A new fitness and social club that promises to be unlike anything Ottawa has ever seen is working with a pair of acclaimed local chefs, Ross Fraser and Simon Fraser, to open a 100-seat restaurant at Altea Active Ottawa.
The Ottawa investors behind the $30-million-plus project say they wanted to join forces with these specific culinarians based on their proven track record; innovative approach and use of fresh, local and seasonal ingredients; and ability to create eating spaces that attract community.
It’s been 15 years since the Fraser brothers opened their eponymous restaurant in the New Edinburgh and Rockcliffe Park area. Located on Springfield Road, Fraser has become a neighbourhood gem.
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For Ginger Bertrand, some of her earliest childhood memories in Ottawa are centred around healthcare. “I grew up across the street from what was originally the General Hospital,” she explains,
In 2015, the chefs/owners launched their second eatery, The Rowan on Bank Street in the Glebe. It more than holds its own against the larger restaurant chains at nearby Lansdowne.
While the brothers don’t bask in the spotlight as much as some other chefs, they have modestly maintained a deep connection with their community. They see their collaboration with Altea as a positive career evolution.
“An opportunity like this doesn’t come along very often,” said Ross, who’s always looking to grow professionally. He was formerly head chef at hospitality venues at the Olympic Games in Korea and Brazil, as well as at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The timing is right, Simon agreed. “It’s very exciting.”
Among their longest-standing customers is Ottawa resident David Wu. He’s also the co-founder and president of Altea Active, an active lifestyle brand that’s been expanding into major markets across Canada.
The fitness chain is opening its third location — Altea Active Vancouver — in early November. It opened its first club in Winnipeg in 2019 and launched in Toronto, in Liberty Village, in 2022. Altea has plans for a second location in Toronto in 2024.
Altea Active Ottawa will be the largest of its locations, however, when it begins welcoming members in November 2024. Earlier this year, the company entered into a 50-year agreement to occupy the former Canadian Tire store on Carling Avenue, just west of Churchill Avenue.
“We’re committed to this community for the long term,” Altea Active board member and shareholder Jeff York said during an interview at Fraser restaurant.
Ottawa-based VCL Construction is overseeing the redevelopment of the 129,000-square-foot building.
“We want this location to be a landmark in Ottawa,” York said of its central location, proximity to Highway 417 and ample free parking.
Wu co-founded Altea with chief operating officer Michael Nolan in 2017. The businessmen are former senior partners at Movati Athletic. They left the company six years ago, inspired to build an even better business model and customer experience.
Altea Active Ottawa is expected to create between 225 and 250 part- and full-time jobs in the health, wellness and hospitality sectors.
“It’s going to be the biggest and best in Ottawa,” York promised. “We want to bring everything we’ve learned from Dave’s experience and Mike’s experience at Movati and what we’ve learned so far from (the Altea in) Toronto and just bring the best that we can bring to Ottawa and wow the consumer.”
To call Altea Active a gym would be a gross oversimplification. It defines itself as a wellness, fitness and social club for people looking to be healthy at all stages of life. Its Ottawa facility will have nine boutique studio fitness classes offering 200-plus classes each week, state-of-the-art strength and cardio equipment, personal and small-group training, recovery and spa amenities.
There will be a six-court indoor pickleball facility; virtual golf; a five-lane, 25-metre lap pool and a separate toddler swimming lesson pool; a women’s-only club with cardio and strength machines; multiple lounge areas for social events; member wine lockers; coworking facilities; and an Altea Kids Club with mini gym and birthday party room.
Of top priority is hospitality. That’s why it was so important to Altea that it has qualified people running its food and beverage operations, similar to what it’s done in Toronto with Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality. The club will also feature a smoothie bar and Starbucks Coffee outlet.
Ross and Simon Fraser are the perfect fit, said York.
“We’re going to bring the right quality of food with local people that ‘get’ the food business. They really match our branding in terms of what we want Ottawa to see us as.”
York is an Ottawa businessman with a golden touch. He first took Ottawa-based Giant Tiger national before expanding local food retailer Farm Boy to the southwestern Ontario and GTA markets. He’s also part of the new ownership of the Ottawa Senators hockey team.
“I always use the Farm Boy analogy,” York continued. “We do it one step up, and Fraser does it one step up. Altea wants to deliver for its members.”
He likes that Fraser restaurant is unpretentious. “There’s an authenticity to its brand. It’s a neighbourhood place where people like to hang out. The quality is great, the owners are involved in the community.”
The Fraser brothers are currently consulting with Ottawa-based McRobie Architects, as well as designers from Toronto-based luxury design firm Chapi Chapo, to figure out the layout of the new restaurant space. “We’re trying to make sure we end up with a restaurant that flows well,” said Ross.
The chefs’ ultimate goal is to offer expertly prepared food and create a welcoming space. The restaurant will be open to club members and the public.
“We’re building an atmosphere that’s going to encompass the full experience of going out,” said Simon. “You’re going out for your evening, it’s what you’ve chosen to do for your entertainment, and we hope to take all that into consideration and make it a lively spot with interesting decor, great food to match and the hospitality that we somehow manage to pull off.”
Along with York, the project is backed by the bulk of the Altea management team, who are co-investors, along with Dentons’ Ottawa managing partner David Little; Dentons partner Andrea Johnson; former Farm Boy CFO Marc Santerre; Nouville Holdings president Louis Tremblay; Econo Petroleum CEO Goldy Singh; Dentons partner Phil Rimer; Dr. Sanjay Acharya; Smart Living Properties CEO Tamer Abaza; Sciemetric CEO Nathan Sheaff; and VCL Construction president Mark Dalton.
