This is us...
The discovery of the Chanterelle mushrooms was a major factor in Innkeeper Earlene Busch's decision to move from Boulder, Colorado, and build the Inn. She originally came to Cape Breton to pick up a bedroom suite of handmade curly maple furniture crafted by Bob Lambie of the Dovetail Shop near Margaree and fell in love with the area.
Recognizing the healthfulness of the fresh air and the serenity and pristine beauty of the North River Valley, her facinating story was born as she decided to build an Inn dedicated to the local environment. The Inn draws its water (we call it "Chanterelle Champagne") from a natural spring fed well, and the restaurant serves organic and food grown within 100 KM whenever available.
The inn's structure itself is modeled after a traditional Cape Breton barn, designed to look rustic on outside, and built to welcome guests with a rich and comfortable interior. Weathered hemlock from 1912 was recycled from the original barn, and now frames the commons area, the dining room and the upstairs hallways. The cottages are recycled, too, from a property in Ingonish that shut down.
Innkeeper/Chef Earlene Busch’s Honors
2011 TPH Sustainability Award Finalist - RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards
2011 Cutting Edge Culinary Competition Competitor
2009 Women in Business Innovation Award - Cape Breton Partnership
2008 & 2006 Terra Madre Canadian Representative - Slow Food Italy

Cape Breton's Brilliance
Whether you want to get lost in nature, history or music, our island is the ideal place to suspend reality