ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Fork in the Market reopened Thursday, six months after a grease fire damaged its kitchen and forced the popular Roanoke restaurant and bar to shut down.

Located inside the historic City Market Building, the restaurant spent months rebuilding the kitchen from the ground up. Repairs totaled nearly $300,000, including the installation of brand-new hood systems: two hood fans, one for the stove and one for the pizza oven. Extending new ventilation throughout the building added even more time to the project.

On reopening day, regulars packed Fork in the Market, sharing hugs, wiping away a few emotional tears, and settling back in with their favorite food and drinks.

Bartender Annika Gepitulan, who has worked at Fork in the Market four years, says the outpouring of com

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