Tempe restaurant saved by community

TEMPE, AZ - Eight years ago, when Mark Voytek and his wife opened Culinary Solutions cafe at the corner of Rural and Guadalupe roads in Tempe it was a dream come true.

"It is a lot of love," he said.

But over the past couple years, the cafe struggled and Voytek was faced with having to close shop.

"Losing the restaurant would mean losing everything," he said.

But before that happened, a customer stepped up to try to help, offering marketing services free of charge. From there, saving Voytek's restaurant became a community affair.

From painters, to remodelers, and even artists, customers began donating their services to save the cafe.   

Customers even helped raise money for supplies.

The result? The cafe now has a new look and a new name. "Mark's Cafe" celebrated its grand reopening Wednesday.

"It is humbling to think that we were worthy of being saved," said Mark's wife Karen.

"To affect someone's life in a positive way and to see all the people coming together was mind-blowing," said Mark.