The Tiffany Tea Room

Take a step back in time at the Tiffany Tea Room 

By Taylor McClure
Townships’ Daily News Bits
CIDI 99.1 FM

The Auberge Lakeview Inn, considered an historical building, was built in 1874 by a group of Loyalist settlers. Then known as Lake View House Hotel, it welcomed people travelling by stagecoach, and then eventually by train with the arrival of the railroad. It was around this time that the inn quickly grew popular. 

Best known for bringing its guests on a trip back in time, the Lakeview Inn has preserved its history and heritage that is reminiscent of the Victorian era. Its presence continues to take centre stage in the heart of Knowlton.

Taking a slight right upon entering the Lakeview Inn, visitors and guests will come across the inn’s dining room inspired by Victorian architecture. 

Knowlton resident Shelly Coderre, who has been working at the Lakeview Inn on and off for the past 10 years, recognized an opportunity to use the dining room to create a special experience for those that walked through its doors. Welcome to the Tiffany Tea Room. 

“I took my interior designer course and I opened a little boutique in Bondville. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out very well, and I came back working for Van Voutsinas, who is the owner of the Lakeview. (…) The Lakeview is my love, I love every inch of this place,” said Coderre. 

For the last three years, Coderre planned out “everything that would happen in this particular room.”

“Honestly I didn’t have much to do. I mean look at this room, it is absolutely perfect. It’s beautiful, it takes you back in time, absolutely gorgeous. Basically all I had to do is get some cups of tea, rearrange a few things, and here we are,” Coderre told CIDI. 

The whole idea behind Tiffany’s Tea Room, we’ve all gone through a lot in the last three years and Covid has hit everyone in a different way, explained Coderre. 

“I thought, where could we possibly go to have some quiet time, get out of the house, and forget what’s been going on? Working here in the evenings and showing people around, I got that urge to do a tea room and every client that walked in the room said it was such a good idea,” she mentioned.

Coderre told CIDI that she is appreciative that Voutsinas was on board with the idea and provided her with the opportunity to get the tea room up and running. 

“Especially when I named the tea room after his daughter. (…) I will hope that it will continue on,” she added. 

While she said she is “far from being an expert,” Coderre is trying to make the Tiffany Tea Room experience as authentic as possible by offering not only tea, but snacks and sweets that early settlers may have divulged in at tea time. 

As of right now, Coderre has the typical tea bags available, but eventually she wants to have high quality tea for guests.

“So of course there’s scones, cream puffs, little sweets, and those beautiful little sandwiches. You got your egg salad, your cucumber, and sometimes for the gentlemen the ham and cheese that is a little bit more substantial. People appreciate that,” mentioned Coderre. 

It just spoke to me, every time I walked in here, it just felt like this is a tea room, emphasized Coderre. 

“This has to be used again and people have to remember how things were done properly. This type of setting you’re not going to see every day. If you don’t come and experience it, you’ll never know what is the high tea or the low tea, or whatever. You enjoy this moment, you really do,” she said. 

As she continues to develop the Tiffany Tea Room at the Lakeview, Coderre said that she eventually wants to open up the dining room for events and she has other projects in mind. 

“It has to be used again, people have to live in here. It’s so sad all of these beautiful buildings that are being left behind. It’s should be lived in and that’s one way is the events,” she highlighted. 

Obviously, you can go to Tim Hortons, you can go to these places that are fast, you get what you pay for, but what you’re getting here is the atmosphere, said Coderre. 

“It’s a healing. I feel myself, even if I’m not busy, I’ll sit down and go through my magazines, go through new recipes, and I feel like I’m healing. It’s bringing a lot of good things in my life and in the people’s lives also,” she added. 

The Tiffany Tea Room is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Auberge Lakeview Inn. 

For any questions, Coderre can be reached at 450-531-4940.

Listen to the full interview below: