Little Red Hen Fund

The Little Red Hen was a beloved Black-owned family restaurant on Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadenas. It was known for its tasty scratch-made soul food. Its menu featured specialties like shrimp and cheesy grits, salmon croquettes, homemade sausage patties, omelets, and catfish—often flown in fresh from New Orleans.

This cozy café was a community favorite, but it also drew well-known personalities, including Redd Foxx, Richard Pryor, and Flip Wilson.

The morning I first painted the Little Red Hen, I set up across the street and watched as a steady stream of customers came and went. The restaurant was deeply rooted in Altadena’s Black culture.

After the Eaton Fire reduced the Little Red Hen to ashes, I returned within a month with my artist friend, Pete Morris, to paint what remained. The only way I could confirm I was at the correct site was by recognizing the distinctive stonework I had painted several years earlier. Owner Barbera Shay has vowed to rebuild, determined to keep the restaurant’s legacy alive.