SUPERPOWER: Being a human melting pot
Owner and Chef, Alma Bea
Mary Ellen Diaz has vivid memories of watching the women in her life bustle around the kitchen. “They all prepared meals from scratch, and they spent many hours in the kitchen making family meals,” she says. “I loved the process of cooking and also seeing the joy it brought to family and friends.”
Diaz, endlessly inspired by food, would go on to chase that passion to France, where she trained as a chef in Paris and Lyon. In Agen, she cooked for two-star Michelin Chef Michel Trama. “I loved learning about how cooking is tied to the land and cultural traditions of a particular region,” she reflects. “It was also challenging as a woman to prove oneself as part of a French culinary team—definitely a formative experience for me.”
Back in the United States, Diaz experienced another formative moment: September 11, 2001. In the wake of the tragedy, she knew she wanted to do something to serve her community—Chicago, at the time. So she opened First Slice, a series of pie cafes with the goal of serving others in more ways than one. When someone buys an item at a First Slice cafe, their contribution funds meals for community members in need through shelters, churches, and other organizations, she says. “The name, First Slice, tries to embody the idea that we should think of neighbors in need with the first—our best—instead of the last slice.”
After some more time in Europe, Diaz decided to explore the food memories and traditions she remembers from childhood. “The foodways of West Virginia are rich with the layered traditions of different immigrant communities, with innovation borne of the challenge of building lives in new places,” she says. Her latest venture, Alma Bea in Shepherdstown, honors those stories and traditions by diving deep into the history of Appalachian food and bringing those unique, blended flavors to the community with the help of her passionate staff.
“I’m continually inspired by two things: the ingenuity and determination of the cooking mothers and grandmothers of Appalachia and similar areas, and the many folks from the West Virginia community who work to make Shepherdstown a vibrant, caring place,” Diaz says. “Truly, I feel I stand on the shoulders of giants.”
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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.
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