HOUSTON — A young Belong Kitchen employee named Elie is a big Astros fan so she was thrilled when she recently spotted Astros star Jose Altuve in a west Houston parking lot.
Elie asked Altuve to autograph her hat, but neither had a Sharpie.
When the second baseman learned Elie worked at Belong Kitchen, he promised to stop by during her shift the next day.
"If you come, you better bring Correa with you!" Elie told him.
Sure enough, Altuve and free agent Carlos Correa showed up at the grab-and-go restaurant the next day. They signed autographs and posed for pictures with Elie and her co-workers.
"We loved having you visit Belong today and are grateful for the many ways you bless our city and its people," the restaurant posted on Instagram.
The restaurant sent the two superstars home with some lasagna.
"We’ll be anxious to hear if it was a HOMERUN! Your surprise visit and commitment to Ellie truly was a GRAND SLAM!" the restaurant posted.
Altuve and Correa definitely hit a home run with the Belong employees.
Owner Kim Brown said she opened the restaurant to provide "dignified, meaningful and paid employment for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in a nurturing environment."
Brown was inspired to start Belong after learning there weren't a lot of opportunities available for her own daughter and others with IDD.
She said they hired several adults with IDD to work out of their homes and deliver meals during the pandemic. It was a huge success that led to their takeout restaurant.
"We believe God has provided everyone with the capacity to serve and contribute to our community in a meaningful way. We can’t wait to see what comes from having a place where everyone Belongs."
Belong employees cook up a different specialty each day and sell the family-size meals that are available for pick-up. They also offer delicious desserts and special orders for special events.
"We have an amazing team of employees who love each other and love to prepare amazing food," Brown said.
