Resilience and recovery: One year after Hurricane Helene at WNC restaurants

I wrote my first story for CharlotteFive in a chair in my neighbors’ bedroom in Leicester, northwest of Asheville. My laptop was plugged into one of their generator-powered outlets, and I filed the story using their Starlink satellite internet connection.

It was Oct. 2, 2024: five days after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, killing more than 100 people and causing nearly $60 billion in damage.

Though I lacked power and water at home, we were lucky not to have lost loved ones or property. So I jumped at the chance to report what I could about how the community was faring.

I stayed close to home for that first story, focusing on the Salty Goat Grill, a popular greasy-spoon style diner on the tiny strip that serves as Leicester’s main drag.

Compared to Asheville neighborhoods like Biltmore Village and the River Arts District, Leicester was relatively unscathed. The Salty Goat suffered no damage, and the owners had generators to sustain them over two days of lost power.

Procuring foodstuffs was a challenge, but a customer stepped in to bring goods from Tennessee, while Salty Goat’s usual food supplier stepped in to help with dishes.

The restaurant was packed the morning I visited, as people without power, water and internet came to exchange information and, more importantly, a giant cup of fresh, hot coffee.

I can’t imagine how I smelled after six days without a shower, but the smell of the coffee pot that morning was sweeter than a roomful of roses. I purchased a mug and sat down to speak to the mix of regulars and people who wandered in because the lights were on, phone chargers in hand.

Bewildered at the calm after the storm, we traded stories of personal experiences and snippets of information we gathered about other parts of Asheville and Western North Carolina.

Since that early October day, I have written a series of stories about how the worst natural disaster to hit Western North Carolina in the modern era transformed the local restaurant scene.

As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene approached, I wondered: How has everyone fared?

I was able to get in touch with a few people I met while covering the aftermath of the storm, and the portrait that emerged from our conversations is one of resilience and reinvention, as restaurant owners and loyal customers continue to focus on supporting each other, one plate at a time.

Pies By Di: Gluten-free joy on a plate

In the first weeks after the storm, an abundance of donated food flooded the region. But for residents with dietary restrictions, this generosity came with a hidden danger. For people with dietary restrictions like severe celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, that abundance is almost always off-limits. Even the slightest bit of cross contamination — cooking in the same pan or using the same spoon — can cause serious illness.

One person coming to the rescue was Diana Casteel, owner of gluten-free bakery Pies by Di in Hendersonville. Damage to her shop prevented her from reopening. However, she distributed her gluten-free baked and dried goods (flours, pastas, etc.) to anyone who asked.

At the time, Casteel had no clue where or when she might get up and running again, since she could not share a kitchen with anyone who used gluten.

Just seven months later, however, Pies By Di reopened in Horse Shoe Gap Village, a charming set of shops close to the newly opened Ecusta Trail. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I’ve literally had people in tears because they’re so happy to find a dedicated gluten-free bakery,” Casteel said. One young mother came in with her child to enjoy her first donut since she was 10.

Donuts of all flavors are a hit, since gluten-free versions have a reputation for having the taste and texture of hockey pucks. But the apple cider donuts, with local apples both inside and on top, are especially popular.

Lines form out the door on Saturday mornings for freshly baked biscuits, and the spinach and feta focaccia “got people in a chokehold,” Casteel said. As for the pies, her key lime, which uses two cases of hand-squeezed fruit each week, brings a taste of Florida to the mountains.

But it’s not just people with celiac disease who love her baked goods. One reviewer stressed that he could eat gluten but still considers Pies By Di his bakery of choice. It’s a sign that Casteel is achieving her goal of bringing people “joy on a plate.”

“People can choose to go anywhere,” Casteel said. “So to have people come to us and trust us, it’s a huge thing, and that’s not something I take lightly.”

Okie Dokies: Starting over at a Swannanoa smokehouse

Helene hit few communities in Western North Carolina as hard as Swannanoa, an unincorporated community of about 5,000 residents east of Asheville.

One local business impacted was Okie Dokies Smokehouse, a fixture in the community since 2007. Even though it sat on the opposite side of U.S. 70 from the Swannanoa River, the restaurant flooded to the ceiling. It also lost its food truck, which was parked next to the building.

Owners Steve and Jody Dunning initially planned to replace the truck first so they could start feeding the community. But they soon discovered that procuring the proper permits would take too much time.

“There was so much construction going on that we couldn’t get a kitchen area set up that we could get approved,” Steve Dunning said.

So they focused on reopening the restaurant, a daunting task. Nearly everything needed to be replaced, all to updated 2025 codes. Add in new staff that will need to be trained alongside their core staff of four, and, “It’s like starting all over again,” he said.

Starting over includes having a rejuvenated menu. Smoked wings and barbecue nachos, both favorites that never became regular menu items, are making a comeback. Other possible options include Philly-style brisket sandwiches, a brisket chili and even a Friday night fish fry.

“I’ve always loved fish camps — you know, the good old-fashioned fish camps that people go to,” Dunning said.

Affordable dishes are a priority to meet the community’s needs. “People are going to definitely be more budget conscious than they were a year ago,” he said.

The Dunnings hope to reopen on Oct. 12, the same day they first opened the restaurant in 2007. To prepare, their food truck plan is coming full circle, with plans to get it running before then to train staff and serve sandwiches.

The Cuban Bear Eats

Perhaps the most unexpected voice to emerge from the storm’s aftermath was that of an insurance adjuster from Miami. Tony Prieto came to Western North Carolina for work, but he didn’t expect to find a new home. Hoping to find a good Cuban restaurant, he instead fell in love — with the mountains and its resilient food scene.

He began posting heartfelt, humorous reviews of local restaurants on the Asheville Foodies Facebook group, and the community response was immediate and immense. After we published a story about his journey in CharlotteFive, his local fame soared. The community threw him a welcome party when he decided to move to Asheville permanently, and soon other media outlets came calling.

Reflecting on the story in a social media post, Prieto captured the surprising turn his life had taken: “Never in a million years would I have thought that I’d completely fall in love with WNC and its people, and become a ‘published author,’ at 50 years old.”

He has since gone on to write his own food column under the moniker “The Cuban Bear Eats” for The Beacon Tribune, a new community paper serving Buncombe and Henderson counties, truly completing his journey from visitor to local voice.

A taste of resilience: Western North Carolina one year after Hurricane Helene

At the heart of all of these stories is the community spirit and resilience that has sustained Western North Carolina since Helene hit.

I’ve lived in Leicester since 2014, but I didn’t fall in love with this region until Helene showed me just how special it is.

I became managing editor of The Beacon Tribune to serve that community, which came together to support each other after the storm and continues to as the slow wheels of recovery turn. In that sense, my work for Charlotte Five and broader reporting on Helene transformed my connection to this place I call home, its people and the way we come together over food.

The stories of these restaurateurs and residents echo a common theme: a community forged even closer by disaster.

Casteel recalled how she and her neighbors rotated meals at each other’s homes for weeks after the storm. Dunning shared how quickly people have shown up to help them rebuild, just as he has done for others by volunteering for the Swannanoa Grassroots Alliance. And Prieto continues to celebrate local restaurants making great food.

“Not that I would ever want to go through it again or wish it upon anybody, but there has been so much good that’s come out of it,” Dunning said.

This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

Sara Murphy

The Charlotte Observer

Sara Murphy is a freelance writer with bylines in The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, and other outlets. A PhD in 17th century British literature, she also loves the mountains, her two black cats, Mochi and Mini, and K-pop.