Current and former Southern Maine Community College Culinary Arts students and faculty are hosting a Sunday brunch to help raise funds for the family of a 2010 graduate who was slain last month in a home invasion in Texas.
The buffet-style brunch will be held from 9 a.m.-noon, Sunday, Oct. 16, in SMCC’s Culinary Arts Dining Room, to benefit the family of Adrianus “Mike” Kusuma.
Kusuma graduated from the Culinary Arts program in 2010 and went on to work in restaurants in Portland and Kennebunkport, including Vignola, Bandaloop and Hurricane Restaurant. In 2013, he moved to Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston, where he with the help of his uncle and brother opened a restaurant, Sunny Side of the Street, which became a popular breakfast and lunch hotspot.
On Sept. 18, police say Kusuma was fatally shot when two men burst into his residence and demanded money before shooting him and assaulting his brother. No arrests have been made, and investigators believe the brothers may have been targeted because of the success of their business.
In the weeks following the tragedy, many of Kusuma’s former SMCC classmates have rallied to organize the fundraiser brunch, which is being called The Sunny Side Brunch Benefit. The event will be staffed by former and current culinary arts students and faculty who are volunteering their time to help his family.
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The brunch menu is inspired by the menu from Kusuma’s restaurant. There is no set price for the brunch, but people are asked to make donations to the cause.
When: Sunday, Oct. 16, 9 a.m.-noon
Where: SMCC Culinary Arts Dining Room, South Portland Campus, 80 Fort Road, South Portland