'God was showing us his powers': 4 Naples restaurant owners on rebuilding after Ian

Though Hurricane Ian’s decimation struck Sept. 28, for four independent restaurant owners in Naples, reckoning day was Sept. 29, 2022, when visiting their businesses for the first time post-storm to survey and tackle the damage.

What do the four have in common?

While their physical structures were heavily impacted, each had the determination to rebuild and went on to have a successful season.

It's called the resilience factor.

'Little conversation, just sadness and work'

The stunning Nosh on Naples Bay with breathtaking water views was open nine months when Hurricane Ian “tested us to the brink,” said Chef Todd Johnson, who's lived in Naples since he was 10 and owns the restaurant with Dana, his wife of 31 years.

"I watched the water coming in from the security cameras while we were at home and our hearts were immediately broken."

The couple headed to Nosh the next morning; what is usually a 15-minute drive from their home took an hour because of boats in the road on Davis Boulevard. Police were also doing car checks to search for potential looters heading downtown.

"We were shocked as we unlocked the doors by what we saw: the mud, destruction, walls bubbling up, knocked-over kitchen equipment” including his new combi ovens delivered Sept. 27.

"A few of our staff arrived soon after we did, and we went into cleaning mode. I remember there was very little conversation, just sadness and work," he said.

"After getting all the mud out, ripping out the carpet, and re-arranging all the knocked-over equipment, Nosh actually looked pretty good."

The local franchise of Serv Pro, the international restoration company, disagreed after assessing Nosh's water damage, saying too much had already occurred.

All banquettes and furniture had to be replaced. And what lovely furnishings they were. In May 2022, NDN's Jean Le Boeuf named it one of Naples' most beautiful restaurants.

FEMA: 'The hurricane did not cause the damage, the storm surge did'

Johnson had flood insurance and business interruption insurance, but "never saw a dime from either" after incurring $400,000 in damage.

"FEMA denied our insurance claim because we were below their seven feet above sea level requirement and because the hurricane did not cause the damage, the storm surge did."

Before Nosh, Johnson was a chef/partner in six restaurants, but “with Nosh, it was 100% Dana's and mine, a pure passion project that took a lot of funding to launch.”

After Hurricane Ian, "We were faced with rebuilding and funding it a second time out of pocket with zero help from insurance. Plus, we had bills to still pay so there was a massive need to open as soon as possible. Not to mention the worry and concern we had for all the people that we work with every day. They were struggling, too.”

Nosh re-opened Nov. 22.

"It's like PTSD, but it's PTID: Post-traumatic Ian disorder"

We caught up with the Real Macaw’s owner Siobhan Cleveland on Aug. 9, a week before the restaurant’s annual summer vacation.

Was she afraid of going away?

“Oh my gosh, of course. It's funny, I just had our weekly meeting with our manager and executive chef and we touched upon how we were going to put a storage shed out back, but let’s wait till after hurricane season in case anything happens.”

There's still work to do.

"Ancillary repairs like fences that were damaged, anything that wasn't mission-critical to the business functioning, but maybe is a little bit of an eyesore.”

“The bottom line was feeling ― in a weird way ― almost more prepared because you know that it's happened before," she said. "You know what it takes to do it again."

Since hurricane season officially ends in November, is she preparing just in case?

“One thing ― I wouldn't say positive, but helpful ― about hurricanes is that you at least have a little bit of anticipation," she said.

That means preparing to save furniture, old menus, photographs and "things that can't be replaced."

"We know it could change last minute, like last year that happened and we weren’t prepared at all, and everybody was flat-footed, but you at least have somewhat of an idea that something's coming," she added.

'An ability to look to the future'

Looking back a year, would she rebuild again?

“That's a tough question to answer. One of the interesting things about living through this extreme natural disaster, looking back at it and reflecting a year later, is you forget a lot of the challenges.”

“It's like PTSD, but it's PTID: Post-traumatic Ian disorder. You’re always on the edge of your seat.”

“What really sticks out when I look back is that people came together. The way that we rallied and put our nose to the grindstone and got it done. But the minutia ― the slog of the cleanup and the amount of work ― it's almost forgotten in a really bizarre way. I don't really cling to that. I think about the more positive aspects of it. Perhaps that's self-preservation in some regard and an ability to look to the future.”

The Real Macaw, which abuts a canal, didn't have contents insurance, just insurance on the two buildings. In 30 years of operating, it never flooded.

“I’ve always been a very frugal when's the other shoe gonna drop? kind of person. I graduated college during the Great Recession and always had this understanding that when times are good, the other side of the coin is that times can be tough. You have to be prepared for either scenario.”

