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Celestin's to close this month

by Brandon Darnell, published on September 7, 2011 at 5:45 PM

Storyline: Local Business RSS Feed

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After 28 years, Celestin’s Island Eats and Cajun Cuisine is closing its doors Sept. 30, according to owner Phoebe Celestin.

The Midtown restaurant will be replaced by a new venture from the owners of Capitol Garage, called The Porch Restaurant & Bar, which will feature Southern-style cuisine, according to a Wednesday press release.

The business was handed down to Celestin's son and his wife several years ago, she said, but once they had a child, they wanted to spend evenings together – something not conducive to running a restaurant.

"My husband and I came back and were considering offers that have been made," Celestin said. "We talked to several people and have a really good connection with the guys from Capitol Garage."

She added that there are currently no plans for her and her husband to open another restaurant, but that might be a possibility down the line.

"My husband loves to cook for people and will probably do it until he is no longer able to," she said. "He may look for something similar as a labor of love, but it's not in the plans at this moment."

Celestin’s, currently located at 1815 K St., originally opened on J Street in 1983 before moving to the current space in 2001, according to the restaurant’s website.

The Celestin family, originally from Port au Prince, Haiti, will auction off the Haitian Voodoo flags that hang on the walls of the restaurant on the last night of business, Sept. 30.

Celestin’s is known for its Caribbean- and Cajun-inspired food, including hamburgers with jerk seasoning, chicken curry and the popular gumbo soup.

The Sacramento Press will provide a more detailed article on Thursday.

To read a previous review of the restaurant by a Sacramento Press contributor, click here.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

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September 8, 2011 | 8:56 AM
A trip to feast on Grio is now in my immediate future. Bummer to see them shutter. The Porch sounds intriguing though...
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September 8, 2011 | 9:43 AM
The K St. location could never seem to capture the magic of the original J St .one.
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September 8, 2011 | 10:48 AM
Will the service be as slow at The Porch as it is at Capitol Garage?
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September 8, 2011 | 2:30 PM
Nooooooooooo. I eat there all the time. This is really sad. The gumbo, where will I get the gumbo?
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September 8, 2011 | 4:41 PM
And the plantains? We love the plantains.
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September 8, 2011 | 5:43 PM
I love plantains. From the first (and unfortunately only) time I went there, my father and I, who cook plantains a lot, reminisced over theirs.
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September 8, 2011 | 8:20 PM
Updated article is located here:

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/56857/Owners_of_Celestins_reflect_on_28_years_in_business
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