Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/101724
SPECIAL REPORT Sandy Stories: A Tale of Two Restaurants PHOTO: DAVID RANSOM Jacques Capsouto. H urricane Sandy washed away revenues for many local restaurants at the busiest time of the year. Manhattan was literally divided in two: Uptown, where there was power, restaurants were illed with customers. Downtown below 30th Street (SOPA, or "South of Power," as it was called) was a virtual dark canyon. In outer boroughs and in New Jersey, restaurants that had been part of their communities for generations would never reopen. Here are two stories. Capsouto Frères PHOTO: DAVID RANSOM Restaurateur Maricel Presilla. Here are a few ways to contribute: Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City – Hurricane Sandy Relief: http://www.nyc.gov/html/ fund/html/home/home.shtml American Red Cross Greater New York Region: http://www.nyredcross.org/ The Robin Hood Foundation – Sandy Relief Fund: http://www.robinhood.org/ rhsandy On Twitter follow #DINENYC to find out how you can support restaurants impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Jacques Capsouto sighs deeply. At 68 he is facing starting over. The fourth quarter should have been his best. His restaurant Capsouto Frères, located on a side street in New York's Tribeca, marked its 32nd anniversary October 16. A New York–France Beaujolais Nouveau live-streamed streetnaming celebration was scheduled for November 17 with his fellow Compagnons du Beaujolais members. Holiday bookings looked promising. Hurricane Sandy washed it all away. The 105-year-old building's basement took in almost six feet of seawater, causing extensive damage to the electrical system and destroyed equipment, refrigeration units and the restaurant's ofice. "My brother Sammy and his wife had to remove everything by candlelight," said Capsouto, who was tending to his wine business in Israel when the storm smashed the East Coast. "We lost all the machinery and thousands of dollars in food. Our wine cellar survived, but many labels were peeled off bottles. Luckily it was well organized. But the most frustrating part is not having an income to pay our suppliers and 25 employees." The restaurant did not have lood insurance. "It took four weeks for insurance adjusters to come inspect the restaurant. FEMA only helps residents, but we business owners have to apply for SBA loans and grants to rebuild. I don't want to take on more debt when we have no income." Capsouto estimates his losses at $400,000. "At least the building was not condemned like so many others. I am just taking it one day at a time." 146 / the tasting panel / january 2013 Cucharamama and Zafra Across the Hudson River from Manhattan in the square mile town of Hoboken, New Jersey, Maricel Presilla owns Cucharamama and Zafra restaurants, and Ultramarinos, a specialty food store. The restaurants are popular with the locals and are destination dining spots for others, including foodies from around the country. When Hurricane Sandy hit, Hoboken became a tidal basin illed with sludgy, oily seawater. Presilla, who had had been riding her own personal wave of success on the heels of a critically acclaimed new cookbook and 2012 James Beard award, had to sneak past the National Guard to get near her businesses the day after the storm. With the streets under almost four feet of water, she could not get inside to see the depth of the damage. Once the water was gone and city oficials allowed her into the impacted area for real, Presilla was joined by her business partner Clara, friends and employees who set about hauling out equipment and furniture, cleaning and disinfecting each facility top to bottom—by candlelight. Hoboken had no power for many days. "We lost thousands of dollars in merchandise. The worst part was dealing with the dirty icy cold water and the smell of diesel and gasoline fuel which was everywhere. I went through four pairs of rubber boots," Presilla said. Presilla is lucky. Her home in Weehauken is on higher ground and escaped damage. While her restaurants and store were severely looded, and thousands of dollars in merchandise was lost, they have all reopened. Her employees still have their jobs. The locals have a place to gather to forget about their own homes and pending insurance claims. Hoboken was one of the hardest hit areas, with widespread property damage. New Jersey Transit estimates it will take months before Hoboken's train stations, a vital link to Manhattan for thousands of its resident commuters, can reopen. —David Ransom and Melanie Young-Ransom