Five Months After the Eaton Fire, Altadena Restaurants Are Finally Reopening | Eater LA

"A homey Mexican restaurant on Lake Avenue whose owner, Maggie Cortez, credits regulars with the business’s survival and frames the restaurant as part of residents' sense of home: "It’s my regulars, my Altadena family that helps me stand up. My emotions fluctuate, I’m tired, I cry, but if my business survived — there’s a reason." She remains determined: "It’s going to be tough, but I’m not giving up." The restaurant has been able to rely in part on lunchtime clientele such as recovery workers in the months after the fire." - Sharon Brenner