A very popular downtown Belleville restaurant will be closed for some time after Thursday’s damaging thunderstorms.
Roofing materials were blown off three buildings on the north end of Front Street, including the one housing Chilangos Restaurant.
Owner Marlem Power says she and her staff are busy saving what food they can and also making up food packages to donate to the Grace Inn shelter for the homeless.
“Everybody thinks insurance can cover but wasting food in this situation is a shame so we’ll just give it away and make sure that the community knows that we will reopen when we can and we will come strong and I know that God has a purpose in all of this.”
City of Belleville officials are working with the owner of the building to determine the best way to make repairs to the roof and it’s unknown how long the restaurant will have to be closed.
Chilangos employs around 40 people and Power hopes they can find ways to keep their business going to help them.
Beside native Canadians and students, Chilangos employs people from Colombia, Guatemala, India, and the Philippines.
Power says the mayor and other city officials were quick to reach out to her to offer help after the storm damage as was the Belleville Chamber of Commerce.
However, she was disappointed that she hadn’t heard a word from any Downtown District BIA member or staff as of Saturday, adding her restaurant had been bringing lots of people into the downtown for the past 10 years.
