Altadena and Pasadena eateries who were spared by the Eaton Fire are hopeful their establishments will withstand the spectral fallout.
Claude Beltran, one of those proprietors, has been creating mouthwatering dishes at Bacchus Kitchen for ten years. The pace of foot traffic has decreased since the Eaton Fire.
“First week was pretty empty, we couldn’t open for three days because of water contamination,” Beltran stated. “That was a big impact and we got that straightened out but still people weren’t really coming.”
Beltran acknowledged that the sluggish reopening is distressing, but he said he understands it because many others, including a close friend, lost their homes.
“We have a pretty elite jazz program here and one of our dear friends, John Clayton, he’s a Grammy-award winning bassist, lost his house, lost his bass,” Brandon Firla, our co-owner, said.
With so much that needs to be rebuilt, many of the eateries that made it through the fire are concerned about when business will start to pick back.
“It’s going to take a long time for a neighborhood restaurant when half your neighborhood is gone,” Firla stated.
It’s not just Firla and Baccus who are worried about what lies ahead.
“That thought is a source of real anxiety,” claimed Sean Kim, the general manager. “This is going to be a lengthy process getting folks back on their feet.”
A week prior to the Eaton Fire, Woon Kitchen launched its second store in Pasadena. It had to close for a week in a matter of days. It is currently supporting one of its prep cooks who lost her house.
“You know, we’re just trying to be here to offer a place of respite while folks are dealing with some of the toughest times in their lives,” Kim stated.
Many people wonder if people are aware of which companies survived when stores close to the burn area reopen and customers begin to trickle in.
“We’re here for people to sit and have a glass of wine and talk and enjoy and have a little refuge from the craziness,” Beltran stated.