Rekindling community connections

Twigg’s was embraced by the community and almost every night it was filled with laughter and cheers over the night’s hockey game or live music.

“It was everybody’s go to like chicken wing night or burger night and after hockey games,” said Melissa Skene, the owner of Twigg’s, as she looks at the burned out husk of her decade old restaurant. “Everybody’s gonna have to put that portion of their life on hold until we rebuild.”

Sept. 30 was like every other day at Twigg’s. The staff was getting materials and work together for a 25 person party coming in for the evening. Around 4 p.m. the smoke started to fill the kitchen and dry storage areas. Once the smoke was filling the bathrooms the staff called 911.

No one wants to watch their livelihood go up in smoke but in the small town of Emeryville, Ont. Skene had to do just that — but she says it won’t dampen her spirit as she looks over to a muddy pit that was once her office.

The day after the fire the yellow sign in front of the store was changed to read ‘To be continued in 2020’.

Twigg’s head chef, Benjamin Atkinson was the one who called the fire department and he said watching the restaurant burn down alongside his boss was terrifying.

“Working in a restaurant is something you pour your heart into,” Atkinson said. “It’s hard to build up this place and have an accident like that happening. It’s heartbreaking.”

‘It was everybody’s go to.’

Micheline Lambier is an Emeryville native. With Twigg’s within walking distance of almost any corner of the small town she says it became a local gathering place.

“I’d go there maybe twice a month,” Lambier said after lamenting the loss of the Twigg’s taco salad. “It was a place to learn about things happening in the community and to get to know your neighbours.” 

Skene was not at work when the first signs of smoke were showing. It wasn’t long after the staff called the fire department they called Skene and told her something was happening and she needed to come in.

“They [the fire department] decided it was coming from the ceiling and the roof,” said Skene. “More trucks started showing up and then they cut into the roof, that’s when the fire just took off.”

Fire crews battled the blaze for hours, dumping water onto the building to battle the rising smoke.

Keeping the money coming

The Twigg’s restaurant has a food truck known as the Twigg Rig. The large truck is capable of cooking and serving food out to the public and could keep the money coming in. Skene points to just one issue.

“It is having the kitchen to prep in,” Skene said. “We would prep here to use on the Twig Rig.”

When they could not find a place to prep, a number of local restaurants stepped in to rally behind the Twigg’s staff.

“We were supposed to compete in the Battle of the Hors D’oeuvres put on by Big Brother, Big Sisters,” said Atkinson. “The Sandbar offered to let us use their kitchen to prep if we were still going to compete.”

The Twigg’s team did not manage to recover from the fire in time for the competition, happening only a few days later. The staff was still invited to attend as guests and enjoy the event as a more relaxing experience then a competitive one after the fire.

There are issues surrounding running the Twigg Rig, according to Skene.

“Obviously zoning is an issue,” said Skene. “I can’t just go and park it in a park and operate. It has to be some type of public event.”

Beyond just the zoning issues there were even problems about logistics and other laws concerning restaurants.

“Do I need to have specific porta-johns?” Skene said. “We’re getting into the colder months now, it needs to be winterized. I can’t just set up on December 1 in a snowstorm.”

‘Bigger and better.’

“It just seems like such a headache now,” Skene said as she looks at the cracked tile which used to be the dining area. “But you know what? I just have to keep going through and thinking about the future and how it’s going to be positive.”

The main issue going forward is the cost of rebuilding the restaurant according to Skene since insurance can only cover so much.

“The fire inspector said $500,000 [in damages],” said Skene. “We think It’s well above that, it’s a complete tear down.”

Skene says while the fire was devastating to morale and the restaurant’s bottom line it has a silver lining.

“The plan is to build bigger and better.” Skene said. “We can build it the way we’ve always wanted it, we can add certain things that we would never have been able to in the past.”