Quake relief raises thousands
Hundreds flock to iconic eatery to aid Turkey
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WARREN -- Hundreds of people poured into Cafe 422 on Monday night and raised thousands of dollars to help the thousands impacted by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this month.
Brothers Serdar Dede and Erdal Dede own the Cafe 422 locations in Boardman and Warren. They are originally from Turkey and organized the fundraiser.
The two sold more than 800 tickets priced at $20, which got the attendees into the event, as well as a buffet dinner. There was also a basket raffle that people could participate in, which included about 50 baskets.
All of the proceeds will go to The Foundation of Anatolian People and Peace Platform (AHBAP). Those unable to attend the event could still contribute via a GoFundMe account and the link can be found on the restaurant's Facebook page.
"This is our home; we made this country our home," Serdar Dede said of the United States. "But, some part of us is still in Turkey. Seeing the devastation in Turkey and other countries breaks our hearts. We are doing what we can to give back."
He said the event had raised more than $30,000 as of Monday night, and noted the GoFundMe will remain open through Tuesday.
Serdar Dede said he is grateful the community came together for this cause and he is thankful for his staff and the John Reese Trio, who donated their time to be there. Serdar Dede said he told his staff he would pay them to work the event on Monday, a day that the restaurant is usually closed, but they wanted to volunteer their time to help the cause.
"We're all like a family here," said Lindsey Arnio of Howland, one of the waitresses at Cafe 422. "The owners are from Turkey and a lot of us have gotten to meet their parents at one time or another. A lot of our cooks are from Turkey as well. It's just a way for us to help give back to them because they do so much for us."
John Reese, the lead vocalist and trombonist, said it was important for the band to be there because he wants to encourage others to help others, not just at home, but around the world. The band also consists of Jack Ciarniello, keyboardist, and Jim DeLadurantey, drummer.
Ottavio Musumeci and Marco Fiorante were also there to support the Dede brothers. Musumeci owns the Living Room Tavern with the brothers, and owns Station Square Ristorante in Liberty with his wife. Fiorante is the Italian teacher at Ursuline High School, and is a tenor who performs at their restaurants often. Both are from Italy.
"We're Italian. We have big hearts," Musumeci said.
Fiorante said they are all "Mediterranean people," referencing himself, Musumeci and the Dede brothers.
Several community members said they wanted to go to the fundraiser because of how much Serdar Dede and Erdal Dede give back to the community. This includes Gene and Diane DeChristofaro of Champion.
They both work at Akron Children's Hospital; Gene Dechristofaro in Boardman and Diane DeChristofaro in Warren. During the pandemic, Cafe 422 provided free meals to health care workers and they said they were so thankful for that, that they wanted to go to the fundraiser to support the Dede brothers giving back to the community again.
"We come here all the time, but this was our chance to give back. He helped us as health care workers during COVID," Diane DeChristofaro said.
The earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6 and more than 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region since. The original earthquake led to more than 48,000 deaths in both countries as well as the collapse or serious damage of 185,000 buildings in Turkey.