‘It’s like Armageddon.’ Restaurant owner describes fire that burned Moonshadows, Reel Inn and others
“It’s like Armageddon,” Canyon Bakery owner Patrice Winter said. “That’s all I can say. What they’re showing on the news is really real; they’re not sensationalizing any of this. It’s what I saw with my own eyes. It rocks your world.”
Winter was preparing pastries from the kitchen of her bakery Tuesday for the weekly Topanga Farmers Market when she saw a plume of black smoke: Something wasn’t right, she told her husband and business partner. Moments later, they received an app notification that the Palisades fire was raging through the Santa Monica Mountains and toward them. Winds tunneled through the canyon community. Neighbors began evacuating and Winter, a resident of Topanga Canyon for 55 years, knew she had to leave. She’s seen fires before, but never like this one.
Five people have died, more than 2,000 structures have burned and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders because of the wildfires burning across Los Angeles County. “We are absolutely not out of danger yet,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.
As Winter began to evacuate, she saw the fire’s plumes change hues: from black to white to yellow to red, “the whole rainbow of smoke,” she said. “I mean, the sound of the wind is like you’re in a haunted house.”
Winter runs a rustic whole-grain bakery from a small wooden structure on the grounds of Topanga’s historic outdoor theater — Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum — and before evacuating to Calabasas, returned to Canyon Bakery on Tuesday afternoon. She wanted to bake for first responders and those displaced by the fires, and she managed to bake loaves of bread and pizza, dropping them off at a community center before leaving Topanga Canyon.
“I just felt safer being at the bakery,” she said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Winter said a ranger told her that “there is no hope” to save the canyon; multiple restaurateurs and other business owners were hoping for air support to combat fires in the mountain community. Like many other restaurateurs from Topanga to the ocean, Winter is waiting to learn the status of her business.
The Canyon Bakery is a tranquil gathering place for those who enjoy Patrice Winter’s wild-fermented baking.
Others haven’t been so lucky.
At least four iconic Malibu restaurants were destroyed along PCH by the Palisades Fire.
The Reel Inn stood just west of the mouth of Topanga Canyon for 36 years — until this week. Bedecked with colorful Christmas lights, picnic tables and indoor aquariums, the roadside staple specialized in seafood served in a funky, beachy setting. The legendary restaurant sustained heavy fire damage, according to the Malibu Times.
Teddy and Andy Leonard, owners of the Reel Inn, confirmed the destruction of their restaurant on Instagram, and stated that all of their restaurant staff were safe.
“We are heartbroken and unsure what will be left,” the post read. “Hopefully the state parks will let us rebuild when the dust settles.”
In a video posted on Instagram of the area, it appears that the fire also destroyed Cholada Thai, which had served traditional Thai cuisine with views to the beach since 1999. The Instagram account for the restaurant’s second location, in Long Beach, confirmed the annihilation. “We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has tagged us and shown their support during this difficult time,” the post read. “Your kindness and solidarity mean the world to us. #prayforpalisades #prayformalibu.”
Rosenthal Wine Bar and Patio — another local hot spot along the same stretch of businesses — was also affected by the fire. A representative for the tasting room confirmed the destruction in a message to The Times, writing: “unfortunately our wine bar didn’t survive the fires last night.”
One of the most iconic oceanfront restaurants in Los Angeles reportedly burned in the Palisades fire. Guests had flocked to Moonshadows since 1966 for a dining room hanging directly over the water. Representatives for Moonshadows could not be reached for comment, but the restaurant’s official Instagram account reposted dozens of posts in memoriam for the restaurant.
Owners of Gladstone’s, another iconic seaside restaurant near the fire’s destruction path, could not be reached for comment, but on Wednesday afternoon, a Los Angeles Times reporter found the structure to be partly smoking.
Some of the beach community’s dining landmarks will live on: Also as of Wednesday afternoon, Nobu Malibu and Little Beach House are still standing, as is Mastro’s Ocean Club.
Times staff writers Cindy Carcamo, Connor Sheets and Noah Haggerty contributed to this report.
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