When Hurricane Beryl knocked out power on Monday, Elsa Matthews and her husband, owners of Houston’s Comfort Foodies, faced a dilemma: their freezer full of food was going to spoil. Instead of letting it go to waste, they decided to use their resources to help the community.
The couple used a gas-powered generator to power the kitchen and prepare around 200 meals for their storm-struck neighbors. They spread the word on social media, and the response was overwhelming. “The announcement just got reposted hundreds of times,” said Matthews, leading to a long line of people outside their restaurant at 8128 North Sam Houston Pkwy W.
“We just want to help each other out. That’s what we’re here for,” Matthews said. She estimated that the meals given away would typically have generated between $5,000 and $7,000 in sales. “Houston has supported us. We want to support them.”
Matthews, who moved to Houston in 2017, has faced several significant challenges, including Hurricane Harvey, the COVID-19 pandemic, the February 2021 freeze, and now Hurricane Beryl. “Now I’ll joke it’s four times,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Matthews remains committed to supporting her community. As of Thursday morning, more than 1 million customers were still without power, including Comfort Foodies, which had emptied its thawed deep freezer.
“If we had more food to cook up, we would be more than willing to provide it to our community,” Matthews said. She praised the resilience of Houstonians, saying, “It’s inspiring to see people in such high spirits, even with no power, no lights.”
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