Carrabba’s Italian Grill employees and partners work together to feed tornado victims in the parking lot of Ringgold’s Ingles. In front from left are Paula Digiovanni, Danae Stiles, Katie Pratt, Miranda Peterson, Gamida Gousseinova, Antonio Echenique and Susan Sumrall. Back from left are regional food tech Raymundo Uriostegui, Chava Duran, Mike Schroeder, Fred Holtz, Tim Macerna, Pete Helbig, Tim Taylor, Miguel DeJesus, Corey Pittman, joint venture partner Will Bernardi and Phoenix Produce director of sales Stanley Vaughn.
Photo by Katie WardCarrabba’s Italian Grill employees and partners fed Ringgold tornado victims for three days in the parking lot of Ingles last week.
“We support communities that our workers live in,” said Carrabba’s regional service tech Susan Sumrall. “It’s amazing to be a part of a business that wants to give back to communities.”
She said Carrabba’s employees from the Atlanta and Chattanooga areas were in town training at the restaurant next to Hamilton Place Mall when tornadoes hit the area April 27. She said that one Carrabba’s employee determined to get back to Atlanta for his shift the next day narrowly missed being picked up by the tornado in Ringgold.
“We had to walk two miles to find Ray Uriostegui,” said Sumrall, of her Carrabba’s co-worker. “We told Ray not to leave and the tornado got his car.”
Sumrall said when she found Uriostegui he was walking across the bridge at the Ringgold/Lafayette exit with his suitcase. She said his car windows were blown out and the metal around his car was rolled up.