A living wall of non-edible plants and a 20-foot waterfall is being built at one of the entrances. Though hard to imagine in its current state, he said the decor of the restaurant is going to be minimalist, with mahogany accents. Things we always wanted to do but couldn't." The fire has "given us time to reflect and do improvements. "We won't open it just for the sake of the film festival."
"The main thing is to open it properly," Vasko said. It has attracted a demanding clientele and, the brothers say, one they hope will return. "It becomes the focus of other people more than it was for us," he said, though the restaurant has never been shy about advertising its patrons in the media and online. "One or two celebrities gets their pictures in the newspaper" and the place becomes a known quantity among the jet set. "It's one of those things that gets a life of its own," said Vasko. Neither brother can say exactly why Sassafraz, with its streetside patio and wide windows, became the place for the famous to display their wares one of those places where gawkers eager to become wide-eyed would slow down, seeking a glimpse of that too-perfect skin and hair. The two took over Sassafraz five years ago. "We had always known we were a popular restaurant," added Vasko.
We were honoured by the amount of feedback we got, asking us to rebuild," he said. The shell of the restaurant was all that there was left to salvage. The windows are covered with paper and plastic, and electrical cords hang in loops from the ceiling. The inside of the restaurant still smells like sawdust, and is littered with wheelbarrows, industrial lights and ladders.
Repairs have cost about $5 million, the brothers say, and their 100 employees have had to find work elsewhere – although many are trickling back, once again looking for jobs. But their father, who had been in Toronto's restaurant business since the '60s, encouraged the brothers to keep at it. I would use the word surreal," said owner Vasko Kocovski, of that moment eight months ago when a grease fire stripped the interior of the school-bus-yellow building to the brick.Ĭlosing the restaurant was one of the options on the table, added his brother, Zoran Kocovski. One spark, and the fire was out of control within moments. The owners now know the cause of the lunchtime fire that nearly destroyed the city's Yorkville landmark last December: a grease trap overflowed onto the grill, causing an ember of flame to float up through the hood above. It should come as a relief for celebrities who would otherwise be unsure of where to see and be seen come film festival season. The drywall is raw, the floor wooden and bare, and unflattering metal scaffolding hugs the Toronto landmark, but its owners are still expecting to open Sassafraz in time for the Toronto International Film Festival.
0 kommentar(er)
