If the crew at Pialligo Estate had wanted to take five after the destructive fire destroyed their restaurant on Thursday night, Canberra wouldn't have blamed them.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But on Saturday, the iconic grounds hosted a wedding, opened its cafe and executive chef Darren Perryman announced plans for a soon-to-come pop-up restaurant to stand in for the destroyed Farmhouse Restaurant.
"None of us have that defeatist attitude, we all love cooking. We want to show everyone that we're up for this challenge and it's not going to stop us," Mr Perryman said.
"We're not going to be beaten down by this, this is gonna make us stronger."
"A lot of people have been showing amazing support. We can rebuild that [the restaurant], it's not a big deal really. No one's hurt."
Wedding manager Lee Takirau said there had been concerns from wedding clients about the venue but most of them had stood by Pialligo.
"The coals have only just got cold but it's been amazing progress," she said.
"Everyone's just worked through their emotional and physical exhaustion.
"We really appreciate the community's support and our clients for being so understanding and caring."
Lucia Kovacova, garden and pavilion manager, said they were worried but the community had rallied behind them.
"We can only get better and stronger," Ms Kovacova said.
"As you can see, there's big support coming from all the Canberra people.
"Everyone's giving us best wishes. We even end up having kisses and cuddles with a few of them."
Around her, diners had come for lunch at Pialligo Estate, watching the setup of a wedding to be held later that evening.
Thomas Raimbaud, hospitality manager, said local businesses had even been delivering lunches and offering support.
"The spirits are still pretty high, so that's good. We are all working together," he said.
"The owners, they are very positive. We've got a great team."