The chefs and co-owners of Pied Bleu and Renard et la Chouette, Louis Bouchard-Trudeau and Thania Goyette, surprised several customers with this announcement made Wednesday in a message filled with emotion and gratitude on their Facebook social network page.
“It’s the end, dear friends. It is with great emotion that we announce the end of a beautiful adventure. Le Renard et la Chouette bowed out this Monday, August 26, and Le Pied Bleu will retire on Sunday, September 1,” it is written.
“Thania and I will be at Pied Bleu on Wednesday and Thursday evenings to share a last drink with you. If you can’t join us, know that we will continue to liquidate products on the markets until September 8, when you can still find us on Île Verte,” they added.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for these 16 years filled with unforgettable moments. Your support and your presence have made this adventure exceptional,” we conclude.
The chefs and co-owners of Pied Bleu, Louis Bouchard-Trudeau and Thania Goyette, at their gourmet counter on Île-Verte. (The Blue Foot)
The reasons for the closure of these two businesses on rue Saint-Vallier Ouest have not been specified. Contacted by The Sunone of the co-owners – obviously busy with the dismantling of the premises of the Renard et la Chouette – indicated that he lacked time in the short term to explain this decision.
However, the couple of chefs at the head of these culinary projects may not have said their last word. Indeed, their clientele of “blood sausage and charcuterie lovers” is invited to sign up for a newsletter to discover their “future projects”.
A surprising closure
At the SDC Saint-Sauveur, a non-profit corporation responsible for commercial development and economic revitalization of the neighborhood, they said they were surprised — and obviously sorry — to learn of the closure of these addresses.
“It’s a shame because we really like them and they fit in well with the neighborhood ecosystem. So, it’s not good news, but we console ourselves by seeing some of our other businesses that are doing very well every day.”
— Nadia Reghai Gagnon, General Manager of the SDC Saint-Sauveur
The redevelopment project on Rue Saint-Vallier Ouest, which began in the summer of 2024 and will last three years, would not be the cause, however, according to Ms. Gagnon. However, she had not yet discussed the subject with the team at the now-defunct Pied Bleu at the time of the phone call from Soleil.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with the work,” adds the general manager. “Currently, we have looked very carefully at the state of our restaurateurs based on the number of people on the street. We have encouraged them to make automatic compensation requests to the City. But in their case [Le Pied Bleu et Le Renard et la Chouette]they had not come forward to the SDC for assistance in this regard.”
black pudding worthy of great honors
From the arrival of Pied Bleu in the heart of Saint-Sauveur, the late restaurant critic of Soleil Stéphanie Bois-Houde said that it had “the effect of an electroshock, in addition to rejuvenating the neighborhood’s footprint.”
Of its little brother Le Renard et la Chouette, a refreshment bar halfway between a bouchon lyonnais and a charcuterie bar, she praised “the natural relaxation of the address and the dishes that seem to have been invented by magic”, from the hand of a chef who “has a blast with spontaneity in front of customers with the ingredients of the day.”
The Blue Foot had proclaimed itself “king of black pudding”, with good reason… (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
On its website, the business had proclaimed itself—not without humor—the king of blood sausage. With good reason, however, since Pied Bleu’s blood sausage had earned numerous awards over the years, including the Delys d’Or award for best Quebec blood sausage in 2022 and the Palme d’Or from the Chevaliers du Goûte-Boudin in Normandy earlier this year.
Over the years, Le Pied Bleu has carried out numerous projects at several locations: counters at the Grand Marché and the Galeries gourmandes, the drive-in At Jacquelin, there is even a small branch at the Île-Verte Lighthouse, off Rivière-du-Loup, among others.
Are you saddened by the closure of Le Pied Bleu and Le Renard et la Chouette? Leave your comments at the bottom of this article.
