AS the dust and ash settle from a devastating fire that destroyed Olinda restaurant Snooty Fox, its owners are now looking ahead to a bright new future.
James Sheehan said he and his wife Sarah were still picking up the pieces but slowly finding their feet again after the heart-breaking incident late on Christmas Day.
The fire is believed to have started towards the entry of the empty restaurant about 8.50pm. It quickly took hold and the entire building was burnt out.
Olinda Fire Brigade Captain Steve Donner said the fire had been investigated and its cause was “undetermined”.
Nobody was injured in the blaze.
While the pair has yet to decide their future, Mr Sheehan said they would do what is best for their three young children.
“We’re trying to decide what’s going to happen next – it’s still up in the air so we can have a really good think about it,” Mr Sheehan said.
“I want to do what’s best for the family because when we started the restaurant nine years ago, we didn’t have kids so now we have three and priorities change a little bit.”
Mr Sheehan said he would most likely be seeking employment but wouldn’t look past opening another restaurant at the same location if the landlord was keen to rebuild.
He said he had good memories at the restaurant with his 20 or so staff, some of whom had worked at the Snooty Fox for 10 years.
Mr Sheehan is now in the process of helping staff members find new jobs, with many already working elsewhere around town.
“We were like a big family so I’m doing what I can to help them out,” he said.
“We’ve had great memories and a lot of photos over the years. We just had our staff Christmas party and everyone had a great day on Christmas Day so it’s a great last little memory that everyone’ll have.”
When Mr Sheehan went back to have a look at the restaurant a day later, there wasn’t much left to look at other than burnt pieces of timber.
But he did manage to salvage a prized set of knives, which belonged to one of his chefs.
“Underneath all this soot, I managed to grab his knife wrap,” he said.
“He’s got a few precious knives there, some that he got for his 21st, so he was very happy when I gave him his wrap.”
Mr Sheehan also managed to rescue one of his own knives, and also a couple of handmade Snooty Fox pots.
It was on that same day that a large one-of-a-kind, hand-painted Snooty Fox sign that belonged to the landlord was stolen from the venue.
It was recovered by Olinda Police last Thursday after a tip-off by a man doing maintenance at Mt Dandenong Primary School, who saw it leaning against a tree on Farndons Road. Police are still making inquiries to find the person who took it from the premises.
Mr Sheehan expressed his gratitude for the fire crews who attended that night, thanking everyone for their support and best wishes.
“Thanks to the firefighters and everyone who was involved in putting out the fire and cleaning up, it was just overwhelming and they just did a fantastic job,” he said.
“We’re looking to the future now and finding our feet so we can live life again.”
