Jean-Claude Proulx

"Meanwhile, the work is coming to an end. In the fall of 1957, the grand dining room is inaugurated. Jean-Claude Proulx is hired on the evening of the opening, a Friday, to lend a hand as a busboy. For the young man arriving straight from his native Abitibi, it is an opportunity to discover the wildlife of Montreal’s wild nights. At the time, in fact, the restaurant closed at five in the morning. Television had not yet fully entered people’s habits. Montrealers from all walks of life enjoyed going out late at night. It was the golden age of clubs like the Mocambo or the Casa Loma, where great American, French, and French-Canadian stars performed one after another. Cinema was also experiencing its golden age. From 11 o’clock at night, night owls flocked to St-Hubert Bar-B-Q. Some came out of the cinema, others came to eat before heading to a nightclub. In the early hours of the morning, it was more the revelers, sometimes unruly, who brought excitement. Until 3 a.m., people lined up to taste the good chicken. In just a few years, St-Hubert had become the last salon where people chatted, from dusk till dawn."

"The counter is doing so well that, three years later, it is decided to open an adjoining dining room. René Léger likes to say that he trusts young people. The growth of his business gives him the opportunity to prove it once again. Florent Pelletier inherits the position of evening manager, while Pierre Paul Boucher still holds the day position. That same year, in April 1960, a new branch is created at 4590 Sainte-Catherine East Street. The establishment also experiences tremendous success, much to the delight of Jean-Claude Proulx who finds himself in charge. In the basement of the establishment, the Légers set up a pastry shop that will provide desserts for all the rotisseries."

"But the hardest part remains to be done: drawing up the plans for a rotisserie and installing everything in a week and a half. Fortunately, the sharp team at St-Hubert is already experienced. Renovation and development work in the branches has never really stopped over the past ten years. Thus, Jean-Claude Proulx, who has worked on several of these projects, will be in charge of the design and execution of the project on Île Notre-Dame. A real race against time begins. However, René Léger has covered his bases. Did he expect that the organizers of Terre des Hommes would one day come back? In any case, the St-Hubert Bar-B-Q workshop, located on Normanville Street, is already running at full speed at the time of the agreement. The Légers in fact control the manufacturing of their equipment from A to Z. They thus have a permanent team that builds the counters and rotisserie ovens as well as ensuring their maintenance. As early as spring, they hired extra staff to build new rotisserie ovens. Pierre Paul Boucher is one of them. He was even detached from his position as manager at Saint-Henri for the purpose. The young man suspected that something was going on. Mr. Léger is not the type to shake everything up without a reason. Whatever the case, the result is there: eight ovens with a capacity of sixty chickens are ready for the opening."