Firefighters battle blaze at Dover-Foxcroft restaurant

By Christopher Burns, Bangor Daily News Staff

DOVER-FOXCROFT — A Dover-Foxcroft restaurant escaped a worse fate thanks to quick work of firefighters.

The fire started about 1:50 p.m. Tuesday at Chew 62 on North Street, according to the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Department.

The fire was found in the building’s attic and was quickly extinguished.

The owner of Chew 62 said in a Facebook post that the fire was extinguished “before it got to the point of no return,” adding that quick work from the firefighters means “the dream remains alive and intact.”

Tejai Lee opened Chew 62 in early January 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee bucked the pressures that forced other restaurants to close, and even opened a second business, the cocktail and dessert lounge Tap 62 on West Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft, in June 2022.

Lee told the Piscataquis Observer the “62” in his businesses’ names refers to the Bible verse from Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Chew 62 will be closed this week to allow for repairs. Information about reopening will be shared at a later date.