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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
To say the Wildcat Cafe can't catch a break would be an understatement.

The Wildcat Cafe likely won't open this summer after someone made off with the restaurant's range hood, which was being stored outside. - Lyndsay Herman/NNSL photo

Since a restoration project began at the local landmark in 2011, foundation damage, the discovery of asbestos and now a stolen range hood have almost certainly pushed the cafe's scheduled opening back a full year from its originally scheduled unveiling.

"It probably won't be open this year," said Mayor Gord Van Tighem on Wednesday.

"We'll probably have a one-day tour and walk-about. Then we'll make sure we're ready for the spring."

The Wildcat Cafe, which is costing city taxpayers $525,000 for repairs, will have been closed for two years as of its new scheduled opening next spring.

The missing range hood, a metal covering used in the kitchen to vent smoke or fumes, had been stored outside the cafe when it was stolen sometime last week.

"It takes six weeks to get another one and you can't work without it because it encompasses the fire suppression system," Van Tighem said. "They're working to get another one and life goes on."

The cafe traditionally closes for the season by the first week of September.

This summer would have been the first of a two-year operating contract at the Wildcat Cafe for chef Luke Wood, owner of Thornton's Wine and Tapas Room. In a previous interview with Yellowknifer, Wood said he was planning to offer home style cooking for lunch and dinner, seven days a week, with breakfast served on weekends. Wood could not be reached for comment on the new developments, however in his last conversation with Yellowknifer he expressed a lot of patience with the construction delays.

"It's better to do a good job than to rush it just to get it open," he said.

According to Van Tighem, there have been no changes to security at the Old Town site because the community is generally quite "straightforward."

There are currently no suspects in the range hood theft, but Van Tighem said the city and contractors are keeping an eye open in case the hood turns up.

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