Hugh Acheson Feeds Tacos To SoCal Fire First Responders As Blaze Continues

After chef Hugh Acheson was forced to cancel tour stops in Glendale and Santa Barbara for his book The Chef & The Slow Cooker due to wildfires in Southern California, he and his team decided to spend their free time cooking tacos out of their Airstream for first responders.

Southern California is still battling fires that have scorched more than 95,000 acres of land and forced 190,000 people from their homes all the way from Capinteria to San Diego. President Trump has declared a state of emergency for the West Coast state and has even deployed the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist with disaster relief in the counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.

But not all those assisting have been assigned by the government. Some offering to pitch in are doing so out of the goodness of their hearts, and Acheson and his crew decided to do whatever they could to assist first responders, fire fighters, and displaced people.

"We are sorry to say that due to fires we are cancelling our tour stops in Glendale today and Santa Barbara tomorrow @wholefoods . BUT WE WILL BE SETTING UP SHOP SOMEWHERE TO FEED TACOS TO FIRST RESPONDERS TOMORROW. These fires suck. Be safe out there people. #lovecali," he captioned the photo.

A spokesperson for Acheson told Nation's Restaurant News that the chef is in talks to host a fundraising event to benefit fire victims at Jonata Winery in Buellton.

Other big-hearted chefs such as the inimitable José Andrés and Tom Colicchio are in Los Angeles cranking out meals to emergency shelters, while prison inmates at Hansen Dam Recreation Center prepared and served nearly 2,000 meals for the L.A. County Fire Department battling the Creek fire.

The current fires have damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures in Southern California. Some restaurants in Los Angeles such as the Napa Valley Grille and some locations of Carl's Jr. are reportedly experiencing issues with their power, but none have reported any serious damage as of now.