Though it may be located on the outskirts of Edmonton in the small city of Beaumont, any food-loving Edmontonian will tell you that Chartier is always worth the drive. A restaurant that takes pride in its French-Canadian approach opened nearly five years ago and has always maintained its place in the front of the pack when it comes to Alberta's restaurant community.
Co-owner Sylvia Cheverie explains that her and her husband Darren brought the restaurant name to life through research at their local library–yes, libraries still exist. During their research regarding French-Canadian ties to Alberta, they discovered a settler from Quebec by the name of Louis Chartier who was one of the founders of Beaumont.
“When Father Morin [another founding settler of the city]went to Ottawa petition for a post office in the early 1900s, he went with three potential names for the new 'town',” explains Cheverie.
These included Beaumont as well as Bellevue (later used for a school) and Chartier, which remained unused until the restaurant’s opening in March 2016.
Cheverie goes on to say that she had tried tirelessly to find a photo of Louis Chartier to incorporate into their branding in one way or another. However, no luck was found as it appears that a photo doesn’t exist. A mystery man, if you will.
While Chartier is an undeniably charming name for the eatery, the couple had also considered Neuf-Deux-Neuf which translates to "929". This number was the original area code of Beaumont, but now these digits belongs to the boroughs of New York City.
"It just didn’t dig deep enough into what makes this place so damn special and unique,” she says.
Chartier did not reopen for dine-in service this week, but still offers a wide array of takeout and delivery options.
