Tapalaya, a popular Northeast Portland restaurant known for its Vietnamese-influenced Cajun and Creole dishes, will close in December, according to a press release sent out Tuesday.

Tapalaya opened in 2008, and in 2017 was purchased by New Orleans-born, Vietnamese Executive Chef Anh Luu. In 2018, The Oregonian/OregonLive named Tapalaya one of North and Northeast Portland’s 40 best restaurants, writing, “Look for chef Luu’s signature crawfish, a shallow bowl of juicy tails and creamy grits smothered in a rich, orange sauce.”

“Luu purchased Tapalaya in March 2017 and during that same month, Luu’s mother passed away in a tragic car accident,” according to the release. “This heartbreaking and shocking loss of her beloved mother, especially during the time that the change of ownership was being finalized, has been incredibly traumatizing and emotionally crushing for Luu.”

Luu went through with the purchase of the restaurant and spent the last two years “focusing on the ownership and management of Tapalaya, without having any time to properly grieve or process the loss of her mother,” the release said.

Now, she is planning to sell the restaurant and take time to grieve. Tapalaya will close on Dec. 22, after the brunch and dinner service.

According to the release, the restaurant is up for sale through the Vacher Group, Restaurant Brokers.

“I was so honored and incredibly excited to purchase Tapalaya two years ago, a restaurant where I had worked for eight years.,” Luu said in the release. “Owning the restaurant where I designed one-of-a-kind cuisine based on memories from my childhood has meant the world to me.”

“However, the shock of losing my mother so tragically at the same exact time has taken its toll on me emotionally,” she added. “I am still in utter shock that she is gone and I have never had the time to grieve her. I need that time now. I plan to return to my home city of New Orleans to fully focus on healing.”

The closure announcement was part of a tough week for Portland restaurants, coming the same day as popular Portland brunch spot Country Cat said it would close in August.