A Year After the Eaton and Palisades Fires, Los Angeles’s Restaurant Community Is Still Rebuilding | Eater LA

"Opened in Altadena just a month before the Eaton Fire, this restaurant—originally Bernee and later reopened as Betsy—had quickly developed a cozy, communal atmosphere that felt like a safe home base on the eerie, wind-whipped night when the canyon caught fire and dinner service unfolded under a sky lit by flames. As reservations dwindled and chaotic information about the fire spread, the team ultimately stopped charging for meals, offering to pack up dinners so guests could leave if needed, while inside the room remained warm and communal even as a text from a nearby friend showed the street by the owner’s new house on fire. By the time the night was over, his house and most of his belongings were gone, though, in a twist he struggled to process, the restaurant itself survived with only minor damage despite sitting in what felt like a war zone without utilities and surrounded by destruction. After time away in Ojai, reading Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations every night and questioning whether to walk away, he returned to find gradual signs of recovery—grass growing, cleared and then finished lots, cars once again parked in front—and reconsidered the restaurant’s role. Informal, pay-what-you-can dinners for about 100 people a night became a turning point, with guests told that industry workers who were struggling should not pay while those doing well could contribute more; some left $2,500 for two and others $10, and both gestures were equally meaningful. Those nights revealed how special the place was, with food, service, and experience elevated by a profound gratitude for what almost vanished and by the realization that hospitality can also be about learning to receive care and generosity from guests, transforming Betsy into a symbol of resilience and mutual support in a traumatized town." - Rebecca Roland