Kitchen fire closes Greek Cuisine in Gasport

The recently opened Greek Cuisine restaurant on Ridge Road in Gasport will be closed for the foreseeable future following a kitchen fire Friday morning.

The owners of the restaurant, Sophia Mondanos and Eleni Atherinis, reported the fire upon opening for breakfast.

“We came to this mess at 6:50 and tried to open the door and got covered in smoke,” Mondanos said. 

Responding deputies said the fire was contained to the kitchen area and noted the restaurant's fire suppression system was engaged. Gasport, Hartland and Wright's Corners volunteer fire companies extinguished the blaze.

“It was shocking, it’s horrible. I couldn’t register it,“ Atherinis said. "I was trying to figure out how it happened. We were having some hard times, but this, it’s just like, ‘What are we going to do now?’ This will just set us back more. I’m in total shock.”

“(The fire) was just in the kitchen," Mondanos continued. "We don’t know exactly how it started, we haven’t got any information yet.”

Gasport Fire Chief Roland Graham said that the origin of the fire is being investigated, but he did not believe that the building would be condemned and could be remodeled.

“Heavy smoke was visible upon arriving, no visible flame,” he said. “They went in with the hose, doused it down some more. It was pretty much self-contained, it smothered itself out.”

Greek Cuisine was opened in July, taking over the building from the former tenants, Cup & Saucer Family Eatery. The two sister, Mondanos and Atherinis, co-owned the restaurant which served indoor breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Mondanos said for now, diners will have to eat somewhere else.

"It might be awhile," she said.