11 delicious ways to support L.A. wildfire relief this month

Los Angeles Times

21-02-2025

New York-founded H&H Bagels lands in a new Santa Monica location at the end of February, and is donating its first week of sales to L.A. wildfire relief. Feb. 21, 2025 9:37 AM PT
It's been more than a month since wildfires devastated communities across Los Angeles County and recovery efforts are still in early stages. Countless homes and small, locally owned businesses were damaged or destroyed in the fires, including treasured neighborhood restaurants such as Cafe de Leche in Altadena and Cholada Thai in Malibu.
Restaurant workers were among those displaced, with many losing long-term employment as a result. Despite these challenges, the restaurant industry has been at the forefront of relief efforts, preparing free meals and hosting fundraisers for wildfire evacuees and first responders.
There are plenty of options for those who want to contribute to L.A. wildfire relief, including attending exclusive dinners led by culinary figures from the Netflix series 'Chef's Table,' purchasing T-shirts with designs that memorialize restaurants lost in the fires or ordering wine from a Los Olivos winery. Here are 11 local initiatives to support this month, ordered chronologically:
No matching places!
Try changing or resetting your filters
Showing Places
Pasadena Cheese Shop $
By Danielle Dorsey
On Feb. 22, Neighbors & Friends coffee and cheese shop in Pasadena will debut the city's new community fridge that will offer free food and beverages to residents in need. Those who want to support the effort are invited to come out between 9 and 11 a.m. and bring fresh fruit and produce to help stock the refrigerator. The community fridge will observe the shop's regular business hours.
Route Details
Echo Park Wine Bars $$
The Echo Park wine bar will close at the end of this month, but they're keeping busy until then. On Feb. 23, stop by for a fire relief fundraiser with wine to go from Altadena Beverage and Market, with bottle sales benefiting the market's reopening efforts after being affected by the Eaton fire. If you prefer to dine in, food from Little Palace Delicatessen and cold brew from Canyon Coffee will be available on the bar's patio, along with wines from Tilda and a special shandy made in collaboration with Skyduster Beer, with all food and beverage proceeds donated to Cal Fund's wildfire relief fund. While you're in the area, visit Untitled next door for a fire relief book sale.
Route Details
Santa Monica Bagels $
The iconic New York bagel shop that opened in 1972 is launching a new location in Santa Monica, and franchise owner and L.A. native Philip Gross has committed to donating 100% of the first week of profits to the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund (Cal Fund). The menu features the same classic flavors you'll find in New York, such as the classic bacon, egg and cheese and Nova salmon with 'the works,' plus specialty sandwiches and cream cheese flavors including scallion, jalapeño, walnut raisin and strawberry that can be paired with plain, everything, sesame, jalapeño cheddar, egg and pumpernickel bagels.
Route Details
Westside Butcher Shop Wine Bars $$
On March 1, husband-and-wife team Tyson and Bridgette Blackney will host an Aussie-inspired sausage sizzle fundraiser at their Echo Park wine bar and butchery. The bar will cook up lamb sausage sandwiches with grilled onions on Clark Street bread, alongside a truncated daytime menu with charcuterie, with the full menu available for dinner. Event proceeds will be donated to fire relief funds, and Ola Sol cocktail sales will be matched with donated meals to L.A. Food Bank.
Route Details
Hollywood Eclectic $$$
In partnership with Resy, 'Chef's Table' — the long-running Netflix series that spotlights renowned chefs and kitchens around the globe — is hosting a dinner series with restaurants across the country for L.A. wildfire relief, with proceeds split between restaurant partners and community funds, including World Central Kitchen and Restaurants Care, as well as fundraisers supporting Altadena and Pacific Palisades communities directly.
While many of the dinners have sold out, seats are still available for dinner with chef Evan Funke at his Hollywood restaurant Mother Wolf on March 8, including a cocktail hour, a meet-and-greet with the chef, classic Italian American dishes served family style and optional wine pairings. Tickets are $275 per person. Additional dinners are scheduled in New York and Miami in March and April, with more expected to be announced soon.
Route Details
Bakery $$
Dini McCullough Amozurrutia, the owner of Dini's Divine Pies in Rockville, Md., collaborated with John Hinman of Hinman Pie in Denver on a grassroots effort to support Los Angeles bakeries and panaderías affected by the wildfires. The fundraiser with run through Pi Day on March 14, with pie and bake shops across the country pledging a percentage of pie sales from a day, a week or even the entire month to support affected L.A. bakers. In L.A., participating bakeries include Bocey's Bakery and SugarPop55, with more expected to join the campaign. Website www.piedayforla.org
Details
Century City Italian $$
By Danielle Dorsey
The tri-level Italian marketplace has partnered with Massimo Bottura of three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana on a special dinner hosted on its terrace restaurant Terra, with Mattia Agazi (Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills), Michael Ciramusti (Providence, Connie & Ted's) and Eataly's culinary team joining the Italian chef to create a memorable menu, and all proceeds benefiting the Los Angeles Fire Department and the California Community Foundation. The dinner will be held on March 18 and tickets are $1,000 per person plus fees.
Route Details
Japanese $$
A coalition of Japanese chefs across 20 restaurants in L.A. — including Times 101 Best Restaurants such as Hayato, Mori Nozomi and Sushi Kisen — have formed Japanese Chefs Unite (JCU), and are offering T-shirts with 100% of proceeds donated to the LAFD Foundation. T-shirts are $35 apiece and must be purchased in person. Stay for a meal to support local restaurants that have suffered loss of business after the fires. Participating restaurants include: Sushi Gen, Sushi Inaba, Morihiro, Kogane, Sushi Kaneyoshi, Asanebo, Shunji, 715, Bar Sawa, Sushi Takeda, Shin Sushi, Sushi Yui, the Brothers Sushi, Sushi Chitose, Sushi Yamamoto, Sushidokoro Miyama and Kaiseki Motoishi.
Details
Retail $$
Supermarket Merch partnered with L.A. Countdown on a T-shirt collection with 100% of proceeds going to support Altadena restaurants impacted by the Eaton fire, including the Little Red Hen Coffee Shop, Pizza of Venice, Cafe de Leche, Rancho Bar and Vittorio Restaurante & Pizzeria. T-shirts are $40 each and available online. Website thelocalsupermarket.com
Details