Old Pasadena Restaurant Launches Fund to Support Its 40 Employees After Damaging Fire

A view of the kitchen at Sorriso Ristorante, 46 E. Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena after a Jan. 17, 2021 fire. (Credit: Jack Huang)

Pasadena firefighters work to knock down a stubborn blaze at Sorriso Ristorante, 46 E. Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena on Jan. 17, 2021. (Credit: Pasadena Fire Dept.)

In the wake of a damaging fire that left a Pasadena Italian restaurant unable to operate for a matter of months, the owner has established an online fund to help support his employees during the closure, pledging to reimburse donors with dollar-for-dollar gift certificates to be used once the restaurant reopens.

Sorriso Ristorante & Bar, 46 E. Colorado Blvd., sustained severe damage in a fire that broke out inside a wall in the kitchen area on Sunday, according to Pasadena Fire Department officials and owner Jack Huang. The fire was initially blamed on an electrical malfunction.

Huang said he does not feel comfortable accepting charity, but needed to try to do something to help support the businesses’ 40 employees. So he decided to launch an online fundraiser “with a twist,” promising “dollar-for-dollar gift certificates” to donors, to be used once the eatery is back on its feet, according to the fundraiser at gofundme.com/f/sorrisopasadena.

“Fortunately, thanks to the quick response of the Pasadena Fire Department no one was hurt and the fire was eventually contained,” according to Huang. “But our beautiful restaurant is a mess — smoke & water everywhere!”

“Sadly, our kitchen was destroyed as the walls and ceiling were opened up to search for the source of the fire,” Huang said. “The offices above us suffered extensive damage as well. With the fire, smoke and water damage it looks like it’s going to be at least a couple of months before everything is rebuilt and we’ll be able to reopen.”

The fund had garnered more than $1,500 in donations as of Friday, for which Huang said he was grateful.

“We’d like to thank everyone who has supported us over the years and especially during the pandemic. As a small business, we are proud that we have been here for almost 30 years, but we wouldn’t have made it this far without you,” he said.

“And now we hope we can count on you to help us and our team members,” Huang said. “We hope to see all of you again when we reopen. We promise to come back stronger and better than ever.”