The Michelin two-starred restaurant Manresa, arguably one of the most influential and renowned restaurants in the Bay Area, suffered a two-alarm fire last night in its kitchen that is sure to shutter the place for some time.

As CBS 5 reports, the fire began last night around 4 a.m. either inside or outside the kitchen area and spread to a gas main. News footage and various Twitter photos show flames reaching the roofline, and fire fighters axed holes in the roof in order to vent the fire. The fire was extinguished as of 6 a.m.

Chef-owner David Kinch was in New York on vacation at the time of the fire and now faces a chef's worst nightmare as he rushes back to assess the damage at his restaurant. SFist has reached out to Kinch for comment but he is reportedly en route back from the East Coast now. The restaurant had been on a brief hiatus and undergoing a deep cleaning, and was closed since July 3. It was scheduled to reopen on July 8.

The restaurant at 320 Village Lane in Los Gatos has been a training ground for multiple Bay Area chefs including James Syhabout, Kim Alter, and John Paul Carmona, and has held two Michelin stars for the last half decade. Dinner there runs $200 to $300 per person, depending on wine pairings, etc.

Though the damage is characterized as "major," Santa Clara fire battalion Chief Kendall Pearson tells the Mercury News that the place is "mostly intact" but suffered smoke damage, and obviously part of the kitchen and roof will need to be replaced.

As you may recall, Chez Panisse suffered a small fire in Berkeley in early 2013 that led to a three-month closure of both the downstairs restaurant and upstairs cafe.

We'll update you when the team is able to assess and estimate a reopening date.

[Mercury-News]
[CBS 5]
[ABC 7]
[SF Gate]