WHEAT RIDGE, Colo (KDVR) — After overcoming several obstacles, including a fire and an attempted break-in, a restaurant in Wheat Ridge is finally open.
Kallen Marques, the owner of Little Brazil, said the inspiration for the restaurant comes from her mother.
“My mother was a chef and she died very young, 49,” Marques said. “She always wanted to have a restaurant and I took that as a passion after she died and I love to cook and that’s how Little Brazil was born.”
Serving authentic Brazilian cuisine for more than a decade, Marques said they wanted to expand the restaurant after the pandemic and relocated along 38th Avenue in Wheat Ridge, but things took a turn when a fire broke out in December 2023.
“There were a lot of fires at construction sites in Denver at the time, so we got a little spooked because we thought, ‘Oh my gosh someone set fire to our location’,” Marques said. “It ended up being an accident in our location.”
West Metro Fire Rescue said the blaze was accidental and was caused by spontaneous combustion due to rags that had been used for staining.
Marques said the damage set their opening date back about six weeks.
“We lost a lot of our lights, and it took a while to get them in and our mural, but we finally were able to replace everything and now we are here,” Marques said. “Very happy to serve the community again.”
Customers living in the area, like Matt Phillips, tell FOX31 they’ve been anxiously awaiting for the grand opening.
“I’m excited to be here and I’m excited for some good food in the area,” Phillips said. “I love being able to walk to close good places.”
Finally, open for business after a long journey, Marques said it was well worth the wait.
“It really means a lot to see this come to fruition,” Marques said. “I’ve just been lucky to get through these things and be open today in the city here to serve our community.”
Little Brazil is located at 7333 W 38th Ave in Wheat Ridge.
