Earlier today at the 2023 Leduc County Business Summit, Chartier Restaurantl announced their soon-to-be tenancy in Nisku’s Business & Economic Centre (BEC). This marks the first expansion for the restaurant which opened seven years ago in the heart of downtown Beaumont,AB. This move allows Chartier to expand their in-house bakery program, which has been an unexpectedly successful branch of their casual fine dining restaurant.
“When we were developing our business plan for Chartier, we decided to include a small in-house bakery component in order to make incredible bread in-house rather than sourcing externally,” said co-owner and founder Sylvia Cheverie. “For a French restaurant, exceptional homemade bread is as foundational as rice is to a sushi house.”
Adding a bakery to the restaurant vision was an ambitious endeavour, which demanded training of a team member at the San Francisco Institute of Baking on the art and science of sourdough bread. As they tested their skills back in Beaumont before opening, the loaves of trial breads were handed out to passers-by through the window that looks into their street facing kitchen. As the restaurant opened, requests for off-sales of the loaves were coming in steadily—and their “bread window” developed a cult following from locals and YEG foodies.
“Throughout the past seven years, we’ve slowly evolved from the modest bread window, branching out from sourdough to things like baguettes, sourdough brioche donuts, cinnamon buns, croissants, cookies, squares, and custom cakes. We eventually added a bakery sales counter at the front door so we could keep up with demand.” said Chartier Chef de Boulangerie Spencer Berge. “It wasn’t long before we outgrew the small 250 square foot corner of the restaurant that we were working out of - and in order to operate more efficiently and meet demand, extra space was a must”.
The bustling bakery soon outgrew its 250 square foot corner of the restaurant, and the need for extra space was apparent. The Chartier team began searching for a space nearly two years ago, seeking a location that could be easily accessed by both the restaurant, and Edmonton’s vibrant food scene..
When the team came across the Nisku Rec Centre, a then-decommissioned property owned by the County of Leduc, they knew instantly it would be a perfect fit—only to discover that plans to redevelop the space as a business and economic hub were underway. “The timing couldn’t have been better,” said co-owner and founder, Darren Cheverie. “The additional baking space will allow us to strengthen our connections and build a vendor relationship with other restaurants and cafés that don’t have their own bakeries. This is an exciting time for our Chartier family, and the surrounding communities we’re so proud to call home.”
In 2020 Leduc County received funding from the Government of Canada through the Canada Coal Transition Initiative to conduct a feasibility study2 on repurposing the Nisku Recreation Centre. In 2022 the municipality was awarded more than $1 million in federal funding from PrairiesCan to operate a project to nurture the growth of start-ups and small-to-medium sized enterprises.
“After nearly three years of behind-the-scenes work, the new Leduc County Business and Entrepreneur Centre is now open to grow and support our local business community,” said Leduc County Mayor Tanni Doblanko. “We’re honoured that Chartier has chosen the BEC as the location to expand their in-house bakery from their iconic restaurant in the City of Beaumont, and welcome them to the County.”
“Finding the right partners to execute on a shared plan is no easy feat,” said Economic Development Officer Bryanna Kumpula-Yung. “I am extremely happy that Chartier has decided to take the risk to build something with us to support further economic growth in Leduc County”.
The doors of the BEC are now open for visitors, meetings, corporate bookings, and workshops. Chartier is aiming to open their kitchen by mid-April. “We’re so excited to deepen our roots in the Leduc County region. The untapped potential here for agri-tourism is evident, and we hope to have other industry colleagues join us in exploring the endless possibilities tied to our region and agri-food industry,” said Sylvia Cheverie.
