Serving Up Love: Welch restaurant providing meals during McDowell flood recovery
February 27, 2025
WELCH, W.Va. – In flood-stricken McDowell County, a restaurant has been serving up love by preparing thousands of free meals for weary residents weighing their next steps.
Latin Appalachian, a downtown Welch eatery, has become a lifeline for the devastated community since a flood ripped through the county in mid-February, claiming three lives and destroying many bridges, homes and property.
The high waters that caused so much heartache and misery were followed by snow and bitter cold temperatures that made recovery even more agonizing.
Warm meals and smiles are more than welcomed during these trying times for McDowell. Latin Appalachian, known for its Mexican and Appalachian comfort food, quickly switched from a casual dining spot to an emergency food hub. The restaurant has been providing several thousand meals a day.
“A lot of people are in shock because all of this stuff is happening, and we are trying to make this place calm,” Abagail Diaz said. “You come in, get your food and take a second to breathe.
“We wanted this to be a place where you sit down and relax. We pray with you and show you love and compassion, so you guys can continue on with your day and keep pushing.”
Abagail is a student at Mount View High School and a member of the school’s Jobs for West Virginia’s Graduates, a program that helps students facing academic and socioeconomic challenges.
Now she is getting real-life lessons as she helps at the restaurant, where her family and volunteers are churning out thousands of meals for delivery throughout the rural county.
On this particular Friday, the phone was constantly ringing as Abagail’s father, Roberto Diaz, the restaurant’s owner and operator, took orders. Notes covered the walls, and meals in white containers were stacked on the counter for pickup or delivery. Local schools also have been sending out food boxes marked with messages of hope such as “Stay Strong,” “We Love You,” and “Keep Moving Forward.”
Latin Appalachian has been partnering with the Salvation Army. Roberto Diaz said the Salvation Army’s chef came down with the flu, so Diaz’s restaurant was preparing an extra 900 meals for Saturday and Sunday.
Financial support from the community, with donations from grocery stores and residents, are helping the restaurant sustain its mass meal mission, Roberto Diaz said. When Latin Appalachian ran out of beef, people in the community brought in 320 pounds of venison. Nine turkeys were donated after the eatery used all of its chicken.
“Everything they bring us we are going to make,” Roberto said. “We’ll turn it into a meal.”
Story by Jeff Morris