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American Morning
Restaurant Feeds Rescue Workers
Aired December 25, 2001 - 08:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A restaurant in lower Manhattan has become a gathering place since September 11th, and it is especially a nice place this Christmas for people working at Ground Zero.
Our Deborah Feyerick is there. She's at Nino's, and joins us with a taste of how workers are feeling this holiday, and also explain to us, Deborah, the incredible service this restaurant has been doing for workers at Ground Zero since September 11th.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NEWS, NEW YORK CITY: Yeah, no question about it, there, Daryn.
This is what you see when you walk into Nino's Restaurant. First of all, this is the entry way. A lot of people have been sending Christmas cards from all over the world.
We've seen cards from Alaska, Chattanooga, Mississippi. People -- just the outpouring of support has been just incredible. So as the workers come into the restaurant, this is how they're greeted.
Then we walk in, we'll take you inside here, and you come into the actual restaurant. It is very warm, especially on this very chilly Christmas Day.
Some police officers here from the New York Police Department, they're about to start their shift in and around this area. It is very busy, and traffic has been an especial problem here, because of all the devastation and the roads that have been closed off.
The workers come here. Nino's has been serving about 2,000 meals every single day since about two days after the attacks began.
These women here have all volunteered, that have come out here to sort of lend a little Christmas cheer, giving a friendly smile, serve up some bacon and eggs, potatoes, oatmeal here, and of course, the fruit salad, which Marie (ph) is doing an excellent job of serving. This is your first course.
The man who is overseeing this whole operation here at Nino's Restaurant is Jimmy Spagnelli (ph).
Now, tell us, first of all, what kind of a role this restaurant is playing, at this particularly ...
VIVID SPAGNELLI (ph): Big role.
FEYERICK: ... difficult time?
SPAGNELLI (ph): Big role. Playing a big role. Feeding firemen and policemen and everybody else.
FEYERICK: Now, this is not an easy job. I mean, you're hearing stories all the time of some of the things people are seeing down at the World Trade Center.
SPAGNELLI (ph): Well, it's not an easy job, but he's doing it. He's getting by on whatever he, you know, whatever help he can get.
FEYERICK: And when you talk about him, you're talking about Nino Vendome, who's restaurant this is, and who's been really funding this whole effort out of his own pocket.
SPAGNELLI (ph): Right. That is the Nino -- he's doing everything. He's paying for it out of his pocket. Whatever little he's getting from outside help, he's footing the rest.
FEYERICK: And, when the people come in here, obviously there's a certain sadness, there's a certain sorrow.
What have you witnessed?
SPAGNELLI (ph): Yeah, there is a little. But I guess we're coming out of it now, you know, slowly but surely we'll be out of it, you know.
FEYERICK: The special Christmas meal that you have planned for today. What's on the menu?
SPAGNELLI (ph): Well, you've got a little bit of roast beef. I guess he's going to put shrimp out there -- mashed potatoes, meatballs, whatever, you know.
They'll be taken care of. They'll be given a good meal, good meal.
FEYERICK: Jimmy (ph), thank you very much. This is really a heroic effort on the part of the people who are here, who are serving these meals.
Because obviously, there's so much at stake with the people working so closely to so much sadness down at the site.
And again, it's cards like these that are coming in, that really have been making a difference to some of the folks. They can spend a few minutes to think about everything, and just realize that the effort that they are doing here -- here in New York -- is appreciated by people all around this country -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Deborah Feyerick at Nino's in New York City. Deborah, thank you very much.
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