COCOA BEACH - The dinner
guests at Silvestro's were quiet and relaxed, ready to sit down for
sophisticated Italian fare on white-clothed tables.
These diners came for a
reason -- to support Lisa
Nowak, the woman accused in a
potentially deadly lover's triangle.
"I think everyone
deserves a second chance," said Kay Getsinger of Cocoa.
The owners of the
restaurant decided to donate proceeds from Sunday night's dinner to the Nowak
family. That use has yet to be decided, said Tony Bless, co-owner of the
restaurant.
Nowak, a NASA astronaut, was arrested
last week on attempted murder charges after allegedly attacking a perceived
romantic rival in an Orlando International Airport parking lot.
Even as FLORIDA TODAY
message boards lit up with protesters and naysayers, questioning the restaurant
for supporting a "criminal," the restaurant expected to fill
reservations for 70 by the end of the night, Bless said. The restaurant seats
75.
"We're pretty much at
capacity," Bless said, adding that he usually seats about 30 guests on a
typical Sunday night.
Bless said he didn't expect
the response generated by his small advertisement in the newspaper. He's gotten
supportive out-of-state calls and e-mails, some from as far away as Italy. He's
also gotten interest from national media, including "Inside Edition,"
and "Fox & Friends."
He said he just thought it
was the right thing to do for a woman who made a positive impression on his
staff when she dined there last summer.
"We stand by our
friends in time of need, and it's a time of need," he said.
At about 5 p.m., diners
started filing into the intimate restaurant tucked in the Banana River Plaza,
each expecting to spend up to $75 on dinner. To the left of the double mahogany
doors hung a small, smiling portrait of Nowak in her astronaut gear.
Some diners didn't even
know the restaurant existed before hearing about the event.
"It seemed like the
compassionate thing to do," said Janet Ritzi of Readfield, Maine, who's
staying in Melbourne Beach on vacation. "Just as a human being, may we all
be so considerate."
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from FLORIDA
TODAY. Copyright © 2007 FLORIDA TODAY. No portion of this material may be
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