Riverside Inn serves first guests since devastating fire

Aug. 24--LELAND -- Just thinking about the community support she received makes Kate Vilter tear up.

"They really came together for us," said Vilter, owner and proprietress of The Riverside Inn in Leland. "The people supported us so much the last few months."

The historic inn and upscale American-fare restaurant reopened Tuesday -- 10 months and one day after a fire destroyed the kitchen and caused smoke damage throughout the rest of the building.

The inn rooms on the second floor still are closed, but Vilter hopes to open them next month, she said.

Everyone that walked in the door Tuesday was excited, she said.

The celebratory menu included diver scallops with pappardelle, tomatoes, currants, pesto, oyster mushrooms and bay leaf, and Thai coconut rice pudding with mango puree and caramelized mango.

"I think this restaurant has a special place in a lot of people's hearts -- whether it's because it's where they celebrate all the big events in their lives, or it's where they meet to share drinks with friends," Vilter said. "To not have that open for 10 months really left a void in a lot of people's lives."

Investigators suspect a bag of linens spontaneously combusted and sparked the Oct. 19, 2018, fire, Vilter said. The fire started around 4:30 a.m., but everyone was safely evacuated.

Vilter originally thought that, because the physical damage wasn't too extensive, the inn would be open by May 1.

"Not knowing anything about fires and the damage smoke can do, I learned a lot very quickly," she said. "I have learned a lot about insurance companies, fire and fire recovery."

It's a terrible process to have to learn on your feet and not something she'd wish on anyone, Vilter said.

The blaze left the kitchen, front entrance and bathrooms unsalvageable, sher said. They were a complete gut-and-rebuild project -- new flooring in the kitchen and updated appliances were one nice thing that came out of the fire, she said.

Also lost was the inn's enormous wine and liquor collection -- the state determined there was enough smoke damage that it all had to be destroyed, she said.

"We had 250 different wines and multiple cases of each one," Vilter said. "Some were 10 to 15 years old. So we lost not just a quantity, but also a depth of the vintages and variety of wines."

The wine list currently is small, but will be growing every week, she said.

One thing Vilter was able to keep is her core staff, whom she began paying in May. She couldn't afford to lose her staff, some of whom are good friends and have worked at Riverside for years.

"Not only did I want them back because they're good at what they do, I also love and care about them," Vilter said.

It's thrilling that Riverside is back up and running again, said Skip Telgard, owner of Bluebird Restaurant & Tavern.

"It's a great addition to the Leland community and I look forward to going up for some drinks when we get some time in September," he said.

The Bluebird -- located about a block away from Riverside -- was one of several local businesses to offer Vilter assistance after the fire. Telgard ended up taking on one of the bartenders as an employee for the summer.

Telgard also provided highchairs on opening night and The Leland Lodge, which also temporarily took on a Riverside employee or two after the fire, loaned martini glasses, since new ones for the inn hadn't yet arrived, Vilter said.

They weren't the only competitors to lend a hand during the last 10 months, she added.

"The businesses, I cannot thank people enough," Vilter said. "The things they've done for us ... we borrowed from everyone and got it done."

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