Tuesday night is training night at the Courtenay Fire Department and Old House Restaurant staff took advantage of the gathering to say thanks to the huge crew that saved their heritage building.
"Chefs, cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, and hostesses showed up to pay homage to the fantastic team of firefighters that answered the call in the wee hours of Sunday morning," says restaurant owner/manager Jeff Lucas.
Sunday afternoon when the word went out that the restaurant would be closed, staff rallied and came down to look at what was left, and were quick to realize that the glass was more than half full.
"They asked what they could do to help," Lucas adds. "They wanted to express their thanks to those that did so much to save our restaurant, saved our jobs, and let us get back to serving great meals to our guests again so quickly."
After three hours of running through drills, honing their skills to be ready for the next call, the firefighters were treated to a huge buffet of steak and mushrooms, baked salmon, fresh mussels and clams and an assortment of desserts.
Stories were shared between staff and crew as the events of the fateful night was recounted and thanks were given.
"We realized that some members of Comox also attended the fire, but weren't able to partake in the meal on Tuesday night, and we want to express our appreciation to them as well," Lucas says. "The entire operation ran like a well-oiled machine.
"If not for their quick response and expertise, the damage would have been far greater. Thanks one more time to all that helped to keep this iconic building of the Comox Valley in operation."
— Old House Restaurant