Knoxville pizzeria owners paid it forward and now need help after Hurricane Ian losses

When the owners of Little Nicky's New York Pizza on Oak Ridge Highway sat down for dinner in the days following their evacuation from Fort Myers, Florida, all Nick Haddad wanted was to go back and help neighbors affected by Hurricane Ian.

"I looked at him and I told him, 'I l love you so much, but we can't help them right now,'" his wife, Dina, recalled telling him as they shared a sandwich. "He just feels so displaced."

They hadn't been able to think about eating, much less the total devastation that awaited them in Fort Myers, their home-away-from-home. They lost everything there, including a house and the Florida location of Little Nicky's.

Anyone can watch the destruction on TV, Dina said, but "when you live it firsthand ... it's totally different.”

Now, they just want to go home. To them, that means Knoxville.

But Dina does not plan on leaving Florida until she can find out how to transfer equipment from what's left of their recently established Little Nicky's location to Tennessee.

"I can't lose anymore," she told Knox News. "I've lost so much."

The Haddads purchased their Fort Myers home as a weekend getaway but eventually fell in love with the community, leading them to open another location and spend more time in the Sunshine State.

The Knoxville location has been open since 2012.

They have even served Knoxville customers at their new location from time to time − a few "snow birds," Dina said.

Perhaps, that customer loyalty comes from their focus on helping the Knoxville community, which involves a pay-it-forward program. Guests can purchase a note to stick on the wall, which anyone can take off the wall and redeem for food when in need.

Now the Haddads are the ones seeking help.

The couple evacuated with five days worth of clothes and some important documents, but virtually everything else is gone − precious photos, medicine, and crafts Dina's kids made years ago while attending Hardin Valley Elementary School.

As for their Florida business, there's no chance of rebuilding, they said.

"It's too much and, honestly, I think it's too much right now mentally for us," Dina said. "We just have to put our 100% focus and attention on Tennessee. ... There's no more focusing or thinking of anywhere else."

Dina's sister has set up a GoFundMe page to help them through this difficult time. That money could go toward hiring movers to transport a pizza oven, display case and other salvageable items back to Tennessee.

Some people in Florida already are looting, Dina said, while others appear to be price-gouging. One quote estimated it could cost around $15,000 just to transport the items.

Dina said people can support the family and business by visiting Little Nicky's at 8917 Oak Ridge Highway near the Solway neighborhood in Knoxville.

"The community is everything to us," Dina said. "I love Knoxville. ... Like it says, 'home sweet home to me.' It's true."