by Peter Lyons Hall
On a busy Saturday night on July 8 of this year, the Warwick Fire Chief responding to a call from the owners of the popular Ana Restaurant on Spring Street in Warwick, NY, quickly asked a packed house of diners to leave the restaurant, as a result of a kitchen fire that had started near the rear door of the restaurant and resulted in the safe evacuation of both the restaurant’s patrons and the tenant in the upstairs apartment.
Although the fire only damaged part of the kitchen, it was enough to close the restaurant down for several months, according to Chef Proprietor Leo Rukiqi. “Few people know how challenging it is to recover from a small fire. First of all we were thankful that none of our guests were hurt and that they all left quickly without incident, following the Fire Chief’s directions. And then we had to wait for the insurance adjuster to examine the building. And so we were told to keep out of the restaurant and to touch nothing,” Leo revealed.
Once the adjuster reviewed the condition of the building, Leo and his staff were able to begin the restoration. But the waiting period took weeks. The fire was limited to the studs adjacent to the stove, near the rear door. And the upstairs apartment had to be gutted and replaced. There were health department inspections that were required and an additional inspection to the stove hood, which the restaurant quickly passed. A smoke remediation company was hired to restore the interior walls, windows, and furniture. Meanwhile, a pest control company was brought in to ensure that the integrity of the interior walls and floors was maintained during the reconstruction of the part of the kitchen affected by the fire. Finally the Village building inspector had to review the restaurant in order for it to reopen. The entire process had taken more than three months. “And even though we were closed for three months, and there was no power being used” Rukiqi continued, “our utilities bill was the same during that time.”
Leo and his family are grateful for the patience that their customers have endured since their temporary closing back in May, and look forward to reconnecting to them when they open on Wednesday, Sep 27, 2023. The restaurant is known for its large pizza oven, the focal point of the main dining room, that bakes hundreds of pizza each week. When Leo and his family took over the restaurant from the former Fratello owners, he applied his classically trained experience to dramatically enhance the menu and service. Ana Restaurant [AnaRestaurant.net] offers an extensive menu that guests can either order on-line or enjoy on-premises at 22 Spring Street in the Village of Warwick NY. They are open six days a week (closed on Tuesday) and have a private room for organizations, groups, families, and private events.
