advanced cooking classes and conferences
  • Introductory to advanced wine/spirits/beer classes and conferences
  • Introductory to advanced food and wine/spirits/beer matching classes
  • Wine/spirits/beer tastings
  • Food and wine/spirits/beer events for singles
  • Romantic food and wine/spirits/beer events for couples
  • Seminars on food/wine/spirits/beer/cigars/luxury items/etc… topics
  • Event planning and catering
  • Home kitchen design services
  • Wine cellar design services
  • Wine collection evaluation services
  • Wine investment consulting services
  • Motivational classes

Services Offered to the Food and Drink Industry

Sourcing Services

  • Fine wines from a variety of countries
  • Fine spirits from a variety of countries
  • Fine beers from a variety of countries
  • Non-perishable luxury/exotic food items
  • Cooking utensils and appliances
  • Fine tableware and crystal
  • Perishable luxury/exotic food items
  • Fine cigars
  • Other luxury items

IT services

  • Wine/Beer/Food/Cigar/Etc… education kiosks
  • Client reward programs
  • Branded cooking and other software
  • Food/Wine matching engine
  • Cutting edge web-portal
  • Cutting edge POS and management software
  • Multilingual food and wine blog

Consulting

  • Food and beverage business planning
  • Business plan analysis
  • Restaurant analysis and consulting
  • Menu analysis and preparation
  • Wine list analysis and preparation
  • Professional classes (cooking, food prep, sanitation, wine, spirits, beer, sommelier, etc…)
  • Staff motivation seminars
  • Event planning and catering
  • Restaurant design
  • Franchising
  • Software and IT consulting
  • Software POS and management solutions
  • Vineyard Weather Monitoring
  • Vineyard automation and machine learning grapevines
  • Wine and viticulture consulting
  • Commercial kitchen design services
  • Wine cellar design services
  • Wine collection and cellar evaluation services
  • Wine investment consulting services
  • Staff and restaurant certification programs

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Curriculum Vitae 2021

J. Luc Paquin 2021 – English & Español

Luc Paquin

Languages Spoken and Written: French, English and Spanish.

Citizenship: Canadian

Luc Paquin

https://www.jlpconsultants.com/luc/

English

https://www.jlpconsultants.com/JLPFoodWineCV2021Mk1c.pdf

Español

https://www.jlpconsultants.com/JLPComidaVinosCVMk2021b.pdf

Web: https://www.igourmand.com/
Web: https://www.jlpconsultants.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neosteam.labs.9/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5eRjrGn1CqkkGfZy0jxEdA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/labs_steam
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/NeoSteamLabs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc.paquin/

Lucito

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#iGourmand #Lucito #LucPaquin #Food #Wine #Beer #Spirits #FoodDrinkIndustry #FoodIndustry #DrinkIndustry #Recipe #Consultant

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Luc Paquin - Section 2

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Luc Paquin - Section 2

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Luc Paquin - Section 2

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Luc Paquin - Section 2

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Luc Paquin - Section 2

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Since Luc also had a profound interest in technology, he started studying the field of computer graphics that was in its infancy at the time. He invested heavily in computer hardware and software and was part of the beta testers of the first version of CorelDraw in 1988. At the time he became involved with clients worldwide as a professional designer of wine labels.

At the end of the eighties he was part of the negotiating that closed major wine production and exportation contracts with a large state run agricultural company in Yugoslavia (Agrokombinat “13. Jul” Titograd – Yugoslavia).

After many negotiation trips to Yugoslavia he was all packed up to go manage a huge vineyard (60,000 hectares) in Montenegro, then part of the old Yugoslavia, when the war broke in that part of the world. Luckily this happened before he had moved over there.

In 1990 Luc went to work in the south of England in a renowned vineyard that was famous for its white and sparkling wines (Carr-Taylor Vineyards, Hastings, United Kingdom). He learned a lot about vineyard management, viticulture, vinification and elaboration of fine wines.

When he returned to Canada Luc started to produce his own wines using frozen grape juice concentrate imported from various areas of France and later with fresh grapes. He continued producing his own wines until 2000. He was looking forward to the day that he could settle somewhere and manage his own vineyard, and produce his own wine.

