Leilani Asian Fusion in downtown Aurora has closed, at least temporarily, less than a year after it officially opened.
The restaurant was one of three located within the historic, redeveloped Hobbs Building. It unexpectedly shut its doors on July 17, a few weeks ahead of its one-year anniversary party that was planned for Aug. 9.
Officially, the restaurant is “currently undergoing a reorganization within the business,” according to a July 18 post on the Leilani Asian Fusion Facebook page. Different part-owners of the restaurant have told The Beacon-News that the restaurant was closed after disagreements within the business partnership, among other challenges.
Abbey Kemph, one of the partners, said she and others were caught off guard by the closure, and it was “heartbreaking” to have to tell staff they no longer had a job.
Leilani Asian Fusion was named after the daughter of Kemph and her late partner, Jason Morales, who was a driving force behind MORA Asian Fusion, their first restaurant, according to previous reporting from The Beacon-News.
Former Leilani staff members who spoke with The Beacon-News talked happily about the work they got to do there.
Leilany Pantaleon, one of the restaurant’s hostesses, said that she looked forward to going to work every day because she loved her job. Although she was quiet when she started, she said, everyone made her feel so welcome, and the restaurant had a loving environment.
Plus, it was a “wonderful experience” greeting guests, according to Pantaleon. On the nights when the restaurant was busy, all she could hear was laughter and chatter, and seeing that from an outside perspective, she said, was beautiful.
“Being able to see someone’s memory in the making was an incredible experience,” Pantaleon said.
For server Angela Filippin, it was the “family we created,” the food and the vibe that she loved about Leilani Asian Fusion. All of the staff, including her, were given the chance to be themselves and bring their own strengths to the table, she said.
After the restaurant was closed unexpectedly, staff started pulling together as a community to figure out what to do, according to Kemph. She said that the majority of back-of-house staff had been taken in by another restaurant because of relationships made by partner and executive chef Garnett Chavez, but front-of-house staff were still looking for new jobs.
Filippin created a GoFundMe to help support staff members who were impacted by the closure. She stressed that the fundraiser is not affiliated with Leilani Asian Fusion as an entity, nor did anyone from management or ownership have anything to do with its creation or wording.
“I am humbly asking for the community to support those of us who now find ourselves without income,” she wrote in the GoFundMe. “Every member of the Leilani team worked tirelessly to prepare, cook, and serve the amazing food that Aurora has adored since our soft opening a year ago.”
The campaign had raised $1,395 of the $3,000 goal at time of reporting, and funds are expected to be distributed evenly to staff members affected by the restaurant closing. The GoFundMe can be found at: gofund.me/6d3eee52
A statement from Jay Punukollu and Harish Ananthapadmanabhan, who were also business partners in Leilani Asian Fusion alongside Kemph and others, said they are “immensely grateful” to the restaurant’s dedicated staff as well as its loyal patrons and the city of Aurora for support throughout the venture.
Punukollu and Ananthapadmanabhan, who own both JH Hospitality Group and JH Real Estate Partners LLC, which redeveloped the Hobbs Building, said in the statement that despite their team’s best efforts, they were “unable to reach a sustainable path forward.”
Their team is currently looking at bringing “a new culinary concept to the space in the near future — one that continues to contribute to the growth and vibrancy of downtown Aurora,” the two said in the statement. As for Kemph, she said Leilani Asian Fusion will hopefully continue in a new location still within downtown.
Those who have Leilani gift cards will be able to use them at the other two restaurants still open in the Hobbs Building, Touche French Creole and Giardino Trattoria & Pizzeria, according to a post on the Leilani Asian Fusion Facebook page. Both of those restaurants are under JH Hospitality Group, the company’s website shows.
And, a separate Facebook post said that people with tickets to the planned Leilani Asian Fusion one-year “Anniversary Luau” will soon be getting refunds.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
