A pair of Queens restaurants are providing culturally-appropriate food relief to victims of the recent Dongan Avenue fire, which left three people dead and ten people injured.
Indonesian restaurant Asian Taste 86 and Eaterniti Burmese Street Food will be providing food packages for victims of the fire for the next 14 days to offer support to families impacted by the four-alarm fire, which ripped through 83-33 Dongan Ave. and two neighboring homes on Monday, Feb. 9.
The fire mainly impacted families from the Burmese and Indonesian communities in Elmhurst, including Rosalinda Lie, the owner of Asian Taste 86.
Queens Together, a non-profit aiming to provide food relief while also supporting local restaurants, approached both Eaterniti and Asian Taste in the aftermath of the fire to provide culturally appropriate food for victims of the blaze. Both restaurants jumped at the opportunity.
Frank Win Htut, co-owner of Eaterniti, said it was an easy decision to join food relief efforts for victims of the recent fire because community is at the heart of everything the restaurant does.
“It’s the main motto of our business,” Win Htut said. “We want to help out the community as needed.”
Lie, meanwhile, had a personal connection to the victims after her own home was destroyed in the fire. She said her son was home alone when the blaze broke out, but luckily managed to escape the building. The fire, however, destroyed her home and her car.
Lie closed Asian Taste for three days after the fire, but has now reopened the restaurant, although she added that it is “very difficult” to operate following the loss of her car.
“We need a car for the groceries,” Lie said. “It’s very, very tiring.”
Still, Lie did not hesitate when Queens Together founder Jonathan Forgash contacted her to see if she would be interested in providing food relief through Asian Taste.
“It’s good for my friends, at least they can get food once a day,” Lie said.
The food relief also provides an important financial incentive for participating restaurants, with Queens Together compensating both Eaterniti and Asian Taste for their efforts.
“This way, the restaurant can make some money from what they already do best,” Forgash said. “Their neighbors could be fed a nice meal.”
Forgash believes that food relief acts better than a fundraiser for restaurants by encouraging people to eat in their restaurants.
“Let’s give them some attention and promotion,” Forgash added.
He asserted that the “goal” of Queens Together is not simply to provide food relief to communities in need and financially compensate restaurants that participate, but to “make sure the community knows who those restaurants are.”
“We want people to know that they cared for their neighbors during the worst of times,” Forgash said.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe for Thet Aung Oo, who died Tuesday from burns suffered in the fire, has raised more than $50,000.
Aung Oo, known as Alex, suffered catastrophic burns as he attempted to rescue his mother from the blaze on Feb. 9. Alex did not know that his mother had already reached safety when he raced into the burning building.
The $52,531 raised in the online fundraiser – originally earmarked for Alex’s medical expenses – will now go toward his funeral and to supporting his family as they rebuild their lives, GoFundMe organizer Alyssa Jensen said.
“The funds raised will now go toward his funeral expenses and to support his family as they rebuild their lives — including finding housing and replacing essential needs that were lost in the fire,” Jensen said in a post on GoFundMe.
“We are deeply grateful for the love, prayers and generosity shown to Alex and his family. Your support carried them through the darkest moments, and it continues to mean more than words can express.”
Miguelina Alcantara, 34, and her baby daughter, Emma, who was only 17 days old, also perished in the deadly blaze last week.
