CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) — A new restaurant is coming to the Charleston area to honor a life taken too soon.
Leah Strickland died in a car accident in 2022, and ever since her parents have been working to keep her memory alive.
Now Michael and Emily Strickland are going to do so through Chicken Salad Chick, a restaurant Leah loved.
“After the accident we kind of joked, we were like man wouldn’t it be cool to open a chicken salad chick so we, my wife actually sent an email in early November. They responded and here we are four months later so just happy as can be and we just can’t wait,” Michael Strickland said.
Strickland said they will open three restaurants. One will be in the Charleston area, one will be in the Teays Valley area and one will be in the Parkersburg area, all with the same goal.
“That will allow us to really reach out and be involved in 3 big communities. We will be able to give out and give back to the communities and hopefully bring a smile to a lot of people and that’s what Leah would want,” Strickland said.
The Stricklands created the Leah Strickland Scholarship Fund for Herbert Hoover High School students. They also started the Leah’s Legacy 5K, held annually in Leah’s honor. Strickland said being able to open the restaurants in her honor is amazing.
“It’s just, it means a lot and I mean chicken salad chick that’s what they love giving back to the community, that’s a part of their culture, the southern charm, I mean that southern hospitality so kind of having that to see that there in support of a lot of stuff as well you know we will individually, so it was a perfect fit for us,” Strickland said.
They hope to share Leah’s memory and give back to the community with chicken salad.
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Dining and Cooking