A few weeks ago the Tallahassee Democrat published an article regarding a candid conversation held with La Tiendita owners, Nora and Sid Getz, who shared their trials and tribulations with operating their restaurant on North Monroe Street.
Members of social media food groups — Tallahassee Foodies and Tallahassee Restaurant Reviews — took heart to the raw confession of the owners. Many shared the article or photos from old visits on their pages, rallying together to support the mom-and-pop shop. Among them was employment attorney and self-described foodie Maria Hossain.
“As an employment attorney, I’ve been trying to kind of like meld the two a little bit,” Hossain said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. “Like I said, I represent business owners, and I just have this soft spot in my heart for restaurant owners.”
The Ausley McMullen attorney says she was emotional after reading the article concerning a spot she loves to visit for its variety of tacos and savory bites. She figured she had to do something for La Tiendita, but also other business owners possibly facing the same battles.
That’s when “Supper for Support” was born.
Support one bite at a time
“My idea was that I would pay out of my own pocket for my meal, plus three other random people in the community — whoever wanted to go. The agreement is that each of the three people on their own with their family or friends would go back the next week and take pictures and post about it on social media,” Hossain said.
She took her idea and posted it to Facebook group Tallahassee Restaurant Reviews, inviting people to dine out with her and was pleasantly overwhelmed by all the reactions.
Employment attorney and creator of “Supper for Support,” Maria Hossain.
One user said, “What an excellent idea and a great restaurant to start with!! Can’t wait to see how this progresses.”
Another user said, “Such an amazing idea! I’d be honored to volunteer! Let’s make this happen and uplift our local restaurants!”
The group of eight’s first outing was at La Tiendita, with plenty more to visit on the list each month including Red Shed on Crump Road.
Her hope is that with additional posts, restaurants will continue to get more exposure, customers and dollars in the door. As an active member of both social food groups, she’s seen the impact her own food photos have had in encouraging people to visit local gems for themselves. But this initiative has become much more.
Hossain says she had people reaching out just wanting to attend without even having their meals covered because it sounded like a fun, positive thing to do.
“It was just so nice I even had these messages like ‘oh it’s so nice, you’re helping the community’ and stuff like that. But then it kind of went even deeper than I thought it would,” she said.
Guests visit La Tiendita for the “Supper for Support” dinner on April 22, 2026.
One of the comments was from someone who works for suicide prevention and emphasized to Hossain how much people value community, coming together and connection — one of Hossain’s favorite parts about food and its power.
“I love food. I love everything about it,” she said. “I just think it’s such a great way to learn about someone’s like, culture and just eat great food, break bread with people and make friends with people.”
Nora and Sid Getz, owners of La Tiendita, a restaurant that offers authentic Mexican and Brazilian cuisine, pose for a portrait inside their restaurant Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
How to Supper for Support
If you are interested in attending any of the special dinners you can reach out to Maria Hossain via Facebook or email at mhossain@ausley.com.
This article includes previously reported information. Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know at ksanford@tallahassee.com. You can also email your suggestions for a future TLH Eats restaurant profile.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee ‘Supper for Support’ aids local restaurants