By By Lydia Grimes
features reporter
Hurricane Katrina blew into New Orleans, and in turn blew the owners of YaYa’s into Brewton.
When the storm was headed to Louisiana, the Pintado family decided to evacuate their home in New Orleans. Rebecca Dantzler Pintado  is originally from Brewton and, in fact, was already here visiting before the storm with her children, Max and Olivia. The rest of the family decided they better leave the city, they headed to Brewton.
After the storm was over, the Pintados learned they had lost everything in the water that deluged their home. There didn’t seem a lot left to go back to.
Joe went to work with the Escambia County Sheriff’s department and then into hotel management at The Brewton Motor Inn.
Russell Pintado was on his way to see about a job at the sheriff’s department when he met a Brewton police officer. He found the police department had an opening and he went to work.
The family had talked for some time about opening a small restaurant. The whole family are all good cooks; Russell and his father even went to culinary school.
Rebecca Pintado recently opened her antique business downtown on the corner of St. Nicholas and St. Joseph avenues.
The cooking is split among Russell, Joe and their mother. Each has his or her own speciality made fresh daily.
Russell said so far everything is working out well.