October 23, 2026

Dear Friends, Community, and Beloved Patrons,

My name is Avinash and Since 2021, my family has had the absolute honor of bringing the vibrant flavors, culture, and warmth of Mauritius to Old Strathcona. As the only Mauritian restaurant in all of Western Canada, Cafe Bel Air is more than just a business to us—it is our passion, our livelihood, and a home away from home for so many of you. In September 2026, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we are the recipient of the 2026 Consumer Choice Awards for best restaurant in Northern Alberta.

This week, a tragic accident occurred. Someone experiencing homelessness lit a fire nearby to keep warm, which unfortunately caught onto the building resulting in catastrophic structural and internal damage to Cafe Bel Air.

Operating a small, family-owned business in Old Strathcona has never been easy. Our neighborhood has faced growing social challenges and a rise in homelessness, which has directly impacted local businesses including ours.

* A History of Resilience & Compassion

Over the years, we have faced setback after setback, but we have always done our best to dust ourselves off and keep serving our community:

# November 2022: Our restaurant was broken into. The thief took our cash box and stripped specialized armored electric cables—causing thousands of dollars in damage. When the individual was caught and went on trial in 2024, we chose not to file a statement of restitution. Our family has always operated with care, empathy, and compassion for the less fortunate, and we did not want to pursue someone who was clearly in need.

# July 1, 2024 (Canada Day): Rocks were thrown through our windows, causing thousands of dollars in property damage.

# August 2025: Just one year later, several of our windows were damaged once again in a similar incident.

Each time, as a family, we absorbed these repair costs out of our own pockets to avoid massive hikes in our insurance premiums that would threaten our ability to keep our doors open. We took the hit quietly and kept moving forward with love and gratitude for our patrons.

# October 2026 Fire & Why We Need Your Help Today

This time, the damage is simply far too extensive for our family to handle alone. Between the overwhelming cost of repairs, ongoing overhead, and the difficult economic climate, Cafe Bel Air is facing the real risk of going extinct—just like the iconic Mauritian dodo bird.

* How Your Support Will Make a Difference

We are humbly reaching out to our amazing patrons, community members, and anyone who values local culture and small businesses to help us stay afloat.

Your generous contributions will directly assist us with:

# Restoration & Structural Repairs: Fixing the extensive fire and smoke damage to our restaurant space.

# Replacing Damaged Equipment & Inventory: Restoring buffet equipment, furniture, and essential operational HVAC equipment.

# Covering Critical Operational Costs: Keeping our small family business afloat because we have no choice but to cancel various catering orders.

# Replenishing Our Contingency Fund: keeping Cafe Bel Air operational and immune to unexpected incidents for the next 5 years requires significant emergency fund.

* How You Can Help

# Donate: Any amount, no matter how small, is a massive help towards allowing us to keep serving you as we always do with great honor and dedication.

# Share: Please share this GoFundMe link with your friends, family, and social networks to help spread the word.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for showing us so much love and warmth over the years. With your support, we know we can rise from the ashes and continue sharing our piece of Mauritius with Western Canada for years to come.

With deep gratitude and love,

The Cafe Bel Air Family