Calabash Bistro, a popular Vancouver restaurant in the Downtown Eastside, is still open, despite a fake news report claiming otherwise.
“Yes, times are tough. But we’re still standing, still here, still fighting,” the restaurant said in an Instagram post, adding, “Now more than ever, we need your support.”
The post also said, “Don’t let rumours silence us.”
Daily Hive was able to get in touch with Cullin David, one of the owners and a chef at Calabash Bistro, about the fake news report. However, as we quickly learned, even though they’re not closing, the popular eatery is dealing with several issues it hopes to shed some light on.
“We’re definitely on the cusp of closing if things can’t change quickly down here,” he told us.
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Calabash Bistro is located on 428 Carrall St. and was featured in a Global News report where David spoke about considerations in leaving the area due to it feeling like a “war zone.” After seeing that story, another Toronto-based publication, CO24 (not CP24), falsely reported that the restaurant was closed outright.
The article inaccurately says, “In what was once a thriving corner of Vancouver’s cultural landscape, Calabash Bistro has permanently shuttered its doors after 14 years of operation.”
Requests to have the article amended have been ignored.
One of the stories David told us, which he initially shared with Global News, sounded straight out of a Jackie Chan movie. David told Daily Hive that he and his staff have had to deal with threats from drug dealers, those threats sometimes physical in nature.
David said on some occasions, drug dealers are trying to stash goods in their restaurant and commissary kitchen. He spoke about a recent encounter.
“I went down and sequestered cooks into the commissary kitchen and then had to turn around and face 10 dealers, armed. At least one of them had a gun. Multiple of them had bulletproof vests, and who knows how many knives and whatnot.”
There is a risk in speaking out due to the possibility of retaliation by the bad actors who have threatened his business.
“The first few days we were open last week, after the news story came out, VPD was here quite a bit,” he said. The VPD is targeting crime in the Downtown Eastside with Task Force Barrage, an operation David mentioned a few times.
He added that as crazy as it might sound, he was a bit worried going outside, noticing that the dealers in the area were looking “pissed off” after he spoke out. Due to concerns for his safety, police escorted him to the SkyTrain station. He also believes that other people might be afraid to speak out due to fears for their safety.
There is a silver lining to all of this, which is that the community has been vocal in its support of Calabash in response to this fake news report, support that David called incredible.
“We love you, Calabash, and you have been so strong through all the $%#. Hey Vancouver, they are open and still rock it,” one Instagram comment responded.
“Under no circumstances will I ever stop supporting Calabash,” another comment said. Additionally, if you check out the posts on Calabash’s Instagram page, it’s endless comments of support from the community that the establishment is sharing. Still, it’s clear that if something significant doesn’t change, businesses dealing with realities like Calabash won’t be sustainable.
“Visit us, tag us, spread the truth. Every story, every meal, every shoutout counts.”
We’ve contacted the VPD for additional information regarding some of the realities Calabash and the neighbourhood have been dealing with. We’ve also contacted CO24 for comment.
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