CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio — Two decades after a beloved Chagrin Valley restaurant went up in flames, a former employee is reviving it.
This week marks two decades since a fire destroyed Timberfire in Bainbridge. The anniversary comes as a new concept prepares to open its doors for the first time and pay tribute to the former eatery.
Construction is nearing completion at The Hive and Honey Hill complex, several miles outside of downtown Chagrin Falls. It’s been a years-long effort to transform the former Chagrin Cinemas movie theater into a multi-use hospitality space.
Local small business owners and professional chefs, Kimberly McCune Gibson and Jimmy Gibson, are calling the complex a love letter to the community.
Kimberly grew up in the area and got her first taste of the culinary world as a teenager working at Timberfire.
“I was actually the salad girl,” she said. “I learned so many valuable lessons from Timberfire. It’s not just about the food. It’s about the community.”
News 5 archive footage from Christmas week 2005 showed firefighters trying to save the beloved wooden lodge restaurant from a quickly growing fire. Ultimately, the damage was too severe and the business was forced to close permanently.
“What a deep loss for the community,” Kimberly said.
She said the restaurant was not only her introduction to the hospitality industry, but it also helped make her culinary dreams a reality. She credited Timberfire for helping her get into and pay for culinary school.
Years later, Kimberly and her husband operate the successful catering business Hungry Bee. When they were looking for their next venture, they knew they wanted to honor the restaurant where it all began.
“It’s emotional to even stand here and look at it. From day 1, when this was just a vacant movie theater, that was the goal here: that I needed a beautiful front entrance for this amazing establishment - Timberfire,” Kimberly said on a tour of The Hive Friday.
A facade designed to look like the original Timberfire is visible from the front doors at The Hive.
“It was very important that when you walk in the grand front entrance right there, your eyes are immediately drawn to this back wall,” she said.
The reimagined Timberfire has a modern take on the original restaurant’s lodge theme. It’s family-friendly environment features garage doors that can open to a beer garden in warmer months, a large bar touted as one of the biggest in Geauga County and an open-concept kitchen able to accommodate all of the facility’s food preparation.
In addition to the new Timberfire, the 68,000-square-foot complex will also boast a small theater, charcuterie bar, music hall and speakeasy.
On one side of the building, a separate event space called Honey Hill can accommodate 400 guests, along with bridal and groom suites.
The couple is also relocating its catering business to the facility.
“You know, I always say – in the Chagrin Valley, you get one chance to make a first impression. So people had big expectations of this project. And it’s been important for us that we do it the right way,” Kimberly said.
The owners have already booked more than two dozen weddings for Honey Hill. One group touring the facility Friday remarked on its transformation from movie theater to hospitality space.
“So this really is going to be like a community center?” one guest asked.
“Community gathering house,” Kimberly responded.
The guest said, “Community gathering house… I love that.”
Others noted the nostalgia they felt when entering the reborn Timberfire restaurant.
“[It’s] terrific,” said one man.
The Gibsons said the project is already generating excitement within the community.
“It’s very reassuring to know that the community is behind us and they want it as much as we want it for them,” Jimmy Gibson said.
The couple said it’s a unique business for the Chagrin Valley and something they felt strongly about giving back to the community.
“This is what happens when someone ordinary is given extraordinary support,” Kimberly said of her roots ultimately leading to the endeavor.
“Bainbridge, Auburn, the Chagrin Valley - it’s a special place. And it’s a lot of hard-working, wonderful people. Just having something where they can go disconnect and connect with their loved ones and friends, that was the goal from day 1, was a community gathering house.”
The Hive and Honey Hill are scheduled to open in early spring. The owners plan to hold a community job fair to fill roughly 80 positions in late January.
You can learn more about The Hive by clicking on this link.
