‘That’s all we had’ Cocke County business owner cleaning up after flood waters recede

EDWINA, Tenn. (WATE) — A devastating sight for two business owners in Cocke County as their restaurant, Grill 73, was overtaken with water and mud following Hurricane Helene .

Oleg, known to many as Alex, built Grill 73 from the ground up, serving authentic Russian cuisine. He recounted what happened the day the Pigeon River took everything.

“When the water was coming over the road, the first thing we did was run into the building and shut the power off,” Oleg said. “Then we come back home and [the] water starts coming up into the house. It was probably a couple of minutes to grab our passports and some money and put it in the van.”

The restaurant has been in business since 2005 and last week he watched as the restaurant he built became part of the Pigeon River.

“We watched, the water is coming, coming and then our restaurant was completely under the water all the way to the sign, Grill 73, and the house also,” he said.

He added by the time he and his wife woke up and got out of their van the following day, the water was gone.

“We spent all day and all night in the van. We wake up, I take a look like nothing happened,” Oleg said. “No water, just mud in the house and restaurant.”

Oleg said the business meant everything to him.

“That’s all that we had. It means everything,” he said. “We lost the business and there’s nothing to do except clean up and buy new equipment.”

He told 6 News, that no matter how long it takes, he and his wife are going to rebuild. Oleg and his wife were able to get their house cleaned up so they could stay there while they continued to go through Grill 73.

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