![Dr. Zanita Kelly, Director of Lower and Middle School, pictured above, and the rest of Westridge Administration were instrumental to providing Westridge faculty and staff the support they needed after the Eaton fire. "[Teachers] are part of the community," said Dr. Kelly. "Just like our families and students."](https://westridgespyglass.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/dr.-kellyyy-1-e1748143600809.png)
![Lacrosse had an incredible season, making it to the semifinals. Jeff Searock, the father of player Sophie S. '28 has gone to most games and said, "[The season has] been great. Great coaching, great players, kids have great attitude. You can't ask for much more."](https://westridgespyglass.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_3652-1200x900.jpeg)
The sounds of burgers sizzling fill the air with the aroma of the small burger restaurant. Founded in the late 1980s, Fair Oaks Burger remains tucked in the heart of West Altadena. Community members and regulars enter, deciding between the classic char‑broiled burgers and one of the Mexican and Chinese dishes.
Current owners and sisters Janet and Christi Lee run Fair Oaks Burger. Their parents, who emigrated from South Korea, initially purchased Fair Oaks Burger as restaurant flippers (the occupation of renovating and rebranding existing, often struggling, restaurants into a new, more profitable business). While initially the family bought the restaurant to flip it back, they kept the business. Christi Lee described the immediate connection to the restaurant for her and her family. “Ever since then, I just knew I had a special place in Altadena… I just knew right away, it’s just Altadena is different, and I love it, I love this community.”
While Janet and Christi lived in Glendale as kids, they spent most of their childhood at Fair Oaks Burger. While the restaurant initially served American-style burgers, the sisters began expanding into Asian and Mexican cuisine, including Chow Mein and Mexican styled burritos. Today, Fair Oaks Burger opens for long hours, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But, because of the diverse menu, the meal preparation requires an early wake-up time for both Janet and Christi. “Lately, these days, it’s not that busy because of the fires,” Christi said. “We still have to get here early, get ready for the day, then go through lunch, and lunch is crazy busy.”
After the Eaton Fire from last January, Fair Oaks Burger was closed for six months because of the fire’s damage and insurance complications. “We couldn’t reopen because there was so much smoke damage,” Christi said. “Nobody knew what to do because the whole town burned.”
Despite these challenges, Fair Oaks Burger continued serving the community. Though without power and water, Christi and Janet purchased outdoor grills to make free burgers for community members after a sponsorship from World Central Kitchen. “It was really nice coming back because we were also struggling because we had a home here too, so it was nice coming back to the community and help in any way that we could,” Christi said.
Many of the long-lasting customers have been multi-generational, from grandparents to grandchildren. However, several of the regular customers have been missing due to the fires. “Residents are gone now, so it’s just a weird, changing environment,” Christi said. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s just new faces in the community.”
Moving forward, though, the sisters continue supporting and serving their community members. This past January, for the remembrance of the Eaton Fire, Altadena community members gathered in the Fair Oaks Burger parking lot. “I don’t think it’s necessarily Fair Oaks Burger that’s so special, I feel like the community of Altadena is really special. We’re just lucky we’re standing,” Christi said, “We’re just cooking, doing our thing, and trying to get through the time and heal.”
