“We’ve been homeless, and we’ve gone without. There were so many times that our food budget for every two weeks was $50. So we know what it’s like. We’ve always helped people through outreach, but we knew we could do more. We just didn’t know what that would look like.

“Opening the diner has been a beautiful thing. Someone may walk in crying and say, ‘Is it true? Can I really eat here for free?’ And we’re like, ‘Absolutely.’ It’s because of all the caring people who have paid in advance for others’ meals. Each time, we put a heart up there on the wall. So when someone comes in and needs a blessing, they won’t have to go hungry. We don’t want anyone to feel shame. It’s not until after they’ve eaten and gone that we take down the heart.

“It’s not just for people on the streets. It’s for anybody who’s hungry. For this one family, the woman’s husband works but there’s just not enough. She said, ‘I want to volunteer. I don’t want this for free. I’m not looking for a handout. I’m looking for a hand up.’

The other day, a man came in and said he was hungry. He had $5 in change. I said, ‘You keep it, and order whatever you want.’ He grabbed the money out of his backpack and said, ‘I want y’all to have this as a tip.’ I said, ‘No, sir, keep that. Because you might need it later.’ He wouldn’t let me give it back.

“This whole experience is humbling. It’s so much bigger than Paul and me. Every day my phone blows up with people wanting to be part of this. And we have the most amazing staff. They truly cook and serve with love in their hearts. Every morning before we open, we pray. We want people to know that it’s the lord’s diner, it’s not ours.

“We ask people on the streets to let others know. We don’t want anyone to go hungry. There are so many who come in and are beyond grateful that they get a chance to eat. It’s wonderful to be part of something so amazing.”

— Teresa McCartney Hoffart

(Note: Paul passed away on June 22, 2023, and Teresa died on Dec. 18, 2024.)

The post Baytown Pay It Forward Diner feeds the hungry appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I started having this pain in my breast. It was getting really bad. When I went to the doctor and she felt the lump, she said, ‘You need to get tests done right now.’ I learned that when the radiologist comes out to talk with you after the mammogram, it’s something bad.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2012. The first time I went to MD Anderson for blood work, one of the ladies said, ‘You have the Cadillac of breast cancers.’ I had the HER2-positive. I had the ER/PR-negative. Everything that could make it worse, I had. They said if I had walked in there five years prior, I probably would have had zero percent chance to live.”

There was chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy, followed by more chemo. With support from family and friends, she made it through. Only to face another health scare, which at first she thought was severe acid reflux from the chemo.

“I was out Ubering on a Sunday, and one of the ladies I picked up said, ‘Mam, you don’t look good.’ I said, ‘I don’t feel good.’ By the time I drove to the hospital, my chest was really hurting. They took me to the back for an EKG. The doctor standing outside the room said, ‘You’re having a heart attack.’ There were nurses all around me, one trying to put in IVs. I was all alone. I was crying, and was like, ‘Please don’t let me die.’ One of the nurses asked, ‘Do you want me to call a priest?’ My dad had died of a massive heart attack at 34. He was so young. That kept going through my head. It ended up that I had 100% blockage, so they put in stents.

“Having gone through all of this, and so many other challenges in life, I feel so fortunate to be here today doing what I love to do most: cook. This is where I’m meant to be.”

— Sarah Wright

Sarah and her husband, Tyrrell, run Sarah’s Restaurant, 3321 Market in Baytown.

Related:

• ‘I’m just so determined to make this a success’

• ‘Doctor said he was nothing but a miracle’

The post Despite major health scares, she’s still cooking appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“Living with my grandmother back in Louisiana, I would always be in the kitchen while she was cooking. So I guess it just came natural to me.

“I remember being 7 years old, standing on a chair, trying to fix some gravy from scratch. I could eat rice and gravy every day, so I figured I needed to learn. As the years went on, I got in there with her and learned how to make all sorts of things.

“I’ve never found cooking to be a chore. I’ve always enjoyed it. And I just love to see people eat my cooking. When the holidays roll around, all the family looks to me to cook. Like for Thanksgiving, I’m usually making 15 sweet potato pies, 10 pecan pies, dressing, ham, and all the rest. 

“Opening this restaurant is literally a dream come true. It’s something me and my sister had talked about for years. But just one thing after another kept getting in the way. To finally see it happen, I’m overjoyed.

“When you’ve been poor, and you already know what that life is, you strive for something better. I think that’s why I have this determination to never give up. Every day, I’m here from opening until close. I’m just so determined to make this a success. I’ve been wanting it too long.”

— Sarah Wright

Sarah’s Restaurant is at 3321 Market, the former location of Baytown’s Historic Cafe. They specialize in “Southern comfort and Cajun eats.”

Related:

• ‘Doctor said he was nothing but a miracle’

• Despite major health scares, she’s still cooking

The post ‘I’m just so determined to make this a success’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I graduated from high school in Pasadena in 1953 and moved a few years later to La Porte. I got married and saw the possibility of raising a family, so I knew I had to do something.”

That “something” turned out to be running a Mexican food restaurant. He joined one of his uncles in 1960 to operate La Siesta in La Porte. Soon after Hurricane Carla hit the Gulf Coast the following year, he purchased a restaurant in Clute called El Toro.

“The only reason I bought it was because I liked the sign. I really wanted that sign.”

The post Love of sign leads to El Toro success story appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I had been in the restaurant business since I was 16. Now that I’m out, I don’t have to work 70 hours a week anymore and I have holidays off.

“Last year, I even got to see my dad on Father’s Day for the first time in 20 years. In the past, a quick phone call to him was about all I got. Not that I’ve had a great relationship with my father, or do now. We’ve kind of had a rocky relationship, but I’m trying. Getting to spend Father’s Day with him after all these years was pretty special.”

Related:

• Parents are elated after a challenging start

The post He’s trying to repair relationship with father appeared first on The Baytown Project.