Four and a half years after a devastating fire, excitement is high at the Sagamité restaurant in Wendake, which is preparing to reopen its doors on Saturday, becoming the largest First Nations in the country.
“It’s a suppression of many feelings. I reach a finish line. Telling you that you can’t arrive out of breath isn’t true. We arrive out of breath, but the beauty of it is the circle, the family, and the family of the extension: the big Sagamité family,” says owner and founder Steeve Gros-Louis.
On December 2, 2018, this flagship of indigenous gastronomy went up in smoke in a violent electrical fire.
Dominique Lelievre
For the businessman, it was “essential that we stand up,” both for the sustainability of the restaurant’s mission and for its dozens of employees.
The restaurant will initially operate at a reduced capacity as the work is not yet fully completed. The official opening is planned for mid-July, said Mr. Gros-Louis.
Long street
It must be said that the path for the restaurateur, his wife and their three children, all involved in the family business, has been long and full of pitfalls.
Dominique Lelievre
The search for financing and the steps to acquire adjacent properties took longer than expected, then the pandemic caused construction costs to skyrocket.
A loan from the Quebec government of around $2 million provided the necessary impetus in 2020. In the end, the reconstruction and expansion project totals $6.3 million.
The restaurant on Boulevard Bastien will thus increase from 180 to 340 seats, making it the largest in the country affiliated with the First Nations, according to Mr. Gros-Louis.
Dominique Lelievre
The interior is a mixture of modern and traditional. “It has to stay warm and that’s our main task,” emphasizes Steve Gros-Louis.
In addition, the kitchens are significantly larger and will support the growth of the company. A butcher’s shop with take-away products is also to be added to the business in the future.
Salvaged Artifacts
Several artifacts rescued from the flames find a place in the new space, including two 16-foot totems that, although “burned up,” stand proud in a second-story living room.
Dominique Lelievre
Also featured are three giant canoes used in filming the Barkskins series. “These are typical canoes like the ones we built,” said Mr. Gros-Louis.
With a head full of projects, he is already thinking of a second phase. A new outbuilding with bar and microbrewery is planned for 2024-2025.
Dominique Lelievre
The activities of the restaurant represent more than 70 jobs.
However, operations will continue in the second branch in Old Quebec.