A popular Cocoa Village eatery that was hit by a vandal earlier this year is set to reopen as the owners try to put the more than $100,000 in damage done by a former employee behind them.
The Tulip — formerly known as the Black Tulip — is having a soft reopening Tuesday in Brevard County, about two months to the day after police said disgruntled worker Dean O'Hara tore up the restaurant.
Hundreds of wine bottles were smashed, paintings were torn up and toilets were destroyed at the 30-year-old family owned restaurant. Tanya Colzani, co-owner of the restaurant, found the vandalism when she went to open the eatery July 23.
Mirrors, fans, lights and chairs were all damaged. Refrigerators were unplugged, which spoiled food.
On July 28, Police said O'Hara also stole the restaurant's van that was used for catering. It was later found parked at the Royal Floridian Resort, in Ormond Beach. As officers converged on O'Hara, he pulled a knife and then jumped from the seventh-floor balcony. O'Hara died.
Daniel Colzani, co-owner of the restaurant, said O'Hara, 50, of Cape Canaveral Beach, was a sous chef for the restaurant on and off for the past 25 years. O'Hara walked out in May, upset with the owners.
"I have no hate, no animosity toward him," Tanya Colzani said. "I'm truly sorry for what happened to him, but we rise from the ashes, and it was a blessing in disguise."
Insurance money and hard work has Tulip's owners back on their feet. The restaurant is fully remodeled and better than before, they said.
The owners also decided to change the restaurant's name as they look for a "fresh start."
The Tulip is expected to fully open in mid-October.