A number of restaurants in Calgary’s Chinatown took part in the community’s inaugural Taste of Chinatown event on Wednesday night.

The celebration was aimed at fostering growth in the area that was hit hard in June’s flooding.

When the floodwaters rushed in, restaurants and businesses that had been there for decades were forced to shut down.

It took months before they were able to reopen.

“Smaller business, one man bands were hit the hardest,” says Brian Wong of the Calgary-Chinese Merchants Association. “It has been a great eye opener for them to go through all of this.”

About 15 of 45 restaurants in the community participated in the event.