SEATTLE — A Ballard couple is displaced and the future of their livelihood is uncertain after a house fire. The fire burned not only their home, but their commercial kitchen.
The fire happened early Wednesday morning.
“We are missing them down here today,” Ben Chandler of the Wallingford Farmers Market said.
Sara and Sam Lucchese are well-known at local farmers’ markets, where they make a living selling pizza, pasta and baked goods. They were supposed to be at the Wallingford Farmers Market Wednesday, but canceled due to the tragedy.
“I woke up this morning and the first text that I saw was from Sam about 6 o’clock,” Chandler said. “Saying, ‘I can’t be at the market today because my house burned down.’”
The Seattle Fire Department reports the fire was caused by a container of hot embers which spread to a wood pile then to the house. It caused an estimated $500,000 worth of damage.
Word traveled fast and Matt Kelly of the Queen Anne Farmers Market took immediate action.
“Right away,” Kelly said. “Right after I got off the phone, I stopped everything I was doing. Didn’t eat breakfast, didn’t drink coffee. Just hopped online and did my best to get a fundraiser up and running.”
Within hours, Kelly’s GoFundMe campaign passed the $10,000 mark.
Kelly said supporting the Luccheses is important because in addition to burning their home, the fire burned the commercial kitchen where they make all the food for their three local businesses, containing specialized equipment collected over years.
“The reciprocity immediately happened when folks understood Sam and Sara were in need,” he said.
Vendors who have worked with the couple for years are displaying flyers for the campaign, knowing the Luccheses would have done the same for them.
“Ever since I was like ten years old, I’ve been doing farmers markets with them,” Sarge Sidhu, a vendor, said. “They are really good people. They would always feed me when I was a kid, like I would kind of just stumble into their booth”
The fundraiser now sits at more than $20,000. Those interested in donating can do so here.
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