Paul Bass Photo
Christine Janis and John Deming at Brick Oven Pizza during Thursday's fundraiser.
Christine Janis and John Deming ordered up a dinner pie with extra toppings — and a message for the earthquake-shattered people of Turkey.
They ordered a “jazz” pizza — ricotta, mozzarella, broccoli, spinach — to go from Brick Oven Pizza with added mushrooms and olives Thursday night.
They placed the order not just because of the prospect of a delicious meal, but because they had learned from a group email sent out through their church that they could in the process help some of the victims of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that ravaged parts of Turkey and Syria.
Kadir Catalbasoglu handling orders and making pies Thursday at Brick Oven.
Brick Oven owner Kadir Catalbasoglu, who emigrated here from his native Turkey 30 years ago, decided to donate all revenues from orders Thursday at his Howe-and-Elm restaurant to relief efforts coordinated through the Turkey’s U.S. embassy. The death toll from the earthquake has now topped 22,000.
Customers turned out in force, contributing $9,215 in all to the cause during the one-day event, according to Catalbasoglu. He said he plans to round the number up to $10,000 as he delivers the proceeds to the embassy.