PELHAM – Golden Rule BBQ will reopen on Monday, Dec. 3, after being closed for weeks following a kitchen fire.

A fire on Thursday, Oct. 25, damaged a portion of the restaurant’s kitchen. The restaurant has been closed and undergoing repairs since then. Damage to the building was confined to the kitchen and was started by a piece of kitchen equipment, said owner Paul Curcio.

No one was injured in the fire and the damage was not severe.

“The hood system that we purchased from Blaising Fire and Water, which is right here in Pelham, did everything that it was supposed to do in preventing the fire from spreading further,” Curcio said. “There was no exterior damage to the building, but we did have to replace our hood system.”

An official reopening celebration is scheduled for Dec. 15 and a weeklong celebration will take place from Dec. 15-21. A ribbon cutting with Mayor Gary Waters, Police Chief Larry Palmer and Fire Marshall Justin Palmer is also scheduled.

The Dec. 15 celebration will include multiple drawings for free T-shirts and slabs of ribs. Two drawings will be held each day from Dec. 16-21, one for a free T-shirt and another for a slab of ribs. Those who dine at the restaurant can fill out an entry card for the daily drawings.

“The way our team, the Pelham Fire Department, our friends at Publix, our customers, vendors, local businesses and all of our other followers responded with love, care and concern was overwhelming to us,” Curcio said. “We have truly missed the daily interaction with our customers and staff and we’re just glad to be coming back.”

To show his gratitude, Curcio has decided to partner with Oak Mountain Missions Ministries to collect food for its food pantry. The restaurant’s weeklong celebration will serve as a kick-off for the project and customers are asked to donate nonperishable food items.

“As we move forward, we will be continuing this mission in our store, giving us all a chance to give to those less fortunate than ourselves,” he said.