Atwater Market, with its vibrant collection of gourmet goods and earthy producers, is one of the two top farmers markets in this gastronomic capital (Jean Talon is the other.)

Chef Carl Roder of Aix Cuisine du Terroir (514-904-1201) says he has little time for shopping around at markets, but finds amid the wealth of bakers, butchers and florists “a lot of fine cheeses and fine meats” at Atwater Market.

In particular, the robust selection of Quebec cheeses from any of Atwater’s three cheese shops, La Fromagerie Atwater, La Fromagerie du 2e and Le Paradis du Fromage, makes shopping easy. Roder singles out Le Chevre Noir (a cheddar-style goat cheese), Fou du Roi (a raw-milk, organic cow’s milk cheese) and the famous Riopelle, which Roder simply calls “beautiful.”

Open year-round, Monday to Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.