Los Angeles County has had a heavy start to the new year. In the first week of January, wildfires broke out across the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Pasadena, Altadena, the Hollywood Hills, San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley, leaving thousands of homes, businesses and other structures damaged or destroyed, and claiming 29 lives.
Among this destruction were long-standing restaurants such as Reel Inn in Malibu, Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio off Pacific Coast Highway and the Little Red Hen Coffee Shop and Pizza of Venice in Altadena. For weeks, local restaurants closed due to poor air and water quality, damaged facilities and to support staff who were displaced by the fires.
The forced temporary closures occurred during what is typically the slowest time of the year for restaurants, but that hasn’t dissuaded the local food industry from providing free meals and hosting an array of fundraisers to support first responders and wildfire victims.
In Echo Park, Little Fish owners Anna Sonenshein and Niki Vahle are using the restaurant kitchen to cook up comforting soups to those in need. In Chinatown, La Sorted’s owner Tommy Brockert created the L.A. Pizza Alliance alongside 25 of the city’s best pizza makers and 90 volunteers.
This month, we’re departing from our usual habit of sharing new restaurant openings to celebrate some of the treasured stalwarts stepping up for our communities.