Back in the spring of 1985, a group of eight restaurant workers decided to form a worker-owned cooperative. The original founders had never run a business before, but collectively had over 100 years of restaurant experience and the determination to create their own livelihoods. Fortunately, the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (then Worker Owned Network,) had recently formed in the spring of 1985 to promote community-based economic development in the region through the formation of worker-owned businesses. Through their staff's tutelage, the coop's founders developed a business plan, secured financing and created the foundation of Casa Nueva's cooperative structure.