By State House News Service When Vivian and Juan Acevedo opened Lowell's Panela restaurant in 2019, it was in many ways the realization of a dream and the culmination of Vivian's culinary career. They soon faced enormous challenges: for restaurants across the country, the COVID-19 pandemic upended business, bringing mandatory in-person closures and a sharp change in consumer behaviors. Panela's owners applied for and received $60,000 in support through the Baker administration and Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation's COVID-19 small business relief grant program. That boost, Juan Acevedo recalled on Thursday, "helped us when we needed help the most." "Honestly, it was the perfect time," Acevedo said while hosting Baker administration officials at a press conference in the Lowell restaurant. "It definitely helped us keep our staff hired and, most importantly, keep our doors open. Without the help from the state, we wouldn't have been able to stay open through the last few months."