Chef Michael Buffett is rightfully emotional today.

He made the heart wrenching decision to close his Start Fresh Kitchen, effective immediately, because COVID has made it impossible to continue.

"Fresh Start was my life and walking away from it is so hard," said Buffett.

"Pushing through one of the most challenging years in our industry took a toll. If there were a clear end in sight, then maybe it would have been different. But, consumer confidence is low and all the weddings and events that were pushed from last year to this year and all the new bookings started to cancel for this summer. We just couldn't handle it."

Start Fresh's catering business and cooking school was based in a ground-floor space in the Landmark 2 office tower, where it also operated a small gourmet grocery store. 

It pivoted as much as possible during the pandemic to try to keep the business afloat, offering virtual cooking classes, online events and online grocery delivery.

"We were projecting quite well and then this newest lockdown knocked consumer confidence, the cancellations started rolling in and the business just became completely unsustainable," said the chef.

"Two years of pushed weddings, cancelled events, refunds and no money to pay wages have taken their toll on the social enterprise."

When Start Fresh launched in 2016 it was different.

Yes, it was a food catering business, cooking school and small grocer, but it was also a social enterprise that offered free training to the underemployed so they could find meaningful work in the hospitality industry.

Over it's six years it helped over 700 people with its training and programming, in partnership with the Central Okanagan Food Bank, Canadian Mental Health Association, Accelerate Youth, Okanagan Boys and Girls Club and Karis Support Society.

Most recently Start Fresh worked closely with the food bank to divert over five tonnes of produce from the landfill and turn it into 27,000 portions of nutritious soup.

Buffett doesn't know what's next for him.

"Hopefully, I can find another avenue to continue serving his community," he said.

"For now, I'll take some time off to think and regroup."