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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) \u2013 Nestled on Nolensville Pike<\/a> is Nashville Venezuela Food, which aims to share its restaurant\u2019s Latin flavors with the community. It\u2019s been there for years \u2014 despite a fire destroying the interior this week.<\/p>\n For those just passing by, it may seem like nothing more than a burned-out restaurant. However, for Isaac Gomez, it was much, much more.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of my dreams was to have the first Venezuelan restaurant in Nashville,\u201d Gomez said.<\/p>\n Plaza Mariachi facing foreclosure<\/b> <\/a><\/p>\n Years ago, Gomez and his business partner opened Nashville Venezuela Food with that dream in mind. It\u2019s a dream that\u2019s still going despite little being left inside.<\/p>\n \u201cMy business partner called me at like 8 something in the morning, and said \u2018Hey the business is on fire,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018What?’\u201d said Gomez. \u201cAs you can see, everything happened so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n This week, the business that was created as a place for the community is now hoping that those same people can lend a hand in rebuilding it.<\/p>\n \u201cI never thought that it was going to look like this. I thought maybe the kitchen area was going to be damaged and we were going to be able to fix it pretty quick[ly], but no actually the whole floor is damaged,\u201d Gomez said.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udce7\u00a0Have breaking news come to you:\u00a0Subscribe to News 2 email alerts<\/a><\/strong> \u2192<\/strong><\/p>\n The Nashville Fire Department (NFD) was dispatched to the restaurant for reports of a fire. When they arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from the commercial building. Their report:<\/p>\n Crews are making an interior attack and have found the source of the smoke, considering the fire to be extinguished at the time. They are checking for extension and hot spots, as heavy smoke was found in both the roof and the basement\/sublevel of the building. Fans and other ventilation techniques are being used to clear the smoke from the building. There are no injuries reported at the time.<\/p>\n NFD<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI went into shock mode for a couple of minutes. I\u2019m like, \u2018It\u2019s on fire how?’\u201d Gomez said. \u201cI came in around 6:30 in the morning with the pest control people to fumigate the whole place and then we went out around 7:30 in the morning. I went home to go change and when he got back here like around 8:20, the firefighters were already here putting out the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, through the damage, Gomez is finding there are still more pieces to pick up, especially with his employees now out of work.<\/p>\n \u23e9\u00a0Read today\u2019s top stories on wkrn.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re going to be able to do all the cleaning ourselves, but there is still money involved and I still have to pay rent. I still have to pay electricity. The bills, they keep coming, you know,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Gomez and his partner, Felix Carrillo, have set up a GoFundMe to raise money to pay for bills and repairs as the insurance claim is being processed. To support the business and learn more about their efforts, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/i><\/p>\n\n