Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
PORTAGE DU FORT
Sept. 1, 2017
An old spot in Portage du Fort has reopened, with a new name, lots of renovations and some new owners.
Now called Casse Croûte du Coin, the newly done up chip stand at the corner of Hwy. 303 and Chemin de Calumet fired up the grills Friday morning, hoping to catch the influx of people passing through to the Shawville Fair.

“We’ve been renovating for three months, from scratch,” said Guy Lalonde, who owns the stand with his wife Rose-Anne Lalonde.
“He’s been renovating, I’ve been watching,” added Rose-Anne, laughing.
Knowing they’ve started late into the traditional chip stand season, the couple have hopes that their prime location will be their saving grace.
“Basically, to open at the same time as the fair was ideal,” said Guy.
Although, a varied menu from what was previously available in the area should help them.
“We’re trying to keep a variety [of options] between the restaurant down the road,” said Guy. “Here, I think it is our pizza [that will] bring people in.”
Locals sure have noticed them working away to get set up there, and an excitement for something new had one customer lining up to order right at opening. Jacques Leroux’s eagerness could probably be attributed to living across the street from the stand. He’s had the opportunity to watch the Lalondes get set all summer.
And this summer, for Guy and Rose-Anne, has been a long one.
Living over an hour away, they’d be cramming as many renovations as possible into a work day, all in an effort to open before the long weekend.
“The biggest challenge to overcome was to be ready,” laughed Guy.
And even now that they are all ready to go, the work is just getting started. While Rose-Anne keeps the pizzas rolling out from the corner, Guy has more renos to do – this time on an accompanying chip truck.