09/27/2026
We recently heard someone ask our staff, "Why the name Hell or High Water?"
It's an innocent and honest question, but it's also a reminder that so many of the wonderful people who visit us from out of town don't know why that phrase rings so loudly in these mountains. That it HAD to ring loudly, almost to the point that those of us who live here no longer wish to hear it.
For many of us who call Western North Carolina home, these final September days carry an invisible weight. Despite the sun shining and fall leaf season bringing so many community celebrations across our region, the reminders of September 27th, 2024 are inescapable.
From news articles and too-cheerful phone prompts exclaiming "remember this day two years ago!", to posts just like this one. Celebrations of resilience, moments of silence to honor those lost, and calls to come together and love each other. For every bright thing blazing, there is sorrow, hurt, and determination that burns just as steadily.
There comes a point, especially for those of us sitting at our computers reviewing the past and typing it out yet again, where you wonder, "do we need to do this, or is this some twisted showmanship?" But the tears that fall while reading old articles to find the perfect quote, and the urge to protect staff from reliving their own experiences with a smile on their face while they search for words to answer well-intentioned questions, is the proof we need to determine intention.
So yes, Hell or High Water is a reminder of Hurricane Helene's impacts. But it is also a reminder of what we, a region thrown unexpectedly into devastation, did to come together as a greater community at the moment our neighbors near and far needed it most. When Helene arrived, we were just weeks away from opening and still didn't even have a name for the restaurant. Like so many of our neighbors, we set aside what we were building and went right to cleaning up and feeding our community. For a while, it seemed like we might not open at all.
Then we did. And we named it accordingly.
"It's about doing something, not giving up, and making it better, come hell or high water." — Foothills Co-owner Casey McKissick
