There was a gnarly fire at Woodland Smokehouse at 485 Commercial Drive early this morning. Crews arrived at 5:00am to find “the fire had spread through the building and flames were rising out of the windows.” The business, which provides commissary kitchens to food trucks, workshops, and culinary start-ups, was launched by restaurateur Tyson Reimer and builder Ryan Murfitt in 2011. Many small food operations were germinated within, among them the now flourishing Cartem’s Donuterie and Earnest Ice Cream. The place played host to many events, including the Hillbilly BBQ during Craft Beer Week, and was the place of origin of the hot dogs served at the No. 5 Orange strip club. Woodland Smokehouse was fronted by a retail food shop and deli, and was home to the Eastside Boxing Club, which was resurrected with the help of Vancouver restaurant workers who raised money for it via Aprons For Gloves. We’re unsure of the extent of the damage, but by the looks of the photo above (supplied by reader N.A) and the ones we’ve seen through various news reports, it’s pretty bad. Here’s hoping that at least some of the equipment (see images below) can be salvaged. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Bummer all around.
Sorry to hear the loss! I worked there for a while, and the people there are some of the nicest I’ve met in the industry. The smoked meat that the guy made there was excellent… I hope that they will find a way to resurrect the building as well as the businesses there.
Brutal, a devastating blow on both counts. That was a crucial hub for small operators looking for kitchen space.
Tyson and Ryan are scrappers, I wouldn’t bet against them having it going again shortly.
That gym had a ton of my sweat and blood and shame in it, those ghosts i’m happy to see buried.
Anyone up for a fundraiser for the staff and residents from both ventures?
Sean – we would totally be down with doing something… email me at xtina at gringogastown dot com – let’s get some ideas going?
C
https://www.facebook.com/events/1428950660662034/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
This is the fundraiser for the gym. Come out and show some love.
Word is that a label printer started the fire. Needless to say this is a devastating loss to the entire industry. Woodland was an important incubator for a lot of amazing businesses and the home of some epic food carts. Tyson and
The first floor aside, Eastside Boxing Club is one of the best things to happen to the industry in years. Not only are a bunch of us restaurant bums getting in shape, but we’re also building stronger relationships as independent business people on a level that transgresses simply understanding the insanity of the service industry biz.
I hope we can all rally around this tragedy and work towards rebuilding both Woodland and Eastside in the coming months.
Its a real tragedy not only for the owners but the real wonderful people that work there like Shay and Anitoly.
I own boutique catering company, http://www.partychef.ca, and I have been using the kitchen and buying smoked brisket & ribs for over a year. The commissary has been a perfect solution for my “Just In Time” style of business.
I hope these guys get their operation back & running soon.
My emplyees boyfriend uses this kitchen to run his soup business here. Very devastating for them. All his equiptment gone. Its hard enough to make it without a fire to set you back.
I think a fundraiser is definately in the future. Ideas?
Sad news, indeed.
Watch for the signs being posted this week:
“THE WOODLAND ON THE DRIVE: From $389,000. SPRING 2015”
Damn this is a kickass industry, props to everyone who got the fundraiser going so quick.
We really appreciate all the love and support from everyone. That place has been my home. I am really going to miss all the great customers and co-workers I would get to see on a day-to-day basis. I hope to see you all at Woodland 2.0 when it happens!!! I JUST WANNA MAKE YOU ALL A GREAT SANDWICH AND MAKE YA LAUGH!!!!! 🙁
Love, Shay