The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Restaurateur making Easter baskets for area residents
Dennis Blakeslee, the owner of Master D’s Grille at 7502 Mentor Ave., is seeking donations to make 100 Easter baskets for residents with a good portion of them going to Lake County Board of Developmental Disabilities/Deepwood.
Blakeslee believes even a small donation can help some residents, especially during the novel coronavirus pandemic. He wants to try to bring some sunshine to members of his community.
“You read the paper, and everything is so depressing, and the same with watching the news, people are stressing out. Hopefully, this can help some,” he said. “I put it out there if anyone wants to donate they can, I’ve already had someone donate a couple of bucks.”
Nearly 700,000 people have filed for unemployment in Ohio in the last three weeks; many already struggling families have been further displaced along with many others working fewer hours.
Blakeslee is no stranger to handing out donations and plans to ramp it up as much as he can to better serve the residents in his community.
“I’ve been doing stuff for a long time, whatever I can come up with,” he said. “Through Master D’s Grille, I’m doing 30 meals in 30 days, and I started that at the beginning of the month. I’m also putting together 100 Easter baskets for families in the local area.
“I’ve done events at my bar and donated food all the time for funerals and stuff like that.”
Eateries are closed for dine-in service and only able to provide carry-out and delivery, and Blakeslee spoke about how pandemic has affected him like many other restaurateurs.
“Oh, it’s definitely affected it; the first wasn’t too bad, right but now,” I’m he struggling said. “I’ve had to change around my hours, and it’s not easy. I’m new; we’ve only been open a couple of months, so for this to happen in the beginning is a struggle in itself.”
The restaurateur is a 1989 Lake Catholic grad and sells real estate as part of the Kaim franchise begun by his mother and stepfather in the mid1970s.
“Real estate is my everyday profession; food is my passion,” he said.
His other ventures include Big D’s Grille in Downtown Willoughby and Kickstart Grill in Willowick.
To donate or learn more about any family packs or giveaways, contact Dennis Blakeslee on Facebook.