A beloved soul food restaurant caught fire early Thursday morning in Fort Worth and sustained damage significant enough to temporarily shut the eatery down.
The blaze broke out at Nana’s Kitchen, which was recently rated as the best Texas soul food restaurant by Lovefood.com. The restaurant is located on John T. White Road in East Fort Worth.
“It’s an unfortunate thing but I know all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and I’m a believer and I believe God’s going to see us through this and it’s just a small hurdle,” said the restaurant’s owner, Toshia Ramsey, speaking to NBC 5.
According to WFAA, the fire originated in a storage area, and the building sustained water and smoke damage.
“No one was injured and the fire department did an outstanding job,” Ramsey told NBC 5. “They were here and contained it mostly to our storage area. Of course, we have heavy smoke damage throughout the entire kitchen.”
Nana’s Kitchen has been a culinary cornerstone in the neighborhood for the past five years, winning locals’ hearts and taste buds with its traditional soul food menu.
A spokesperson for the restaurant, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, posted on social media and cautioned the public not to donate to any GoFundMe campaigns purporting to support the restaurant in its time of need.
“FYI The restaurant did not burn down. There was a small fire in storage. They are well insured. Thanks for all the prayers and wishes. THERE WILL NOT BE ANY GO FUND ME!! If you see one it’s fake!!” wrote Avery Smith.
Ramsey echoed the same sentiment, NBC 5 reported.
“Don’t donate to any cause,” Ramsey said. “There’s not going to be any barbeques or fire sales or anything like that. We’re good. Don’t give to any kind of GoFundMe. We are good.”
She went on to note that the best way to show support would be to come and patronize the restaurant once it is back up and running.