It was via Curé Labelle’s railway, which reached Saint-Jovite in 1893, that the first travelers found their way into the mountains of the Pays-d’en-Haut. But it was only in 1927 that the first “snow trains” began transporting hordes of skiers to the mountains. The “P’tit Train du Nord” railway and the increasing popularity of skiing then made possible construction of the inns and other buildings that were needed to welcome the growing numbers of visitors.

In 1987, the Saint-Jovite train station was sold and relocated to Saint-Jovite’s centre-town. Mr. George Kelegher, a well-known antique dealer, undertook the renovation and redecoration of the station, taking great pains to preserve its authenticity. In June of 1988, artist Pierre Hardy painted a magnificent mural on the facing wall, transporting its viewers to the P’tit Train du Nord experience of the 1930s.

Antipasto restaurant, which had been operating on rue St-George since 1984, then moved into the train station. It reopened its doors on June 30th, 1988, allowing this Canadian Pacific Railway building to find again its true vocation, that of welcoming visitors and locals to the town centre.

With her contagious smile, owner Jacynthe Léonard keeps the warm welcome alive – a charming tradition that has been an Antipasto trademark since 1984. Since 1997, Jacinthe has been supported by her son Chef Manuel Ritchie, heir to the family tradition that has been passed from father to son for three generations.

After graduating from the École Hôtelière de Sainte-Adèle in 1998, our chef Manuel successfully completed a training to perfect his cooking skills at the Centro di Cultura Enogastronomico Aula Magna di Cesena in Italy’s Emilie-Romagne region, in 2000.