By Christine Thomas

March 24, 2025 -- As Bay Cities Italian Deli marked its 100th anniversary this year, it celebrated more than its famous sandwiches -- it became a symbol of community resilience and unwavering kindness.

Fueled by hurricane-force winds, the wildfire that ignited on January 7 in neighboring Pacific Palisades destroyed 6,837 structures and quickly shifted the deli's focus from celebration to civic service.

Bay Cities workers (Photos by Christine Thomas)

"We were more concerned about the community than we were about celebrating us," said Aurelio Carlos Jr., Bay Cities' VP of Operations. "We stayed open, but we lost a big part of our clientele."

With the help of its vendors and many of its customers, Bay Cities converted a favorite Westside spot to grab a legendary "Godmother" sandwich and imported products, wines and fresh-baked breads into a meal hub for first responders.

"We just figured, okay, let’s get this taken care of," said Hector Padilla, who has worked at Bay Cities for 19 years. "Let’s make sure everybody's being taken care of –- the firefighters, police, the residents."

The Bay Cities team delivered sandwiches to fire stations, and vendors stepped up to honor Bay Cities' anniversary.

Boar's Head provided employees with specially-logoed shirts and donated to-go meals with pretzels, cheese and sliced meats to help feed first responders.

Customers, some of whom have been coming for decades for Bay Cities' fresh pasta, olives and gourmet cheeses played a crucial role in the effort.

At the register, if a police officer or firefighter happened to be in line, more often than not, another customer would quietly pick up the tab.

When a San Diego City Councilmember called to order sandwiches for 25 of the city's first responders working the fires -- Bay Cities donated them, a gesture appreciated by the crew.

Hector Padilla, assistant to the VP of Operations

Through it all, customers never lost sight that a local treasure that opened in the midst of the Roaring Twenties when Santa Monica was a beach town of 20,000 was celebrating a milestone that likely makes it the city's oldest business.

"We had a lot of customers who, believe it or not, remembered we were supposed to be celebrating (and) came down just to say, 'Hey, we haven’t forgotten,'" Carlos said.

"They lost everything, and they still came down here. That shows you how deep this business is with the community."

For Irene Howard, who bought the deli with her brother, Bob Garacochea, 31 years ago, serving food the customers love makes every day special.

"It’s been amazing," Howard said. "The community is amazing. Making sandwiches for people and they’re like, 'Oh, finally I can have my Bay Cities sandwich!' -- it’s a blessing.

"I can’t believe it’s been 31 years," she said "I feel like it was yesterday. Every single day is a new experience."

Padilla added with a smile, "You know, we have our ups and downs here, but we always pull through."

Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery is located at 1517 Lincoln Blvd. They are open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. They are closed on Monday and Tuesday. For more information, call 310-395-8279.