James Beard-nominated chefs Johnny and Helen Jo Leach know full-well what Happy Gillis meant to the community.
Craving breakfast this summer, the Leach family headed down to 549 Gillis St. for a bite with their daughter (it was her request, actually). Standing on the stoop, they pulled on the door to find the restaurant locked and lights off.
The Leaches tracked down owner Cory Stipp to investigate and discovered that weeks before, the air conditioner went kaput. Stipp said he wasn’t planning to reopen. Would he consider selling it, they asked…