About Us

The Beginnings

In the fall of 1998 Eugene and Eric were sharing a one-bedroom apartment in Winnipeg. Eric, 21, was in his final year at University of Manitoba, and Eugene, 25, had gone back to school and was in his first year at University of Winnipeg. Lawrence, 29, and Chris, 27, were at home on the farm near the end of a tumultuous year that saw the seizure of all the farm equipment. But not before they seeded the farm down to a perennial grass, timothy hay.

Unfortunately, timothy needs a year to mature and produce a crop, so that fall there was no harvest. Searching for an answer, Lawrence came up with one during a phone conversation with Eugene in the city. He suggested working together to open a restaurant rather than trying to go it alone. The other boys quickly agreed. They always believed that it was better to work for yourself and work together to make something happen then split up and try to get ahead by working for minimum wage. Chris and Lawrence moved in with Eugene and Eric, so the four of them were living in a one-bedroom apartment. Lawrence slept on the living room floor on the cushions from the couch while Chris slept on the now cushion-less couch. They were broke with their backs against the wall and nothing to lose. Let’s do it!

Eugene looked through the “For Lease” classifieds and set up a few appointments as Lawrence drove into the city. The next night they went to look at the first place. That was the start of Luxsolé.

The boys got into a routine that a lot of new restaurants start off with. Hours - lots of them. They had no staff and no real sense of how successful this new venture may be, so all they could do was jump in with both feet and get to work! They arrived at 10am and left at 11pm, six days a week. It was an exhausting schedule but exciting because they were learning a new business from the ground up. The turning point came in October, 1999, when Luxsolé got its first review in the Winnipeg Free Press. It was a great, four-and-a-half star review. The boys didn’t know what hit them! The phone started ringing that morning with reservations and the restaurant was packed for weeks after. It’s been a fantastic ride ever since. The boys bought the farm back in 2000 and continue to raise timothy hay with the help of their retired father, Lawrence Sr.

The Name

But where did they get the name? During a brainstorming session for a name, Eric suggested looking through his Latin dictionary. Twenty minutes later, he came up with “Lux de Sole”, which means “Light from the sun”. The boys instantly knew that it had a great ring and meant something to them as farmers, as nothing would grow without sunlight. They simply shortened it to Luxsolé, pronounced lux-soul-lay.

The Expansion

Things moved fast. Luxsolé Downtown opened in Winnipeg Square in 2001 and was sold in 2003, when catering operations were consolidated back to the Osborne location. The Osborne location underwent a major renovation in the spring of 2003, expanding the dining room and atrium to 70 seats, creating a bigger walk-in cooler and prep area and greatly expanding the kitchen to handle all the extra business. Luxsolé continues to do very well, employing over 30 staff, increasing catering and pick-up/delivery sales every year and offering their customers a unique, regional dining experience that blends urban and rural tastes.

The New Addition

In 2007 the former tenants of the space where Luxalune is now, decided to close their doors. But Chris and Lawrence saw an opportunity, and wanted to expand and explore their options.

With their acquired business knowledge theses two brothers transformed an ageing pool hall, to an upscale pub that has a relaxed atmosphere, in just a month! Luxalune officially opened its doors in March 2008.

With summer just around the corner Luxalune is sure to make an impression on Winnipeg as its first and only gastropub.