Mr Parfitt moved to Wanaka from Auckland two months ago to take over a lease at the cafe, formerly known as Finchy's, and opened the doors a month ago.
He was thankful no-one was hurt in the fire, which started in the deep fryers, destroyed the kitchen and spread to the roof.
Staff unsuccessfully attemp-ted to extinguish it with a fire blanket before the Wanaka Volunteer Fire Brigade was called.
Mr Parfitt said he hoped to be on more certain ground once he had more information from his insurance company later this week.
He was grateful to local businesses for their support.
"Everyone has been offering any help they can. That has been really nice."
He had not had a chance to speak to the owners of the building, Ian Little and Natalie Evans. They said on Saturday evening it was too soon to know what the fire meant for the building.
Fire risk management officer Michael Cahill, of Invercargill, who was asked to inspect the fire scene for the Wanaka Volunteer Fire Brigade, said the cause of the fire was "a malfunction in the deep fryers".
Mr Parfitt has worked in the hospitality industry for many years, both overseas and in Auckland. The Creek Cafe and Bar is his first business.
