Cape Breton soup-er stars
Design gurus hope to launch soup brand after renovating Louisbourg hotel
LOUISBOURG — Internationally celebrated interior designers Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan aren’t just planning to renovate and rebrand a Louisbourg hotel, they hope to soup up the local economy — literally.
The Scottish duo — best known as Colin and Justin from their multiple TV projects — recently purchased the Point of View Suites, a fiveacre resort on the Atlantic coast near the famed Fortress of Louisbourg.
However, Ryan says once they remodel the scenic seaside retreat — which includes 20 suites, two restaurants, a laundromat, beach house, and lobster shack — he wants to launch a gourmet soup brand in the area.
“I’m really, really keen to launch a soup brand. That’s a really big ambition of mine,” Ryan told the Post in a recent interview.
“I know that sounds a bit random but it’s always been my big ambition. There were always two things I wanted to do in life: one was to own a hotel, and the other was to launch a soup brand. We’re halfway there, and now that we’re here, I feel this is the perfect place to make those soups. So, we’re looking at sites for a small soup manufacturing plant and create incredible gourmet soups.”
READY TO RELAUNCH
In the meantime, the couple, who have hosted multiple TV shows like “Home Heist” and “Cabin Pressure” have plenty of work ahead as they prepare to relaunch Point of View Suites as North Star.
McAllister said they had planned to remain closed until 2022 but opened this summer due to demand.
They re-hired many of the former housekeeping, kitchen and front-of-house staff and began welcoming guests, as well as serving breakfast from 7:30-10 a.m. weekdays before recently hosting a weekend brunch Saturdays and Sundays until 2 p.m.
McAllister said he was immediately struck by the natural beauty and the welcoming nature of the local residents in the town.
“We’ve travelled all over the world and we’re here because Louisbourg is special. It has it all. Whatever it is — the spark that makes someone a superstar instead of a B-movie actor, whatever that is, Louisbourg has it. It has great history and heritage, it has natural beauty, it has proximity to airports, it has people who want to do something, and there’s a natural draw — there’s the fortress, the trails and the lighthouses. That’s why we’re here,” he said.
“We just love it. I don’t know why people keep asking what do we like about it here — open your eyes people, look around. There’s a great vibe here, there’s a really nice attitude and people are relaxed.”
WARM WELCOME
Both McAllister and Ryan said they’ve been overwhelmed by the warm welcome they’ve received since they arrived in July.
“It’s been quite incredible — the people have been so friendly and so supportive. Every day for the first couple of weeks there was somebody at the door with a gift — flowers, somebody brought us a live lobster, somebody brought us a salmon in a box, fruits, candies, bottles of wine, a bottle of Champagne, 12 red roses,” Ryan said as McAllister added to the list.
“Chanterelle mushrooms — it’s just been endless. We were working late one day and we went to another inn in town because they have a restaurant there and we missed the last order because their kitchen was closed but by the time we got back here, a lady who was there came around and she brought us cabbage rolls and brought us all this home cooking because we’d missed dinner at the other inn. That’s social media — and social media has always existed in small fishing communities — it’s called being neighbourly.”