The Robicheau family came back to the hospitality industry better than ever with their businesses La Cuisine Robicheau, Le Ptit Robicheau, and Cabane d’Horizon. Nadine, Scott, and their son Shane continue the family tradition of owning and operating a restaurant while venturing outside the comfort of food and drinks to build luxurious accommodations on their property. While offering fresh seafood at their restaurant, comfort food at the food truck, and beautiful views at their Airbnb, the Robicheaus are also devoted to helping the residents of Clare, Nova Scotia, and carrying on the legacy of a dear friend along the way.
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Nadine and Scott Robicheau started their journey in the hospitality industry running a restaurant alongside Scott’s parents fourteen years ago in Clare, Nova Scotia. After selling the first restaurant, Scott, his father, and his brother transitioned into the lobster industry and had a lobster processing plant. Nadine took a waitressing job at a small, local seafood restaurant. The restaurant served authentic Acadian cuisine and was owned and operated by Chef Paul Comeau. When Chef Comeau passed away, the Robicheau family knew they could not let go of his legacy and the atmosphere his restaurant provided to the locals and tourists alike. With Nadine and Scott having many years of experience in the hospitality industry and their son Shane being a recently graduated Chef, the family opened La Cuisine Robicheau in 2012 to carry on Chef Comeau’s passion for food, friends, family, and most importantly community. The Robicheaus proudly carry on the principles and memory of their friend and mentor, Chef Comeau, and continue to serve some of his most popular dishes.
At La Cuisine Robicheau, people can expect exceptional Acadian cuisine including fresh seafood. Many people would describe La Cuisine Robicheau as being a warm, welcoming place to dine. The restaurant is located in a 100-plus-year-old house, that has an old stove right in the front. Almost the entire staff is Acadian and are bilingual, speaking both French and English. “We take pride in everything we have here and the experience we want to give,” Shane Robicheau said. The restaurant is open seasonally from April until the first day of January. A distinguishing quality the restaurant offers is that they do not use deep fryers for any of the food. They also refrain from using plastics as much as possible and are eco-friendly with compostable takeout containers. Signature dishes at La Cuisine Robicheau include Seafood Lasagna, and Acadian Rappie Pie made with either chicken or clam. Seafood Lasagna and Rappie Pie are made from scratch every morning and are first come, first served. The Robicheau family is involved not only in the restaurant but also in the process of sourcing the local ingredients. “My uncle owns and operates seafood markets, so we get fresh scallops from him,” Robicheau explained. “We grew up on fresh lobster, crabs, scallops … everything was fresh from the ocean I’m looking at right now.”
The Robicheaus didn’t stop with just the restaurant. In 2020 they invested in Clare’s first and only food truck. Le Ptit Robicheau food truck complimented the restaurant, particularly in times of pandemic restrictions. With dine-in options restricted, the food truck takeout was a great way to keep the business going and keep customers coming back. Due to the truck being outside, it was easy to maintain social distancing and any other regulations that were in place at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Le Ptit Robicheau also offers a different menu than La Cuisine Robicheau, which gives more options for people who don’t prefer seafood. The food truck has gourmet burgers, poutines, and many sides as well as some seafood options. Customers are welcome to order food off the food truck menu 
and bring it inside the restaurant to eat with their family. The most popular menu item at Le Petit Robicheau is the Thai Chili Chicken Poutine. What was once just a specialty item, the Thai Chili Chicken Poutine had customers calling wanting more so the Robicheaus couldn’t resist putting it on the everyday menu. The food truck operations have expanded so much within the short amount of time it has been operating, and it’s only looking up from here. “We started with 3 employees for the food truck in 2020,” Robicheau said. “But now we have 14 employees. It is fast growing.”
The Robicheau family wanted to share their beautiful ocean views with more than just diners passing through. While looking to invest in accommodations, Shane Robicheau said he was always fascinated by shipping containers. “We’re right by the ocean. We have strong winds, long winters, and salty air. We wanted something durable that will last for many years,” he explained. Shipping containers make for unique accommodations and the Robicheaus took a chance on them. “When we designed and constructed the sea-can cabins it all came together,” he said. “It was a learning curve for me, my family, and the contractors because they had never worked on shipping containers before.” The sea-can cabins were the first of their kind in Saulnierville, providing a 
unique experience for locals and tourists. In 2020, Cabane d’Horizon was officially ready for guests. The shipping containers were converted into beautiful, modern living spaces. They include many amenities that guests could find in a house including cooking appliances, a heat pump, television, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, and a hot tub. Although there is so much to do at Cabane d’Horizon, there are also beaches located nearby for guests to enjoy. Other activities in the area for tourists to check out include clam digging, hiking, and kayaking.
Along with Cabane d’Horizon, the Robicheaus put on a unique oceanside culinary experience called SeaRoots. Chef Shane Robicheau and Chef Paul cook a six-course meal right on the beach while guests can socialize at the Acadian-style harvest table. This 4-hour experience includes local seafood and beverage pairings, live music, and a cozy campfire. The menu items include oysters, salmon, scallops, lobster and more!
Providing fresh delicious food and luxurious accommodations aren’t the only things the Robicheau family has taken on. Helping the residents of Clare is also very important to the Robicheaus. They have a burger on their menu called The Charity Burger, as well as items of clothing they sell, with all proceeds going to charity or nonprofit organizations each month. “A big thing for us is to push supporting charities in the area,” Shane Robicheau said. This led him to the idea of providing a free meal on Christmas Eve in 2022. With hopes to help families struggling financially over the holidays, The Robicheaus and a few community partners and friends got together to plan the free meal. “On Christmas Eve we hosted a free community meal for the residents of Clare for anybody who wanted to come, no questions asked” he explained. There were local volunteers, live music and even takeout for people who couldn’t attend. They served approximately 200 people that day and Robicheau said his committee is at 12 members now to help him continue to provide food to the community daily. “We now provide fresh food, frozen food, and pantry items every day for the people of Clare who have food insecurities,” Robicheau said. They have had incredible feedback on the community fridge, freezer, and pantry.
Shane Robicheau reveals plans for another shipping container accommodation in the future with at least a couple of bedrooms. It’s important to him to continue with the shipping containers for their unique modern style, and durability. The future also holds more opportunities to expand their businesses and ways to continue to help the community. To keep up to date with the Robicheau family and their business ventures, be sure to follow them on social media.
by Gabrielle Gamblin