Hurricane Katrina's 20th Anniversary
As we mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we reflect through the lens of beloved New Orleans restaurants that made a comeback after the storm.
"Hurricane Katrina was about survival," observed Stella Chase Reese, daughter of Edgar "Dooky" Chase II and Leah Chase, whose family has owned Dooky Chase's Restaurant on Orleans Avenue since 1941. "After Katrina, our community needed us to come back. The restaurant belongs to the community. This is our history."
Although it was 20 years ago that the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, local restaurant owners such as Reese in the hard-hit areas of the city recalled their fight to rebuild and their commitment to return to their community.
"Katrina was a tragic time for my family and for all families," noted Reese, who is also president of the Dooky Chase's Corporation. "Everyone was nervous about the hurricane. We thought we would leave for a short while and come back. We felt like nomads." After evacuating to Houston, Reese and her family ended up in Baton Rouge.
Major levee breaches caused widespread flooding for local restaurants, including Dooky Chase's in New Orleans. "We had three feet of water in the bottom part of the restaurant," Reese recalled. "Everything had to be gutted out because of the mold."
Slowly over two years, the restaurant came back, Reese explained, beginning with take-out meals until the restaurant was restored. "The main goal was to get the restaurant opened," Reese stated. "It was a blessing that we didn't lose any life. We thought if we come back, then we would encourage others in the community to come back."
NOLA Restaurants Staying Strong
With 80 percent of the city flooded, Cindy Mandina, fourth-generation owner of Mandina's Restaurant in Mid-City, recalled seeing the devastation of Katrina and the levee breaches on television. "It took us 17 months to rebuild," Mandina recounted. "To me, it was important to come back. My house and my restaurant flooded when the levees breached. We were under-insured at the time, but I thought that if I come back then others will, too."
Recognized as the quintessential neighborhood "mom and pop" place, Mandina's Restaurant had flooded with eight feet of water, prompting the question, "Do we rebuild?"
"This was an iconic moment for me," Mandina recalled. "We are standing outside the restaurant talking to the contractors discussing the damage. A neighbor passed by in her car and asked, 'Are you coming back?' We said, 'Yes.' It was a struggle, but we are here."
Other local restaurants, including the well-established Steak Knife in Lakeview, demonstrated a strong sense of community and determination. According to Bobby Roth, one of the proprietors whose family opened Steak Knife back in 1971, Steak Knife first opened in a downtown hotel before temporarily relocating near the lake. "We left the downtown location and moved to the lakefront while gutting the 888 Harrison Ave. place," Roth remarked.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Roth described his storm-ravaged restaurant, which had been submerged in over 10 feet of water. "All the windows of the restaurant had been broken," Roth stated. "Our stage with the piano had been flipped over. Our furniture was hanging from the ceiling wires with some of our furniture found down the street."
Amid the chaos and extensive flood damage, Roth considered his restaurant lucky, as Steak Knife is the oldest in Lakeview. "We finally reopened on Harrison Avenue in 2008. This building has been here since the 1940s," Roth declared. "We were not going to let a little water stop us."
Just within weeks after the storm, another Lakeview restaurant, Russell's Marina Grill, took immediate action to rebuild and provide meals for the community. "I came back with my oldest son about 10 days after," said Pavlos Petrou, owner of Russell's Marina Grill at 8555 Pontchartrain Blvd. "There was unbelievable devastation everywhere. We opened November 17th. We were the first business to open in Lakeview."
Although Russell's Marina Grill had about a foot of flood water, Petrou recalled other obstacles in reopening the restaurant. "[The] roof was destroyed along with the signs and broken windows," he recounted. "When I visited, our patio was converted to an animal shelter, and the building behind us was a military station. One of the biggest challenges was getting rid of thousands of dollars worth of inventory including meats, seafood, and dairy. The sour smell was unbearable. I remember the flies were the size of wasps."
As word spread that Russell's Marina Grill was serving food, people gathered at the restaurant to eat and share stories. "People flocked to the restaurant non-stop. It became a place of hope and rebirth. We worked every day for months, but it was all worth it," Petrou recalled.
New Orleans, 20 Years Later
Two decades later, the city's resurgence stands as one of the greatest comeback stories of all time. "Today, New Orleans is a leader in hosting meetings, conferences, and special events," President and CEO of New Orleans & Company Walt Leger III stated. "Since 2005, we have seen major investments in the infrastructure of the city. The Superdome was the shelter of last resort and, 20 years later, it was the site of the recent Super Bowl."
In the years following Katrina, Leger pointed out that the local restaurants played an important role in the recovery of the city. "Iconic restaurants hold memories for people generation after generation," Leger observed. "They have a way of connecting with their community. We were all afraid of losing those special places after Katrina. The community relied on these restaurants as a second home. They represented more than just a meal."
