Community Corner
GoFundMe Created For Abate's Apizza Owner After Fire Shuttered Eatery
A fixture on Wooster Street, Abate's Apizza suffered extensive damage in the two-alarm fire, which started, it's reported, in an oven flue.
NEW HAVEN, CT —After a two-alarm fire shuttered Wooster Street eatery, Abate's Apizza & Restaurant, a friend has created a GoFundMe to help.
The fire broke out Thursday. The New Haven Independent reported that according to "Louis Abate, who has run the restaurant for 31 years, the flue pipe to the oven overheated, and the oven caught fire." There were no reported injuries, it was reported, and the damage to the interior was "extensive."
The GoFundMe, created by Harry Eisengrein, hopes to "raise money for whatever the Abates might need help with during this trying time." Abate is described as generous.
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"If you've had pizza in downtown New Haven, more than likely you've had pizza there. And if you had the pleasure of meeting the owner, then you know what kind of man runs this place. If you haven't met Louis Abate, let me give you just one example of this man's generosity," the GoFundMe reads. "Back in 2021 when the pandemic was in full swing, he was sending free pizzas to the local hospital, even though his own business was taking a hit. The man has a big heart, and it shows."
A fixture in New Haven's Little Italy, it's noted that, "The restaurant was not only his passion and livelihood, but it was also his home, as he resides in the attached apartment."
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The GoFundMe goal is $10,000, and since it was created Saturday, has to date raised $2,500.
"Hopefully they will be able to persevere and rebuild from this tragic fire," it's noted in the GoFundMe.
In an update on the fundraising page, Abate's daughter Laura wrote: "My long time customers, friends, family, classmates, neighbors. I am so grateful for all of you. I've been trying to reach out individually to thank everyone that has been there for my father, his business and I. It's all so overwhelming. I see each one of you, and I'm truly humbled. During this tragedy, it really has showed us so much love and support and that it can really come from all over. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
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