A new cafe will be opening this summer on the Toronto Islands

A cafe on the Toronto Islands that burned down this spring is already set to make a return at a new temporary space before summer’s end.

The Island Cafe has 90 years of history behind it and has been a hub for its community. It’s run by Zorah Freeman-McIntyre along with his parents, who have lived on the island since the 1980s.

The fire that took the clubhouse where the cafe was located thankfully spared adjacent gardens, trees and shrubs maintained by the same people behind Island Cafe, who donate much of the produce they grow to local food banks.

“Over the past few weeks, we’ve been hard at work on various post-fire cleanup tasks,” reads a note from Zorah Freeman-McIntyre posted to social media in mid-May. “We’ve disassembled the stage, dance floor, and the charred sandbox, salvaging lots of good Douglas Fir from the boardwalk to reuse. It’s been sad work, but it’s made easier with cheerful, helping hands.”

In late June they were already previewing a new cafe to temporarily replace the spot that was tragically lost to a fire. The spring preview included a peek at plans that include multiple kiosks and a large patio.

“Thanks & gratitude to all our SUPPORTERS that came out on Saturday to our Info Session! Despite the rainy weather we had a great turnout,” Island Cafe posted to social media. “Special thanks to those that spoke on our behalf about their love of the Island Cafe and encouragement to reopen a temporary spot. Much appreciation to all the @cityofto staffers that came to answer all the questions.”

A few weeks later around mid-June, the cafe announced that their Ward’s Island kiosks would soon be open to the public serving coffee, ice cream, snacks and cold drinks, promising opening details would follow by the end of the month.

The Star reported that the cafe reopening isn’t being warmly received by everyone with some island residents opposing the idea based on the high volume of people the business attracts to the area, and that there is no timeline for reconstruction of the original cafe location at the Ward’s Island Association clubhouse. The lease with the city for the new cafe is three months and could be extended, but would terminate once the clubhouse is rebuilt.

It was also reported in the Star that though there could be delays, the cafe is aiming for an Aug. 1 opening date.