In 1992 Luc was again ready to leave his country to spend over a year in South Africa working at various vineyards. He wanted to deepen his knowledge of winemaking, and the wine industry in general. As with his previous attempt to move to an area of the world that was politically unstable, the trip was cancelled at the last minute due to his sponsor’s concerns about his security as South Africa was in the last throws of Apartheid. Instead Luc spent the next many years traveling the world on short trips to various wine-producing regions to learn more about the wine business.

Since the mid-eighties Luc had been attending various prestigious wine events all over the world including the “Wine Spectator” events in New York and San Francisco. He continued doing so until the late 1990’s. Combined with his constant traveling all over the wine producing areas of the world, this permitted him to deepen his long list of contacts in the wine world.

In the first few years of the nineties Luc took a certification course in restaurant and hotel management. Over the years he has continued to be involved with both the professional and the ludic side of the food, beer and wine business. He also designed and programmed technological solutions for these industries. These includes point of sales solutions, eCommerce solutions, wine cellar management solutions, restaurant management solutions, point of profits solutions, food, beer and wine matching engines and databases, professional and consumer software, education kiosks, and much more.

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Curriculum Vitae 2021

J. Luc Paquin 2021 – English & Español

Luc Paquin

Languages Spoken and Written: French, English and Spanish.

Citizenship: Canadian

Luc Paquin

https://www.jlpconsultants.com/luc/

English

https://www.jlpconsultants.com/JLPFoodWineCV2021Mk1c.pdf

Español

https://www.jlpconsultants.com/JLPComidaVinosCVMk2021b.pdf

Web: https://www.igourmand.com/
Web: https://www.jlpconsultants.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neosteam.labs.9/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5eRjrGn1CqkkGfZy0jxEdA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/labs_steam
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/NeoSteamLabs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc.paquin/

Lucito

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#iGourmand #Lucito #LucPaquin #Food #Wine #Beer #Spirits #FoodDrinkIndustry #FoodIndustry #DrinkIndustry #Recipe #Consultant

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Luc Paquin - Section 1

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Luc was born as the only child of a middle-class family of French descent in a small village famous for its ski resort north of Montréal, Québec, Canada. He has nurtured a lifelong interest in cooking that he developed since early childhood at the side of his mother and his grandmother who were consummate cooks. At an early age he studied French cooking with his mother while she was taking classes with one of the most renowned teachers in Montreal, “Professeur Bernard”

In the late 1970’s while studying at university he developed a great interest in wines. One day he decided to start learning more about wine and like everything else he does in his life he had to do it in great depth. Armed with a series of wine encyclopedias, he started to buy wines from all over the world and learned all that he could about them. By the mid-eighties he was a professional wine consultant and had amassed a collection of close to 5000 bottles of wine.

During that same period in the evenings after university he was taking Chinese cooking and painting classes with Dick Chen at the Chen School of Art. This lasted for over 4 years.

Later he was involved in the professional side of the wine and food business both as a consultant and a buyer for a variety of private concerns during the 1980’s and 1990’s. It permitted him to travel the world extensively.

A renowned British wine merchant was his business partner at the time, and he sponsored many of Luc’s business trips during that period and through various contacts in the wine business in Europe and other parts of the world Luc learned a lot about the wine industry in general and wine as an investment in particular.

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Curriculum Vitae 2021

J. Luc Paquin 2021 – English & Español

Luc Paquin

Languages Spoken and Written: French, English and Spanish.

