MARSHALL, N.C. (WGHP) — It’s hard to believe it’s already been two years since Hurricane Helene ripped through small mountain towns in Western North Carolina.
Floodwaters rose to record levels, knocking out small towns. Some are still recovering today, including the small town of Marshall, which is located along the French Broad River, about 25 miles northwest of Asheville.
When you walk into Star Taco, located in the heart of Marshall, it is a vibrant space, paired with delicious smells.
Brian Sonoskus and his wife Kate started a new chapter last year, closing down Star Diner, located just down the block from Star Taco. It was an unexpected turn of events following Hurricane Helene.
“We got that place cleaned up down the block, realized it really wasn’t a building that was going to come back anytime real soon. Not worth it for me to invest in redoing that building,” said Sonoskus.
Sonoskus says floodwaters covered everything but the roof, so, from there, he decided to fix up the space down the road and start a new journey, opening Star Taco.
It didn’t always look so bright and colorful two years ago; floodwaters ripped through the space formerly known as Main Street Café. Those high waters meant almost everything had to be gutted from the original building.
“The only thing left in here from the original was the tile floor and the tin ceiling that had to be patched up a little bit and repainted. … Everything came through, washed right through the windows, you know, and just filled the place up and then trickled its way back out when it was done. It left behind a lot of mud and debris and fish and everything else,” said Sonoskus.
After months, they finally opened their doors to the public in November of 2025. On a day-to-day basis, Sonoskus says the flow of customers is great, but they’re hoping to see even more visitors during this coming peak season.
“A lot of them, I think, don’t want to come see still some of the vacant lots and some of the destruction and kind of want to remember it as how it was for them and come back to a place that is not the same. You know, for the people here, it’s beautiful. It’s wonderful. You know we’re all a community together. Rebuilding as we can, doing what we can, the best we know,” said Sonoskus.
If you visit Marshall today, you might see a quiet mountain community and not realize the devastation they’ve endured. Brian Sonoskus says if you look closely, you’ll still see the scars left behind from Helene
“We have a nice big patio out back that we did a lot of work on. Most of this stuff, all these brick walls they all had to be rebuilt. All that was torn down. You can kind of see the stains on the wood doors over there where the flood line was there,” said Sonoskus .
Top headlines on MyFOX8.com
Sonoskus says while so many things look different in the small mountain town the feeling of familiarity is still there.
“Some places that weren’t able to reopen, new things have come in their place. … The same Marshall spirit is still here. It’s just gaining up speed to get back to where it was,” said Sonoskus.
Sonoskus says they are planning to hold more events to draw more people to back Marshall, especially during peak season in October and November. Be on the lookout on their Facebook page.