52.7 F
Laguna Hills
Wednesday, Feb 12, 2025
-Advertisement-

Orange County Chefs Form Network to Bring Aid to Los Angeles

On Jan. 7, the first night the wildfires erupted in Los Angeles, Chef Robert DuVall watched the TV news in horror as one report showed senior citizens evacuating in vans as flames tore through their community.

“Holy cow. This is what destruction looks like. This is what despair looks like,” he said.
DuVall, owner of DuVall’s Dishes and a frequent volunteer at local Orange County charity events such as Table for Ten, took to Facebook to ask his chef community for help. “I will be cooking 100 meals for the families that lost everything in the fires. Dropping off Sunday afternoon. Anyone willing to donate time or food, let me know.”

Among the local chefs answering DuVall’s call to action were Pascal Olhats, Brandon Hall, Keith Prante, Rick Boxeth, Adam Navidi, Alan Ramirez, Jason Yamaguchi, Olha Yaloza, Michael Campbell, Anthony Mendez, Ben Martinek and Carlos Campos.

“A few of us said, ‘Yes.’ No questions asked,” Olhats, a well-regarded French chef in Orange County, told the Business Journal.

Instead of 100 meals, the chefs wound up delivering 2,500 meals to the Rose Bowl, where shocked and broken-hearted fire evacuees were gathering the first weekend after the wildfires broke out.

“It just blew up,” DuVall said of the outpouring of support, which continued over the next few weeks.

As of Jan. 26, the cohort of chefs and volunteers from California Love Drop, a local non-profit organization handling logistics, had delivered nearly 6,000 meals and hundreds of Monster energy drinks to evacuees and first responders at command centers and shelters in Pacific Palisades and the LA Mission.

The Business Journal shadowed these volunteers on Sunday, Jan. 26, as they delivered burgers and beverages to a Pacific Palisades command center at Will Rogers State Beach. Here’s what a weekend of giving looks like.

LA Fire Relief Efforts Continue in OC

Last week, we highlighted Orange County businesses and organizations aiding residents displaced by the Los Angeles area wildfires. What follows are more businesses that have come to our attention:

  • The Frida Cinema, a non-profit movie theater in Santa Ana, is hosting a fundraiser for the American Red Cross’ California Wildfires Response and Disaster Relief Fund. The theater will be showing two Ryan Gosling films, “La La Land” on Feb. 3 and “Drive” on Feb. 4. Tickets to the special screenings cost $15.
  • The City of Santa Ana last Saturday held a fundraiser during its monthly Downtown Santa Ana (DTSA) Art Walk event. Local musicians performed on the streets to raise funds for MusiCares, a nonprofit which provides emergency financial assistance and housing to musicians.
  • Hotels in Santa Ana are offering special rates to those impacted by the fires, including Hotel Zessa a Doubletree by Hilton and Sonesta Simply Suites Orange County Airport.
  • South Coast Plaza and the Segerstrom family donated $1 million to several organizations providing both immediate and long-term fire relief, including the California Community Foundation, Baby2Baby and Best Friends Animal Society.
  • Hoag Classic Golf Tournament, Orange County’s only Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour Champions event, is partnering with Newport Beach Country Club and sports marketing agency Athletes First to host a March 16 fundraiser for first responders called the Newport Beach Celebrity Classic.
  • Santa Ana-based title insurance firm First American Financial Corp. (NYSE: FAF) made a $25,000 donation to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. Employees also raised an additional $20,000 for the American Red Cross.
  • Descanso Restaurant, which has a flagship location in Costa Mesa, held a grand opening of its LA location on Jan. 23 and donated a portion of sales from opening week to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund.
  • Raising Cane’s, which has over 70 locations in Southern California, donated $250,000 to the American Red Cross. Local restaurants also provided more than 2,000 meals to first responders and evacuees.
  • Galpão Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse in Irvine from Jan. 17-19 donated 10% of proceeds from every rodizio meal to support Orange County Fire Authority efforts.
  • Chapman University’s Bob Hope Hall was converted into a 250-bed shelter for military-connected families displaced by the fires.

Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country?

Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!

Nancy Luna
Nancy Luna
Nancy Luna has been the executive editor of the Orange County Business Journal since September 2024. Nancy began her career 30 years ago at the Orange County Register, where she covered a range of beats, including retail, consumer trends, transportation, healthcare, and tourism. Before coming to the Business Journal, she previously worked as a correspondent for Business Insider’s Retail team, where she specialized in writing about the restaurant and food tech industries. Luna contributed to the Business Insider team that won a 2023 SABEW Award for explanatory journalism for their "Warehouse Nation" project. From 2018 to 2020, Luna was a senior editor and tech editor at Nation’s Restaurant News. While there, she covered the largest chains in the country including Taco Bell, McDonald's, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Starbucks. Luna grew up in Orange County and lives in Old Towne Orange with her husband, Brady.
-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-