‘Fire’s Not Going To Stop Us!’ Auburn Cafe’s Plan to Rise Again
A fixture of the Ecorse community for 44 years, the Auburn Cafe at 3250 W. Jefferson Ave. was destroyed by fire on Friday evening, Jan. 10. About nearly 100 customers were inside the building when the fire broke out, but all, including the restaurant’s staff, got out of the building safely.
While there is no official confirmation on what started the fire, owner Kosta Callis said he recalls seeing the cafe’s exhaust fans engulfed in flames. He is vowing to rebuild and reopen.
“I look at it as a temporary setback. We’re not going anywhere,” said Callis in an interview with WXYZ-TV Detroit. “Fire’s not going to stop us.”
Callis, whose mom and dad opened the restaurant when he was only a baby, said his parents treated the restaurant like it was a family member. The cafe has built a loyal customer base over the past four decades.
Ana Knapp of Warren and Diana Cross of Southgate were among those who came out over the weekend of Jan. 11-12 to show support for Callis.
“We had one experience here, and it was like we were going to dinner with our family. It was the best; they treated us like family. The food was amazing,” Knapp said.
Callis said customers like Warren and Cross fuel his desire to move forward. “How can we not rebuild when you have such a strong community and strong support base?” he asked. “How can we not rebuild and satisfy them?”
A family friend and longtime patron of the Auburn Cafe has set up a GoFundMe to assist the Callis family with their rebuilding efforts. Visit the GoFundMe page online for more information.
