DENVER — Any decent chef will tell you good barbecue takes time.
Wayne's Smoke Shack's loyal customers waited just over a year for their favorite barbecue restaurant in the Superior Marketplace to serve delicious meals once again.
On Friday, the restaurant reopened for the first time after significant damage from the Marshall Fire forced its closure.
"You never know really what to expect. Are people going to show up?" the restaurant's co-owner Samantha Shelnutt wondered prior to Friday.
To her surprise, the line was out the door the entire day.
"We are just blown away by the support," Shelnutt said. "We felt that throughout this past year, but just the love from the community is very humbling."
The journey to reopening wasn't easy.
Shelnutt and her husband Wayne lost their home and car in the fire.
"There's been ups and downs... so sharing our story with our community and feeling the love and support has really helped heal us," Shelnutt said.
The outpouring of support was apparent for their reopening day at the restaurant, which came with several new additions including a mural of a tree with the acronym WSS, which stands for "We're still standing."
