Restaurant fire was accident, say owners

Oct 19, 2020 | 5:46 AM Pete McIntyre

A fire last month that destroyed the Italian Kitchen Restaurant in Lake Country was accidental, according to the owners.

The Pretium Group, which is based in Vernon, said that determination was made by their insurance company.

“Our insurance agents, after much investigation and meetings will all key employees have ruled the fire accidental,” said Katie Dahl, vice president of the company.

On Sept. 7, just before 5:00 a.m., RCMP responded to a structural fire in the 400-block of Commonwealth Road in Kelowna in the Holiday Park Resort. The Kelowna Fire Department attended and were able to extinguish the blaze, but the building was destroyed.

The company would like to rebuild, but a final decision has not been made on that.

“Italian Kitchen Lake Country was one of our top performing businesses and despite Covid, was performing very well,” said Dahl.

Dahl said they will be back in Lake Country soon, so stay tuned.

“This loss is simply a business loss. But we care about our employees and guests. In particular, Chef Rob Dew and his wife Nicole were the hardest hit as they truly put their heart and souls into Italian Kitchen Lake Country.”