Representatives for the IRS did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The Hernández sisters were initially devastated. But they filmed their interaction with regulators and sent it to one of their daughters. The young woman decided she could share her family’s experience with friends.
The video quickly spread online, and soon outraged supporters were visiting the restaurant as if on a pilgrimage. Donations appeared at the door: spices to season the empanada filling, a 33-pound bag of cornmeal. Then funds began pouring in from Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and even Germany.
Many people sent in orders of empanadas, along with instructions for the family to distribute them among locals in need.
Recently, in her restaurant, Corina Hernández thought that Mrs. Machado might have been sent by God himself. The government’s retaliation had become, paradoxically, a blessing.
“Our lives changed after María Corina came to buy our empanadas,” he said. “Everything has improved.”
