![]() Fowler explained the restaurant’s primary kitchen was on the first floor of 6 Silver St., near the dining room. opened into a room that had housed a refrigerator, freezer and other equipment. Workers from Casella moved in and out of the doorway to the restaurant’s prep kitchen on the basement level at the back of the 8 Silver St. Standing in the rain Monday at the back of the burned buildings, Fowler pointed to the charred area where the basket was, inside the building at 6 Silver St., closest to Silver Street Tavern to the east. “The heat continues to build in the confined area until it reaches combustion temperature and then it bursts into flames,” Fowler said. The cotton material with oil in it was in a basket in a confined area and when exposed to oxygen, generated heat, according to Fowler. The cause was spontaneous combustion, he said. Sunday originated in a basket of greasy kitchen towels, located in a hallway between the restaurant’s kitchen and its bar where there was a washer and dryer, according to Fowler. “We’ve got boots on the ground to get the building up and occupied as soon as possible.”Ī state fire investigator said the fire reported around 4 a.m. “An architect will design a new building on that spot that will blend in with the existing architecture of Silver Street, and we’re not wasting any time,” Fowler said. Then they’re going to fill this in with gravel and grade it down to the Spring Street parking lot so that they’ll have a clear, open space here.”įowler and Geller said by phone earlier Monday they are moving quickly with cleanup and building plans. “Tomorrow, they’re going to remove the foundations. “They’re bringing both buildings to a secure landfill today,” Fowler said. The restaurant actually comprised two buildings, at 6 and 8 Silver St., according to Bruce Fowler, who for 34 years has managed that and other Geller properties downtown, including several on Silver Street.įowler was at the fire site Monday where workers from Casella Waste Systems were using an excavator to remove the rubble. “It’s an iconic restaurant in the downtown area, and I think it belongs in that spot,” Picurro said. Restaurant owner John Picurro, who leased the building from Geller, said if all goes well with his insurer, he wants to work with Geller to reopen. “I plan to rebuild,” property owner Sidney Geller said Monday. Cut our overhead down, and we've been able to survive with just me and her.All may not be lost after a Sunday fire destroyed The Last Unicorn because the property owner said he plans to rebuild as soon as possible and the restaurant owner seeks to reopen. "We had to make a change that was best for the business, and that's what we did. "We just had a hard time finding help," he said. Labor shortages, a problem hampering many businesses across the state, were part of the reason the restaurant closed, he said. Although revenue has decreased, he no longer has to rent out a large commercial space, and operates with a staff of two. The mobile business model can be more profitable than a traditional restaurant, Derek DeFelice said. The DeFelices decided to close up shop and go fully mobile. While the volume of customers decreased with stringent social-distancing requirements, business swelled for the food truck. It turned out to be propitious timing when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out only a month later. The restaurant was successful enough that the couple decided to expand in early 2020 and invest in a custom-made trailer to pursue private catering for events. The business opened in 2018 as Hero's House of Pizza at 60 Waterville Road in Skowhegan. "A lot of people I know in the restaurant business have either ordered or are trying to get a food truck right now." "Food trucks are up and coming right now," Derek DeFelice said Wednesday. That's a 27% increase from the number reported in 2021. Hero's on Wheels is one of 668 mobile food businesses in Maine licensed by the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention's health inspection program, CDC spokeswoman Lindsay Hammes said Thursday. Even in the rain, the husband and wife team who own the business, Derek and Aaron DeFelice, said they had a line around the block after opening Tuesday. Hero's on Wheels debuted this week at a semi-permanent location in Waterville, at the corner of Johnson Heights and North Street across from North Street Recreation Area. military veteran who operated a restaurant in Skowhegan has found new life by closing the restaurant and taking his food on the road, one of many eateries to have found success using a food truck.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |