Greg Dulan knows something about fire — when he was a child, his house burned down.
"When we found housing, the family split up," Dulan recalls. "A brother went here, a brother went there. It was horrible."
So when he saw how many people had been displaced by the recent Eaton and Palisades Fires — homes and businesses destroyed, possessions lost, memories turned to ash — he knew he wanted to help.
As a local chef, he has something to offer. Dulan owns Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen, with two locations in South LA. He's a James Beard Award finalist and something of a local LA legend. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he linked up with Kim Prince, the chef and founder of Hotville Chicken, to launch the popular Dulanville Food Truck.
Then they got a call from World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides meals and food aid to people all around the world, typically after natural disasters or amid violent conflicts. "We didn't hesitate," says Prince. "I called Greg, and I said, 'World Central Kitchen needs us, and they want us out tomorrow.' And his response was, 'Say less.' We already know what to do. It's a roll-up-your-sleeves task."
"Most restaurant owners would react that way," Dulan adds. "That's what restaurant owners do. We feed people because we love it, and it's even more special when you feed people who really need it."
Kim Prince (in red bandana) works alongside employees and volunteers at the Dulanville Food Truck in Pasadena to prepare meals for people who need them. Photo by Elina Shatkin.
Since Thursday, January 9th, two days after the fires began, the Dulanville truck has spent every evening parked in a lot on East Washington Boulevard in Pasadena, serving hot meals to anyone who might need one. Volunteers wrap containers of food in plastic bags and tuck in utensils, fruit, and bottles of water.
"You stay in the comfort of your car, and those windows are down, and we give you the exact number of meals that you need. 'Would you like them right here on the seat? Sure. No problem. I can put them in your back seat,'" Prince says.
It's set up as a drive-through but you can also walk up or ride a bicycle. You could probably pedal a unicycle. Whatever method of transport you use and whatever shape you arrive in, you will get fed.
The menu at the Dulanville Food Truck on a recent night. Photo by Elina Shatkin.
They're intentional about what kind of food they provide. "We didn't want to do sandwiches or anything cold. We wanted the families and the firefighters, the first-line defenders, to have a good hot meal. So we had fried chicken. … And what else do we have?" Dulan muses.
"We have red beans and rice. We had vegan jambalaya. We serve mac and cheese, cole slaw, cornbread, muffins," Prince adds.
Altadena has a large Black population because of a history of racial discrimination in large swaths of nearby Pasadena.
"We wanted to make sure we brought food that was familiar to the victims, we wanted them to feel like they were getting food from their mother's kitchen, so that they felt love and familiarity with the menu and the food," Dulan says.
At the truck, they sometimes play the music of James Brown. One night, Dulan looked up to see José Andrés — the Spanish chef who founded World Central Kitchen — dancing to the music and talking to customers.
They typically serve 400 to 500 meals each night but what Dulanville provides is more than just a hot meal, Prince explains. This food distribution site is a gathering spot. She and Dulan have both given out lots of hugs.
"Every time cars pull into the parking lot to get a meal, these community members recognize one another and they haven't seen one another," Prince says. "I was thinking about … the woman I met tonight named Joanne. And as soon as she got out of her car, I said, 'How many meals do you need?’ She walked up, and she said, 'I just need one.' And then she broke down in tears."
Prince continues, "We're hearing their stories. And then they roll on and they wipe their tears away… and we get to tell them we're going to be back tomorrow, and that's when we really get to smile, that they know that we're going to come back the next day. Because I think a little consistency goes a long way when you're going in a situation like this."
The days are long — 12, 16, 18 hours — but gratifying. Prince and Dulan get up early, maybe 5 or 6 a.m. With the help of several volunteers, they cook most of the day. Then, they drive to Pasadena, and with the help of more volunteers, start serving food at 5 p.m. They finally get in around 9 p.m. when they park the truck, plug it in, and clean up.
"After the second night, I said, 'I can't go back.' I was exhausted. I had worked two 18-hour days, back to back. And then when I woke up the next morning, I was re-energized. I said, I can do this. And so we did it," Dulan says.
"We're laying down after midnight and then rising up to get it all done again," Prince says. "We're thinking about all the ones that we've met and their stories. And that's playing in your head all night long. And it's kind of hard to really get comfortable and go to sleep. But I think we're finding the groove and we're able to muster the energy and tap into some joy, because there's hope. It's all about hope."
Prince and Dulan plan to be out with the Dulanville Food Truck, passing out free meals to people impacted by the fire for as long as they can.
"We can rebuild," Prince says. "We'll get back on our feet. Even with the taste of ash in your mouth and in your nostrils, and we go home smelling like smoke and fire and a little collard greens and fried chicken, it's alright to me."