After being destroyed by fire 14 months ago, a local bakery is finally reopening its doors on Tuesday (March 17).
The Italian Bakery at 3197 Quadra St. suffered an estimated $160,000 in damages on Jan. 30,2014 from a fire that originated in the kitchen. It has been shut down ever since.
The fire was caused by product containers made of paper stored on top of the oven against the exhaust ducting, said Batallion Chief Mike Stark, at the time of the fire.
“I thought we’d be back up and running earlier,” said bakery owner Alberto Pozzolo. “If I’d known it was going to take this long, I would have taken a trip to Italy.”
The bakery opened in 1978, so in addition to fixing damages from the fire, there were also upgrades that needed to be done such as a new handicap accessible bathroom.
Pozzolo said he expects his insurance to pay for everything, but there are still details to work out.
One of the major elements that had to be replaced was the oven, which had to be lowered into the bakery through the roof with a crane.
“We got really luck early on to find an oven that would work,” said Pozzolo. “I think the oven was fortunate that we were here, because it's a big oven, and it needs a big space.”
Pozzolo said he’s sure the bakery will see many familiar faces.
“I’m confident that a lot of people ill be excited for us to come back.”
Bakery production manager Dylan Cross has been working with the new oven figuring out how it works in preparation for the reopening.
“I’m excited for a new chapter,” said Cross. “I’ve been with this business for 13 years, so it’s nice to come back to it and grow.”