Eaton and Palisades Fires: Wildfire aid and the road to recovery

Good Food

KCRW

Society & Culture

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 January 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We all saw it unfold in real time, some of us from our phones, others witnessing the devastation firsthand. Our beautiful, complicated, and geographically vast Los Angeles has been brought to its knees. Our heart goes out to everyone who finds themselves struggling and unmoored through all the types of loss, whether it be family, a home or a neighborhood. As the days have passed, one aspect of this tragedy has kept us going — the extraordinary kindness and generosity of the citizens of Los Angeles.

This week, we speak with those affected by the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, and those who have selflessly stepped up to help. Wendy Escobedo of World Central Kitchen explains how the organization mobilizes — with a little help from chefs and restaurateurs like Roy Choi, Kim Prince, and Greg Dulan — to feed evacuees and first responders. Christine Moore, owner of Little Flower in Pasadena, fought flames in her neighborhood and is now feeding the community while navigating her own displacement. Dina Samson offers perspective on how the fires are impacting LA's already struggling hospitality industry. Teddy and Andy Leonard, owners of The Reel Inn in Malibu, look back on their restaurant, which succumbed to fire after 36 years of selling seafood on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From KCRW, I'm Evan Klyman, and this is Good Food.
0:05.5	Tuesday, January 7th, began like most other Tuesdays.
0:10.1	I had coffee, fed the cats, and then began work.
0:15.1	Our first interview of the day was with Vanessa Anderson, aka The Grocery Goblin. And we started with a simple sound check
0:24.6	question. Tell us about your day. Sure. Yeah, it's very windy and I can almost see the fire and it's scary
0:35.7	and the wind is really loud and is that okay.
0:43.2	What neighborhood are you in? I'm in Silver Lake at the moment I'm at my friend's house
0:48.1	because she has a quieter apartment, but as I was driving, I could see the smoke. But I can hear evidence all clear.
0:57.5	I don't have to tell you what happened next. We all saw it unfold in real time. Some of us from our
1:04.8	phones, others witnessing incomprehensible devastation firsthand.
1:11.6	Our beautiful, complicated, and geographically vast Los Angeles
1:17.2	has been brought to its knees.
1:19.7	Our heart goes out to everyone who finds themselves
1:22.5	struggling and unmoored through all the types of loss,
1:26.9	whether it be family, a home or a neighborhood.
1:31.5	As the days have passed, one aspect of this tragedy has kept me going, and that is the extraordinary
1:39.3	kindness and generosity of thousands of citizens of Los Angeles on display throughout the city.
1:47.5	The massiveness and creativity of the response fills my heart.
1:54.1	Over the years, World Central Kitchen has been the subject of several good food interviews.
2:00.1	What began is Jose Andres' response in 2010 to the earthquake in Haiti
2:04.8	is now a constant drumbeat of worldwide aid, and now here they are, showing up in our community,
2:13.7	collaborating with our colleagues and feeding our neighbors and first responders.
	...

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