Masters of Scale

When disaster strikes: On the ground amid LA wildfires

Jan 14, 2025

Guillaume Patard, owner of Pain Beurre, faces the emotional toll of losing his bakery and home in the LA wildfires. Andy Valdez from Homestate sheds light on how a restaurant pivoted to provide critical aid and food relief during the crisis. Wendy Escobedo of World Central Kitchen discusses the impact of community resilience and the organization’s efforts to coordinate meals for those in need. This conversation reveals the strength of local businesses and volunteers coming together to support each other amidst devastation.

30:24

Episode guests

Wendy Escobedo

Andy Valdez

Guillaume Patard

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The devastating LA wildfires resulted in massive destruction, with over 100,000 evacuees and at least 24 fatalities, highlighting community vulnerability to disasters.

Local businesses, like Homestate, pivoted to support relief efforts, showcasing the critical role of community-driven initiatives in times of crisis.

Deep dives

Community Feedback for Future Content

Listeners are invited to participate in a survey aimed at shaping the podcast's content for 2025. The team seeks to understand the topics and conversations that matter most to its audience, emphasizing a commitment to supporting entrepreneurial journeys. The survey is designed to be quick, taking only a few minutes to complete, and as a token of appreciation, participants will receive a $25 e-gift card. This initiative highlights the podcast's dedication to fostering a community-driven approach to content creation.

Intro

2min

Embers of a Dream

5min

Navigating Uncertainty in the Wake of Disaster

2min

Community Resilience After Disaster

9min

Restaurants as Community Lifelines

4min

Community Resilience in LA Wildfires

11min

Celebrating Team Success and Employee Appreciation

2min

Wildfires have forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes in the Los Angeles area, and killed at least 24 people. In what will likely be the most costly disaster in U.S. history, thousands of homes and businesses have been lost. In a special edition of Rapid Response, host Bob Safian and show producers share on-the-ground perspectives from entrepreneurs who have been directly impacted.

A couple who ran a small bakery in Altadena, Pain Beurre, share the story of losing their business and home to the flames. The restaurant chain HomeState describes how it’s engaging team members in food relief, and pivoting a closed location to distribute aid. And the LA project manager for World Central Kitchen (chef José Andrés' global organization) details how its global/local playbook is taking shape amid these fires.

If you'd like to support any of the organizations featured, please follow the links below:

Pain Beurre: A Micro Bakery

HomeState

World Central Kitchen

Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.