Citizenship: Canadian

Luc Paquin

https://www.jlpconsultants.com/luc/

English

https://www.jlpconsultants.com/JLPFoodWineCV2021Mk1c.pdf

Español

https://www.jlpconsultants.com/JLPComidaVinosCVMk2021b.pdf

Web: https://www.igourmand.com/
Web: https://www.jlpconsultants.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neosteam.labs.9/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5eRjrGn1CqkkGfZy0jxEdA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/labs_steam
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/NeoSteamLabs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc.paquin/

Lucito

Instagram

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#Instagram #iGourmand #Lucito #Lunch #CornNut #Peanut #Tequila #Heineken00 #Beer #Food #Consultant #Zoom

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Follow Us

Curriculum Vitae 2021

English
https://www.igourmand.com/cv/JLPFoodWineCV2021Mk1c.pdf

Español
https://www.igourmand.com/cv/JLPComidaVinosCVMk2021b.pdf

Web: https://www.igourmand.com/
Web: http://www.jlpconsultants.com/
Web: https://zoom.us/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neosteam.labs.9/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5eRjrGn1CqkkGfZy0jxEdA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/labs_steam
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/NeoSteamLabs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc.paquin/

Lucito

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#iGourmand #Lucito #food #recipe #beer #wine #spirits #FoodDrinkIndustry #FoodIndustry #DrinkIndustry #consultant #zoom #videoblog

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iGourmand

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A Concept for a New Kind of Gastronomy and Luxury Goods Business

This document is to outline a business concept that has been in the back of my mind for many years. The main reason that it is still in the back of my mind is that the project requires substantial commitments and financing and that I was always waiting to find a place where I wanted to settle down and for other projects to move forward to be able to start this one.

After postponing it for a couple of decades, I think that it is a good idea to bring it to the forefront and actually work on making it come through as the time seems right. This document is not a business plan, but a way to put all the ideas that have been turning in my head for so many years. I plan to present it to various people to see if the project makes sense and is worth investing substantial efforts in preparing a formal business plan and finding proper financing.

What is missing in most gastronomy business?

For a large part of my live I have been living in areas where the local availably of high-end or gourmet food, wine, beer, spirits and luxury items was at best spotty. You could find some of the things required for gourmet cooking and luxury items in some places, but availability was always difficult, so I normally did my ‘luxury’ shopping when I was traveling to cities where they were available. I remember when I was living in Sudbury, in Northern Ontario; I used to make infrequent trips to Montreal to load up on things from the wine cellar to the kitchen and more. In those days Montreal was always a better choice than Toronto as more was available and at a better price.

The main problem with these trips was finding the time to hit all the right shops in a reasonable amount of time. A typical trip to Montreal would start by me stopping at a large shop that specialized in tableware and cooking tools. I normally picked up some crystal glasses and a variety of kitchen gadgets there. The next step was to stop at the fancy wine, beer, liquor store downtown, the “Maison des Vins” and load up on everything I could find from champagnes, wines, beer, Armagnac, and whatever else I could find. While downtown I would stop at my favorite cigar shop, and also do a bit of shopping for luxury items. I would also visit Chinatown for all my Chinese cooking needs. On my way out of town I would pick up 12 dozen bagels at the Fairmont bagel factory. Next stop was my butcher to pick up some fresh vacuum-packed foie gras, and stop at a nice fish place where I would get some frozen scampi, assorted seafood, smoked salmon, some canned foie gras, oscietra and beluga caviar, truffles, and whatever else I needed back home. I normally drove back to Sudbury straight from the shopping trip several thousands of dollars poorer, but I had my luxury supplies for the next 3-6 months.

This was over 38 years ago and even back in those days I was always thinking that somebody should put together a proper gourmet, luxury item shop so that people looking for the best could have a one stop place to go for all of their needs. Some large department stores offer a lot of those items, but normally at a huge premium and choice can be spotty in periods outside of the holiday season. Another problem with most large department stores is that they do not normally group these various items in a way that is shopper friendly and you end up going up and down the store with heavy bags to do all of your shopping.

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Curriculum Vitae 2021

English
https://www.igourmand.com/cv/JLPFoodWineCV2021Mk1c.pdf

Español
https://www.igourmand.com/cv/JLPComidaVinosCVMk2021b.pdf

Web: https://www.igourmand.com/
Web: http://www.jlpconsultants.com/
Web: https://zoom.us/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neosteam.labs.9/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5eRjrGn1CqkkGfZy0jxEdA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/labs_steam
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/NeoSteamLabs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luc.paquin/

Lucito

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