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The wildfires have left Southern California devastated, which has also hit the restaurant industry hard, forcing the closure of more than 100 iconic restaurants. Faced with this dystopian scenario, some restaurateurs have decided to join together to become the resistance and help those most in need, while transforming their kitchens into sanctuaries.
This community action is being carried out through food trucks and a series of actions to feed firefighters and displaced families, as is the case of House of An, the owner behind the famous Crustacean in Beverly Hills. She has been in charge of providing free meals to those affected by the fires.
Meanwhile, celebrity chef Andrew Gruel of Calico Fish House turned his restaurant into a vital relief centre for victims of the wildfires. In X he tweeted: ‘Anyone who has left LA and headed south. They are welcome at our restaurant, 16600 Pacific Coast Highway, 92649. We have a large car park, you can stay as long as you need and camp out. We will provide free meals for everyone affected. If anyone has any coordination in process for meals, supplies, etc for LA, reach out to me, we will provide as much food to deliver and arrange for supplies as well.’
Yeastie Boys Bagels, another of Los Angeles‘ legendary food trucks, has partnered with chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen to serve free meals to firefighters responding to the fires in Altadena, Malibu and much of the county. Andrés has also teamed up with Dulan‘s in Crenshaw and Hotville Chicken to serve vegan jambalaya and chicken dishes to displaced people and first responders.
Community initiatives have also helped to alleviate this crisis. Jill Cook of Jill Cook PR + Marketing, along with Niyaz Pirani of Knife & Spork Public Relations and Jennifer Wales of Wales Communications, spearheaded the OC Restaurants Give initiative, which has raised more than $200,000 to help victims of the wildfires.
Finally, other food trucks have been mobilised to set up in some parts of the affected areas, such as Santa Monica. There, chef Cristian Barajas’ Gordo Hibachi served shrimp with rice and noodles to the firefighters. In parallel, chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger set up their Socalo Border Grill catering truck at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium to feed 600 people on the first night of service.
