John Papas Cafe In East Hampton Closed For Repairs After Fire

John Papas Cafe in East Hampton will remain closed for the time being after an electrical fire damaged the kitchen in the early morning hours of October 22.

Pat Trunzo III, whose family owns the building on Park Place where the popular cafe has been located for more than 20 years, said on Friday that he hopes the closing will last only a month. A fire marshal and an investigator from the insurance company concluded on Thursday, October 26, that the power cord for a steam table had malfunctioned, Mr. Trunzo said. He added that a fire suppression system in the stove grill managed to control the fire until police and firefighters arrived and extinguished what was left.

“I think we were incredibly lucky—the damage was relatively not that bad, and that a police officer happened upon it and firemen were called early,” Mr. Trunzo said. “We were very fortunate.”

The kitchen ceiling needs to be demolished and replaced, while the contents of the kitchen have to be cleared out, Mr. Trunzo said. He added that the tiles on the kitchen floor and walls need to be replaced as well.

Speaking from the closed cafe on Monday, John Papas, the restaurant’s owner, said he was still “devastated” more than a week after police called him at about 2:30 a.m. on October 22 to notify him about the damage.

“I was shocked,” Mr. Papas said. “I wasn’t expecting the smoke and thought it would be just something that was left on, but then I saw the firefighters and police. I never expected something like this. I’ve been in the restaurant business for 38 years and never had this experience before.”

He and his staff have started cleaning and repairing the smoke-damaged kitchen. Mr. Papas said he hopes to reopen in two to three weeks but said that another investigator still needs to visit to inspect the damage.

The cafe, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this summer, was renovated three years ago. Now, its kitchen stands idle, with half of the equipment ripped out, holes in the ceiling, and one corner flooded and blackened as if with a bruise.

Despite the struggle, Mr. Papas said he’s received an outpouring of concern and support from the community, and that he is grateful for the help of the emergency responders who saved his restaurant from a worse fate.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It makes me feel like I have a family out here. I feel bad that I’m closed right now, because I’m out here for the people.”