GREENFIELD — In June, Mayor Roxann Wedegartner voiced a commitment to being “as welcoming as we possibly can” to the group of Haitian immigrants that had just arrived in the city. Amy McMahan, owner of Mesa Verde, has since played her part by hosting weekly Haitian food pop-ups in an effort to help the newcomers feel at home.

“I feel like when people feel represented with their cuisine, it’s really what diversity, inclusion and equity is about,” McMahan said.

The restaurant, which primarily serves Mexican food, now offers Haitian fare each Sunday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The dinners, featuring a new menu each week, are open to the general public. McMahan not only intends for this series to last indefinitely, but she hopes it may grow successful enough to translate to direct employment opportunities for Haitians living in Greenfield.

Tracing back her inspiration for the pop-up, McMahan recalled a trip to Miami, Florida in the early 2000s, during which she ate at a Haitian restaurant and “loved the food.” It would be years until she encountered another similar eatery. Then, when she heard in June that more than 60 Haitian immigrants and refugees had arrived in Greenfield and would be staying at the Days Inn on Colrain Road, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

“It’s very unique cuisine,” she said. “I thought it would be so cool to bring something completely underrepresented to Greenfield.”

McMahan said she held her first pop-up shortly after the immigrant families arrived. It was immediately popular, with customers including a few of the new Haitian immigrants and some other locals of Haitian origin or descent.

“[A woman came] who is Haitian-American from Turners Falls and she was so excited,” McMahan recounted. “With food, it’s like you close your eyes and someone can hand you a plate and you say, ‘This is where I’m from. This is what it tastes like.’”

Most customers have been other members of Greenfield’s general public. This doesn’t mean, however, that those who come to eat during Sunday’s pop-ups are necessarily indifferent to their purpose.

“I knew about the Haitian families when they arrived back in June and wanted to be able to support them,” said Greenfield resident Emily Koester, who was at Mesa Verde this past weekend eating dinner with David Koester, her ex-husband.

Emily Koester, who volunteers at Stone Soup Café and helped prepare food for the Haitian immigrants for a short period, agreed with McMahan’s sentiment that familiar cuisine can help “connect them to the community.”

“Living at the Days Inn, they’re out on the rotary and they’re not in town,” Emily Koester said. “It’s a way for us to support them without it being charity.”

“This is really nice … to have a great meal and support these folks,” David Koester said, adding that his dinner was “delicious.”

Emily Koester said she hopes that the pop-up “may be a step toward self-sufficiency” for the immigrants if it translates to some job opportunities down the line. McMahan echoed this, expressing hopes that the pop-up’s success might pave the way for a sustainable business model that could open roles for food preparation and service positions. Citing stories from Haitian families she’d met who walked to the United States from Chile for refuge, she said being a conduit for comfort is a priority for her.

“When you talk to people who walked with their children the length of the continent to be here,” she said, “I just feel like the least I can do is say, ‘Teach me about your food. Let’s make something that tastes like home.’”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.