While chef Jacques La Merde was burning up Instagram with artfully plated yet thoroughly absurd dishes — Cheetos risotto with dried morels, anyone? — Christine Flynn was busy creating kale and farro salads as the executive chef of iQ Food Co. in Toronto’s financial district. At a dinner last week at Puritan & Company, Flynn revealed that she was the previously anonymous creative force behind the La Merde Instagram account that amassed more than 100,000 followers for its Noma-by-way-of 7-Eleven food porn.

After a year, Flynn decided it was time to step forward as the person behind La Merde. Her inspiration for creating the character and his photos? “I just thought it would be funny. Probably the biggest fan of the account is my mother. She loves it. She says it’s you, just you in all caps,’’ Flynn says.

The Jacques La Merde coming out party at Puritan, billed “The Most Soigne Dinner Ever,’’ was timed to coincide with Flynn’s appearance on “Top Chef,’’ where her identity was revealed following a La Merde-inspired “Quickfire’’ challenge. Before relocating to Toronto two years ago, Flynn worked as a chef at restaurants in Amherst and Nantucket. There she met Puritan chef and co-owner Will Gilson, as well as Michael Scelfo of Alden & Harlow, Brian Mercury of Harvest, and Craig Williams of Coppersmith. These chefs joined her and Toronto’s Jonny O’Callaghan in creating dishes for the dinner.

Q. Did you put a lot of thought into what Jacques should be like?

A. Literally, the character came out fully formed. I said to myself, wouldn’t it be funny if there was some guy who just took the most ridiculous ingredients — the things you ate when you were a kid and you wouldn’t even see in the grocery store now, because why would you be in the ketchup chip aisle? What if he just took these foods and made really beautiful plates. I started taking photos and writing captions and people liked it.

Q. Were you channeling any particular chef with Jacques’s enthusiasm and fondness for the word “bro’’?

A. Not really. He’s from a very specific time in my life when I was a bumbling idiot running a restaurant. That was when I was located in Western Massachusetts. Having him be from here is important to me. I sound goofy even saying that. He was from Capeside, Massachusetts. If you Google it, it’s the hometown of “Dawson’s Creek.’’

Q. Why do you think the account took off?

A. It had to be authentic. The photography wasn’t terrible. The food made people feel good and laugh just because of the sheer absurdity of it. And I think that people just genuinely liked the character. We all know someone like this guy. It’s ironic that the most popular post was when I wrote about how I was going through a breakup. It was my life. Everybody loved it. I’m so glad there was a silver lining to my life falling apart.

Q. Take me through the process of a Jacques La Merde creation.

A. I would stop at the gas station or the bodega under my apartment building. They think I’m insane, by the way, because I would buy armloads of Drumsticks and Hot Rods. Then I would go upstairs and there would be a theme to what I was plating. A lot of them are plays on something very classic like a s’more. It usually took me 5 or 10 minutes.

Q. Do you think people will be disappointed that the mystery is over?

A. Yeah. It’s a bit like Santa Claus. People really believed in this guy. I don’t know what to tell them. I guess, I’m sorry.

Q. What are some of the odd questions you get on behalf of Jacques?

A. When I’m talking to the press, a lot of people are asking me what trend do you hate or who do you think is a total hack? It’s not really about that. It’s about having the most fun. And don’t we all need that sometimes?

Q. You clearly have a good sense of humor about the world Jacques travels in.

A. It’s almost its own category that I like to call benevolent satire. It’s a very Canadian thing where you make fun of yourself. That to me was at the crux. Look at this crazy industry. Look at the insanity that we go through every day. But isn’t it wonderful? I just think it’s so disheartening when you open up food blogs and you see “This place sucks,’’ “This Yelp reviewer is a jerk.’’ I’m just like, “Let’s have fun. Let’s eat Doritos. Let’s have a Nerf gun fight.’’

Michael Floreak can be reached at michaelfloreak@gmail.com.