LA Chef Keeps Feeding People Despite Losing Home in the Palisades Fire

Daniel Shemtob, the chef behind Lime Truck, Hutch, and chef shoe brand Snives, lost his home in the 2025 Pacific Palisades fire. While sheltering in place at his in-laws’ house, he partnered with World Central Kitchen and sprung into action with a lime truck to feed those affected by the fires and first responders.

This week also Shemtob We have started a GoFundMe Lime Truck will continue to provide assistance, helping families rebuild their lives and providing support to first responders and those affected by the fires.

told Eater’s Southern California/Southwest editor Rebecca Rowland.

At 11:06 a.m. on January 7th, I was on the phone with someone. Snib employee. When my wife ran into the house, she was told to come outside. I ran down the stairs and saw that the hill was on fire. I thought there was no chance of it falling here. We looked over and saw our neighbors packing their cars. My wife said she had to leave early because she was leaving to go to her aunt’s house. Still receiving calls, I thought nothing bad could happen here and started packing. I thought I would be out for the day, and since I needed to work, I only brought a few valuables and my office belongings.

When I went to the fridge, I was like, “I haven’t eaten anything since morning.” It was noon at that point, so I grabbed some leftover chicken meatballs and turkey in case I got stuck in traffic and couldn’t order food home.

Around 6pm, I realized that there was a very good chance that this fire would actually hit my neighborhood. I was stupid to think I should drive home because my wife wasn’t giving me as much money as I wanted. A large four-wheel-drive vehicle had broken through the fence in front of me, and I was about to follow it into the neighborhood. Three houses next to ours were on fire. I ran into my house, which was not yet on fire, and grabbed a few things that I thought my wife might have wanted. Firefighters shouted at me outside my street and told me to leave immediately.

Around 11:45pm that night, I received a text message from the remote security system that said, “Please smoke in the master bedroom.” The security guard kept calling me and told me the house was on fire.

Daniel Shemtob

The next day, January 8th, was truly depressing. I was taking a bath every hour. I was watching the news. I just sat there and watched it and tried to stay updated. I was so depressed that I couldn’t be alone. I couldn’t concentrate on anything. My wife was very stressed and wanted to look at houses, so we rode a friend’s bike to the Palisades in Brentwood. Our entire neighborhood was flat.

On Friday night, something snapped inside me. I went through COVID-19, lost my mom, and lost my restaurant and catering business. I went through that too and it took me 9 months to get out of the depression. I recognized it within myself because it was all the same emotions I was feeling. This time, I decided that I couldn’t continue like this. I realized that there is so much I can do and that I have never had a support system like this before. My wife’s parents immediately asked, “What should we do?” I decided it was time to take action and give back to people. The next morning I had an event at World Central Kitchen and it was probably one of the best services of my life. It was really helpful.

the first place we visited lime truck I went to church in Pasadena with Tyler Florence. I had no clothes, no knife roll, nothing. I had to go buy pants in the morning before my shift. I told the team I didn’t have a knife roll and they bought me a knife. Then Tyler gave me a personal knife roll. It was so overwhelming. Tyler is a famous chef, but I don’t feel like I’m on the same level. I told him to shake hands, kiss babies, and sit in front of the truck to make people feel good. Because the whole reason we’re here is to make people feel good. He started doing that and saw how condemned we were. He got in his truck and we broke through the line.

I have a very vivid memory of a homeless family with three children who arrived in a truck. One of the family members, probably in their late 40s, came up to me and said the food was delicious and that they had a lot of fun today. It was the first time I laughed all week.

That day, I saw the community coming together. As much as everyone felt the loss and sadness, there was a sense of warmth. I feel like this was the city I fell in love with. I had an idea, but I didn’t know exactly what World Central Kitchen would actually do. But they are actually meant to unite communities and nourish them. It’s about delicious and nutritious food, but it’s also about bringing communities together. When you cook, people will volunteer. Everyone started helping each other and that’s exactly what happened.

The next day, I said to my team, “Let’s have as many of these events as possible.”

When it comes to communities, it always amazes me how hospitality is the first to respond to these natural disasters. During the coronavirus outbreak, we were all penniless. I closed four restaurants, but I still gave out free meals and free shoes from my food truck, paid my employees, and paid for their groceries. Because I knew it was what I needed. I’ve seen that community step up.

Over the next few days, we began cooking between 500 and 1,500 meals per day for the various groups affected by the fire and those working to fight the fire. Since then, I have been working two shifts every day and have just started giving away shoes.

I’ve donated to World Central Kitchen in the past, but riding in a truck and contributing to their efforts is different. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but I like the visceral experience of actually raising my hand and helping people. That’s what cooking is all about.

This interview has been edited for clarity.