‘We made it, and that’s fantastic!’: Old South café rises from the ashes of 2023 fire

Following arson that destroyed the Black Walnut three years ago, the popular Wortley Road spot has reopened. Sean Irvine reports.

Nearly three years after arson destroyed it, a London business has risen from the ashes.

The Black Walnut Café in Wortley Village opened its doors quietly this week, ahead of the grand reopening this Saturday.

It comes nearly three years after a deliberately-set fire destroyed the 1880s building it once called home.

The fire, in April 2023, left a hole in the heart of Wortley Village.

“It was heart-wrenching to see it going up in flames and everything that we built over the years,” shared Ed Etheridge, who owns the business with his sister.

It’s taken almost three years – and a lot of challenges – to get to this point, he said.

“When it first happened, we vowed to rebuild. And we kind of thought it would be about a year, maybe a year and a half, to get it all done, but it was a pretty long journey. A lot of roadblocks on our way, but we’re here, we made it, and that’s fantastic!”

A soft open began this week, as 20 staff members welcomed regulars back for a test run, said manager Ashton Otten.

“We had a line-up at the door. We let in our VIP customers, as we call them. Everyone has been a familiar face.”

And those ‘familiar faces’ were treated to a first look at the inside of the building. It combines modern baking and kitchen facilities with classic nods to the original structure.

“They did an awesome job”, said longtime customer Oliver Nikolic, who added, “It’s exactly like it was before, and it’s beautiful.”

It cost over $2 million to rebuild the Black Walnut. Not a surprising figure, given that the only thing that survived the fire was a wooden sign over the door.

The rehung sign is now joined by another welcoming customers back.

Etheridge admits the business could have rebuilt for hundreds of thousands of dollars less had they not tried to duplicate the original structure.

Stained glass, period windows, and other touches are among the additional costs incurred.

“I think a lot of people these days put up that square-looking column on buildings, but we wanted to bring back that past and bring back the community love so much. And I think we brought it back really similar to where it was outside and inside.”