NY Daily News – September 19, 2014
by Thomas Tracy
A smoky blaze erupted inside a Turtle Bay pub Wednesday night — right in the middle of a five-course beer dinner put on by acclaimed chef Ashton Keefe. Diners attending the savory experience at the Manchester Pub on Second Ave. near E. 49th St. had just finished their peach and tomato soup and Texas cut brioche — paired with Harpoon Brewery’s UFO White and Craft Cider — when the fire broke out in the kitchen at about 7:15 p.m.
“Everything was really kind of good and then I look in the kitchen and saw these huge flames,” said one diner, who declined to be named. “They were massive! But everyone pretended that nothing was going on.”
Within moments, an employee with a fire extinguisher rushed in, but the fire couldn’t be controlled.
“The whole place got smoky and (the employees) said casually, ‘You all have to leave now.’ When we went outside there was black smoke coming from the roof,” the diner said.
Those attending the dinner never never had a chance to sample Keefe’s pumpkin and squash stuffed shells or fried chicken and waffles.
It took more than 140 firefighters more than an hour to put out the blaze, an FDNY spokesman said.
Responding smoke eaters used a bucket ladder to pluck an upstairs tenant from a second-story window, but no injuries were reported.
The cause of the blaze was still being investigated.
Keefe was the personal assistant to famed food critic Gael Green before becoming a chef.
According to her website, Keefe was a sous chef for New York’s Haven’s Kitchen and has appeared on Food Network’s “Guy vs. Rachel,” “Better TV” and “Potluck Video.”
She was also a runner-up on Food Network’s “Chopped,” where she was eliminated for serving burned lamb.
Attempts to reach Keefe and the owners of the Manchester Pub were unsuccessful Wednesday night.
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