"I've never lived in Pasadena, but the city that sits below the San Gabriel Mountains in northeast L.A. has always felt like home. As a kid, I'd run into my aunt's neighbors and coworkers while shopping with my mom on Lake Avenue. I knew to expect a wait at now-closed Roscoe's Chicken 'n Waffles after my cousin's Sunday dance recitals. Years later, when I worked at an office off Fair Oaks Avenue, I'd pass my lunch breaks by walking around the neighborhood and admiring the Craftsman homes."
"It turns out, many Black Southern Californians have a similar relationship to Pasadena and Altadena, its neighboring hillside community that suffered tremendous losses in the Eaton fire. After the fire, restaurateur Greg Dulan of Dulan's on Crenshaw spent months offering free meals to residents in collaboration with World Central Kitchen. Like me, he had fond childhood memories of traveling there from his South L.A. neighborhood to visit relatives."
Pasadena and neighboring Altadena hold deep cultural ties for many Black Southern Californians who traveled there for family, food, and community. The Eaton fire inflicted heavy losses, destroying long-standing Black-owned businesses such as Little Red Hen Coffee Shop and Pizza of Venice. Restaurateurs and chefs from the region mobilized relief efforts by offering free meals, opening dining rooms as safe gathering spaces, organizing donation drives, and extending hours to meet needs. Business owners like Greg Dulan and Onil Chibas coordinated with relief organizations and adjusted operations to provide continual access to food, resources, and communal support during recovery.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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