There truly is no place like Luiggi’s Pasta House for people in Regina.
“It’s been there as long as I can ever remember,” Virginia Horsman said as she recalled her memories at the restaurant which was the site of a gas line explosion Wednesday afternoon.
“Our youngest son compares pasta from every place he has it, and his benchmark is whether or not it compares to Luiggi’s,” Horsman said. “We haven’t found a spot yet that is satisfactory for him to compare to Luiggi’s.”
Regina Fire has confirmed the blast was a gas line explosion. They say there were three minor injuries and significant damage to the property. A car could be seen in the rubble of the building.
Horsman said her family was supposed to go to Luiggi’s Thursday night while their son was in town. She said seeing a local business in pieces hit close to home.
“I just feel sad for the Luiggi’s family because we own and operate our own small, family run business, “ she explained. “And I know how devastating that must be for them. I mean, I don’t know how you move forward from something like that.”
In a Facebook post from Luiggi’s Pasta House, they said “As lots of you have heard, Luiggi’s had a major explosion due to a gas leak in the south side of the building. Thankfully we were not open for dinner service yet and no one was injured, all staff made it out safe. It’s a sad day for us and all our amazing supporters. Thank you for all the well wishes. Talk soon.”
For Alyssa Fox, many birthdays and celebrations happened in a booth at Luiggi’s.
“The fettuccine there is like a secret sauce and it’s absolutely to die for,” Fox said. “And it’s even better the next day as leftovers.”
Fox currently lives in British Columbia but made sure to stop by the restaurant when she was home for holidays.
“December 29 was the last time we ate there,” Fox recalled. “I can’t believe that’s the last time we ate at Luiggi’s and if that’s the last time ever, we’re going to have dreams about it.”
The explosion remains under investigation by Regina Fire, Regina Police and Sask. Energy.
There is no word yet on if Luiggi’s will be rebuilt and offer “a Regina staple” for years to come.