Our friend Akhil Kapoor has had a stroke

Hello friends,

On January 5, 2023, Akhil Kapoor, suffered a serious stroke at his restaurant, Relish Gastropub (Gusto). This tragedy happened while preparing food for a company party for the next business day. He was hospitalized in the neuro-intensive care unit at OHSU in Portland, OR, and has now been transferred to a rehabilitation center. As a friend of the Kapoor family for over 20 years and a frequent guest at their restaurant over the past 10 years, I’ve created this fundraising campaign to help offset significant medical and rehabilitation costs and support his family through this difficult time.

Akhil is currently in rehab as a student of life - relearning motor control of his body and speech. Many locals in the Portland area know Akhil as the heart of Relish Gastropub and a beloved member of the community. Those who have had the benefit of meeting him know him as a selfless kind-hearted spirit with a jovial and joking nature.

Akhil immigrated to the United States over 40 years ago and spent his life as a food service workaholic putting great food and drink in front of his customers. Akhil came to the US working for their family restaurant in L.A, then hotels in the Bay Area, and restaurants in the Portland Area. In fact, Akhil and his wife Marla have both spent their careers in the service industry. In the Portland area, Akhil and Marla previously operated a wine shop "Wine About It" in West Lynn and then opened Relish Gastropub in the Sellwood/Westmoreland Portland neighborhood.

Like a true immigrant, Akhil put his life into his family business, working tirelessly for decades to ensure that his family can have a better life. As a result of his endless dedication, Relish Gastropub has become a well-known go-to restaurant in the community. Akhil manages all business operations from dreary office work to more favored tasks such as creating recipes/menus, making pasta with his own hands, and perhaps his favorite task - hounding his favorite wine reps for a good deal.

Without Akhil, Relish Gastropub would be in trouble... Fortunately, the Relish Gastropub staff has stepped up and filled the tremendous void from Akhil's sudden absence. Akhil’s friend Sol has donated his time to help manage the restaurant while Lynn and Roxanna remain the friendly servers and front end of the restaurant. Cody, the former chef of Relish, has heroically returned to the kitchen and heads the backend along with Dan and Robert. The Relish staff eagerly awaits your next visit to Relish Gastropub and keep Akhil’s restaurant in shape for his return. Along with this fundraising campaign, your regular patronage to Relish Gastropub is a great way to support Akhil in his time of need.

Make your dinner reservations at www.relishgastropub.com or https://www.exploretock.com/relish/

In addition to providing decades of cherished meals for his loyal customers, Akhil’s restaurant also served as the primary source of livelihood for his family. His wife Marla has been struggling with illness and Akhil was/is her primary caretaker. Unfortunately, due to this tragic event and the restaurant’s struggles from covid and now his absence, Akhil’s family faces an immediate burden covering medical expenses and stroke rehabilitation costs in the long term. The future hardships and impact on this family’s livelihood will reach far beyond what this campaign might fix, but any amount will help.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Please donate and please help us spread the word on your social media. Email friends and family. Come to the 1st awareness and fundraising event described below. All donations will go directly towards the significant burden of Akhil’s medical bills and supporting his household’s essential needs for the time being. Your regular patronage of Relish Gastropub will also help the family in their time of need.

Thank you,

Tim, Sol, and friends and family

1st EVENT

WHERE - Relish Gastropub 637 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland, OR 97202.

WHEN - Don't worry, we are skipping dry January and this first event will be held at 5:30pm Sunday, February 5th.

Our first event is intended as a "thank you" for those that donate and help spread the word about this fundraiser. It will also serve as an informal meeting to discuss and strategize future events to help raise funds and awareness. Wine tastings would be one way we could gather and help support Akhil. Perhaps others have unique and useful ways to spread the word.

We will have an open buffet of hors d'oeuvres and/or small plates. We are looking for wine vendors that would like to pour tastings on that day. Please reach out if you can help us. If we find enough help, we would love to host another event and keep this campaign going. In addition, there is a $0 corkage fee. Please bring your favorite wine in and let the Relish staff fill your glasses.