VIEW FROM RICHMOND
Cake creator takes over L’Auberge in Arichat
New owner giving Arichat landmark a facelift.
With spring right around the corner, it is a great time to see the tourism industry planning for the upcoming season.
Each year we see some changes take place around the county such as new sidewalks, updated signage and new businesses.
This year it has just been announced there is a new owner taking over the operation of L’Auberge Acadian Inn in Arichat. Shauna Austin, formerly Shauna Landry, is returning home to the historic island of Isle Madame to start a new and exciting adventure in business.
Austin graduated from Acadia University in 1996 with her BBA degree and excelled in the financial services industry where she worked for more than a decade. In 2007 she discovered she was happiest when using her creativity. So in 2008 she decided to venture into a new field of business, where she lets her creative side take her to new heights as the owner/operator of City Girls Cakes.
In this venture she took the cake world by storm with her magnificent, artistic cake creations. She loves to incorporate the emotions and dreams of her clients in her creations, making
the cakes even more special for each and every event with her fabulously sweet, edible art.
Now her new adventure brings her and her family back home. Over the years Austin and her two children returned to Cape Breton to visit family on special occasions and summer vacations, and during these trips, she would pass by L’Auberge Acadian Inn and think how she would love to own it.
When vacationing with family outside Canada, she says it was so nice to find the smaller bed and breakfasts and inns where she and her family were made to feel at home and were able to stroll along the streets feeling more like a local than a visitor, and that it was her dream to recreate that experience for her guests here on the beautiful Acadian island of Isle Madame.
Having just taken over ownership of the inn, she is giving it a completely fresh look that represents her style and flare. Austin also intends to reopen the restaurant section of the inn to accommodate the needs of the island and her guests.
We want to congratulate Ms. Austin on this new and exciting venture that she is undertaking, and on having her dream come true. I look forward to seeing the final results of the inn’s makeover with enthusiasm.
Ann Marie Yorke has worked closely with the Richmond County tourism industry and has been a tourism information officer in St. Peter’s for 15 years. She looks forward to your comments at annmarieyorke@hotmail.com.