Many Chilton County residents have been affected by our country’s economic woes. Many have lost their jobs.

So, it’s good to see a local example of overcoming adversity.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed everything Beau Battaglia owned. Battaglia and his mother, Diane Knighten, found some property and relocated to Chilton County, where Battaglia opened up his own restaurant, “Beau’s Po Boys and Pizza,” on Sixth Street in Clanton.

Battaglia and his mother offer original, homemade, authentic New Orleans recipes.

As a fan of this type of cuisine, I was happy to see Beau’s open (I still can’t believe sometimes that a Clanton establishment has muffulettas. The friendliness of the staff makes the restaurant even more attractive.

In a time when so many are bad off, it’s encouraging to see someone making the most of his situation.