The power of social media cannot be undermined, especially in today's times when people largely live in the online world connecting and sharing with the rest of the world. You may have seen some social media posts turning around the fortunes of people; here's another instance of the survival of a family-run cafe that was on the verge of shutdown. And it all happened because one day luck fell upon them when they served some delicious, healthy food to a customer who turned out to be a popular social media figure.
In this unbelievable story, the Cristy's Kitchen in Roswell, Georgia not only survived its impending doom, but it also gathered a donation of a whopping amount of $1m! All because of a Twitter post that reached and touched several people's hearts.
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(1/12) “We arrived here with $10,000. By the time we paid for the paperwork, and the lease, there was no money left to open a restaurant. But right away we were given hope—a potential investor. He was a friend of a friend..." pic.twitter.com/qKkLKbVCBk— Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) March 18, 2021
How it all happened?
The miracle for Cristy Kisner and Sebastian Gracey began when Brandon Stanton, well-known author and creator of the popular Humans of New York web site visited their cafe. The couple served him dairy-free lunch along with gluten-free muffins and revealed their story to him. Brandon Stanton was so moved by their story that he decided to share it with the world, and as luck would have it, his huge fan following took note of it and spread it further.
Brandon narrated the whole story of the couple - how they moved from Peru to open a restaurant in Georgia with just $10,000. Their struggles and long working hours to raise the family with five daughters will melt your heart too.
Take a look -
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(5/12) “Camila had started kindergarten by this time. I was trying to pack her lunchbox with healthy choices, but the grocery aisles were filled with crap: potato chips, sugar, processed stuff. I'd been reading about the dangers of the modern diet..." pic.twitter.com/42U6QscUiJ— Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) March 18, 2021
Cristy Kisner thought of using her cooking talent to open a cafe when Sebastian's furniture business failed and he also fell ill. She first started cooking gluten-free, healthy food for the whole family and used those recipes to cook in the cafe. Remembering those difficult times, Cristy said, "Our lives were brought down to nothing. The banks took the house. They took the cars, the furniture, and even our beds. We moved into a tiny unit that belonged to Sebastian's mother, and laid our mattresses on the floor..."
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(7/12) “After that day a dream began to grow inside of me. Maybe I could be a chef. Maybe I could write my own cookbook, and share my recipes with the world. But it was bittersweet. Because at the same time-- Sebastian's dream was dying..." pic.twitter.com/3wkvzMea55— Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) March 18, 2021
It was heart-warming to find out that the whole family, including the five daughters worked hard to run the family cafe.
Brandon Stanton organised a fundraiser for the couple's kitchen and received a huge amount of donations from various kind-hearted people. We are glad to see this family get back on their feet through such commendable generosity, that too from strangers.
About Neha GroverLove for reading roused her writing instincts. Neha is guilty of having a deep-set fixation with anything caffeinated. When she is not pouring out her nest of thoughts onto the screen, you can see her reading while sipping on coffee.