“I learned that from my mom. She had the restaurant for the first 29 years, through good times and tough times," Siobahn Cleveland said.

"I didn't know until looking back how tough some of those years were for her. I looked into the books, and I thought, wow, she barely got through some of those really tough times by being resourceful. Maybe it's the Irish in me too, how to do a lot with a little.”

Related: Carrying on: Siobhan Cleveland continues mom's legacy at Naples restaurant she began

'We were having such a good summer up to that point'

Following a night of non-stop rain and power going out at 4 a.m., an elevated storm surge on the Isles of Capri started around 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 28 despite being "low tide" time.

Hurricane preparation was no match for Osteria Capri's Chef-Owner AJ Black when tidal water from Johnson Bay surged into the restaurant for 45 minutes, smashing its large picture window. The water began receding at 6 p.m.

“We were having such a good summer up to that point.”

But then, “We had the perfect storm: God was showing us his powers.”

"We were very fortunate to be able to clean up and focus from the first day when other people were still in shock, waiting for insurance, waiting to get money. We didn't: I sought zero insurance for my home or for my business. I didn't stand on the (insurance) line, because standing on the line would make it a longer wait.”

Osteria Capri re-opened Oct. 18, earlier than other restaurants in that community.

'The tax that you pay for being in Florida, to have this beauty'

Black has been through hurricanes before, most recently Irma in 2017, when he owned Il Tesoro on Sanibel. Black subsequently drove there to see the damage.

"It was shocking, really shocking. I think the administration there took hold of the will of the people. Naples was more cooperative; they helped people to get back on their feet," Black said.

“Everybody wanted everything to come back to the way it was. People forget that COVID was a couple of years before and you had all your equipment, your electricity and air conditioning, but you didn't have people.”

What does he see as the difference between Hurricanes Irma and Ian?

“Il Tesoro had total destruction from Irma, but from Ian, not total destruction (at Osteria Capri); it was more water damage versus wind and water. This is basically the tax that you pay for being in Florida, to have this beauty.”

Black and his family were about a week away from moving into their new Capri home before Hurricane Ian, which remains under construction.

"It destroyed everything that we had already built and furnished. We decided to repair our business first.”

“Life isn’t complicated: when you’re a child learning to walk and you fall down, you get back up. You forget how falling down felt.”

Related: Isles of Capri restaurants: If Chef AJ Black builds it, they will come

Repairs after Hurricane Ian: AJ Black's restaurant Osteria Capri devastated by water surge

'Devastation not only in our location but the whole street'

For Jane Wood, co-owner of her eponymous Jane’s Café on Third Street South, getting downtown from her East Naples home proved difficult on Sept. 29, “but the police were doing an excellent job helping business owners get to their locations. Luckily, we had a big truck to wade through the mud and debris.”

Wood and her daughter Emma Beckmann were the first to see the “heartbreaking” damage, taking photos to share with her staff so they would “understand the devastation not only in our location but the whole street” that was decimated.

Wood had just finished renovations on her restaurant which opened in 2005.

“All of our equipment and food had to be thrown away. Absolutely everything. Third Street South had no power. I gave our staff some of the wine because it would turn in the heat.”

Like many restaurant owners we spoke to, her insurance did not cover storm surge.

'In times of emergency, we pull together"

One of the most popular Instagram spots for locals and tourists alike is her courtyard and its koi pond.

“It was a total mess everywhere. The goldfish didn’t survive. It brought tears to our eyes.”

Yet, Jane’s was among the first restaurants on Third to re-open, officially Oct. 15.

How did she do it?

Power washing was the first step: “There was mud everywhere and you don't know what it was mixed with. Then everything had to be remediated, taking drywall out and sanitizing absolutely everything.”

Wood’s most powerful memory of the days following Hurricane Ian?

Gratitude for how her team “rallied together and shone throughout” to clean and repair the restaurant with help from professional restoration and sanitation vendors.

“They really were an absolute force to be reckoned with. I'm so proud of their fantastic effort. It was touching. Most have worked for us for a long time. Everyone stepped up to the plate and they didn't have to. It was hot and muggy, dirty and yucky, but they did and it was amazing.”

When NDN visited Jane’s cleanup efforts Oct. 3, her ex-husband/co-owner Tony Wood was leading the cleanup crew. Was that awkward?

“We have an amicable understanding. In times of emergency, we pull together. For our family and staff, we are a united force.”

Diana Biederman is NDN's food & restaurant reporter. Connect via [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples restaurant owners resilient one year after Hurricane Ian