Fire destroys Moncton's Le Château à Pape

MONCTON—Fire has destroyed the Le Château à Pape restaurant.

Housed in a historic Victorian-era mansion on the shore of the Petitcodiac River, the 15-year-old fine-dining restaurant is now a burned out shell. The building itself was 108 years old. 

Investigators have determined that the fire started in the restaurant’s kitchen, but they are still looking for an exact cause. It's not known if the restaurant will be rebuilt.

Four generations of the Gosselin family have worked in the restaurant business in Moncton. Le Château à Pape is currently operated by brothers Pierre and Michel Gosselin, both chefs at the restaurant.

“It’s sad to see it go, that’s for sure,” said Louis Wilby, regional general manager of Future Inns in Moncton and Halifax.

“It’s right in the downtown. Those types of restaurants are few and far between, these days.” 

That is especially true in Moncton, which has so few upscale dining establishments and none with as much history as Le Château à Pape.

“It’s just very sad for a whole number of reasons. It was a family business, a multi-generational business,” said Kelly Cain, director of tourism for the City of Moncton.

“It’s just going to leave a void. The service was great, the food was great, and they were proud supporters of the community.”

The fire started early on Jan. 30 and it took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze in bitterly cold temperatures. While the building is still standing, the interior was gutted and part of the roof collapsed.

Le Château à Pape housed a huge wine cellar, containing thousands of bottles.