Introduction to a New Chapter
Tyler Wells, the celebrated chef and restauranteur, lives in a tent. Part-time, anyway. The last seven months have been a whirlwind of profound loss and newfound beginnings. After selling a successful coffee company and co-founding the popular Los Angeles restaurant All Time, the 47-year-old, auburn-haired chef turned his focus to a new venture. But it nearly all came crashing down after the Eaton Fire torched over 14,000 acres, destroying his newly purchased home.
The Eaton Fire: A Turning Point
Fresh off a divorce. Reeling from the wildfire. A restaurant in limbo. A move south to Orange County. This year has been his most transformative yet. And it all led to the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano where he’s now the new chef-in-residence. Wells’ turning point came in a flash of orange and red, a day scorched into the souls of all Angelenos. It was on Jan. 2, 2025 that he moved into a new home in the Eaton Canyon neighborhood, ready to take on the next stage of his life following a split from his former wife. Then, five days later, on Jan. 7, the Eaton wildfire swept through the area. Wells’ home was destroyed.
Finding Refuge in the Midst of Chaos
Later that same day at his restaurant, Bernee, his Altadena space that opened only a few weeks earlier, he saw the air was thick with smoke and collective unease. Despite the chaos, his eatery remained open. “People still turned up,” he said in an interview from the farm. As service went on, a customer pointed out a glow in the distance. A few minutes later, a text from a neighbor clarified the situation: “Dude, get your (stuff) and get out,” he recalled the message. An accompanying photo showed “an inferno” on Glen Allen, his street. Thousands of structures sit in ruins in Altadena, as seen on Jan. 19. The Eaton fire, fueled by intense Santa Ana winds, ripped through the area beginning on the evening of Jan. 7.
A New Beginning at the Ecology Center
Wells’ connection to the Ecology Center, San Juan Capistrano’s 28-acre regenerative farm, extends for at least a decade. He had cooked there, bought produce and felt a deep connection to the land. He described the farm as “the most meaningful ground in America for me,” a place where he would often visit “to put my feet in the dirt and take a walk and get reconnected.” In the fire’s aftermath, the Ecology Center’s founder, Evan Marks, turned into a source of support. The farm extended an open-ended invitation to Wells, a chef residency where he would cook, create and heal. Marks, who Wells described as a kindred spirit, called him nearly every day following the fire, saying, “Brother, just come … just come home. We’ve got you.”
Building a New Team and a New Vision
With a renewed sense of purpose, Wells began building his team: He called his old cook from Bernee, Joey Messina, and asked “Hey man, do you want to be a chef on a farm?” Joey’s response, according to Wells: “I’m packing right now.” Wells later persuaded his former front-of-house manager, Tom Oakes, to join as well. “The entire crew is coming back,” he said. “Ever single person that worked at [Bernee] has held out to come back and work together. And that, to me, is more powerful than anything.” The most notable change has been the launch of the seasonal dinner program, happening Thursday through Saturday nights. Held at the farm’s Campesino Cafe, the dinners showcase the farm’s bounty. For these evening suppers, Wells and his team made a “commitment to only use produce that’s grown here.” The menu, he explains, is “so thoughtful and so focused and so simple and passionate, but it’s done so well.” Recent menu items include a farm lettuce salad with Spanish white anchovy, parmigiano reggiano and bread crumbs, farm-made sourdough focaccia with cultured butter, ceviche tostadas, local halibut with blistered cherry tomatoes, cavatelli with confit tomatoes and ricotta salada and a regenerative steak dinner described on the menu as “changes frequently, let’s talk.”
Finding Solace in the Simple Life
Indeed, this is the hardest thing Wells has ever done, yet it’s also the most meaningful. He’s found solace in the simple routine of farm life, spending time outdoors and enjoying the still fields after dark, especially from the tent that he still uses for slumber on the farm’s soil, a home away from his new L.A. residence. Internally, the team has branded this era “dirtbag summer camp” — an affectionate riff on the Ecology Center’s “Summer of Love,” a series of events held at the farm this summer focusing on food and community. The fire, for all of its devastation, became a form of “cleansing” for Wells, gratitude that he recognizes, especially in light of so many others losing their homes, livelihoods and lives. “I would never have chosen it” on my own, he said, “but for me it burned away so many things that had just accumulated, both physical and emotional stuff, when you just have no choice but to say, ‘Well, all of that’s gone.’”
Conclusion
As the universe has a way of shifting us where we need to be at times, especially dark ones, for Wells that shift brought him from the ashes of his past to the fertile soils of the Ecology Center where he is now, quite literally, at home. With the upcoming reopening of Bernee, which will be rechristened Betsy, Wells will split his time in Altadena, but for now, he is exactly where he needs to be.
FAQs
Q: What happened to Tyler Wells’ home in the Eaton Fire?
A: Tyler Wells’ home was destroyed in the Eaton Fire, which torched over 14,000 acres.
Q: Where is Tyler Wells currently working?
A: Tyler Wells is currently working as the chef-in-residence at the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano.
Q: What is the Ecology Center?
A: The Ecology Center is a 28-acre regenerative farm in San Juan Capistrano where Tyler Wells is currently working.
Q: What is the seasonal dinner program at the Ecology Center?
A: The seasonal dinner program at the Ecology Center is a series of evening suppers, happening Thursday through Saturday nights, which showcase the farm’s bounty and feature a menu made with only produce grown on the farm.
Q: What is the future of Bernee, Tyler Wells’ former restaurant?
A: Bernee will be rechristened Betsy and will reopen in the future, with Tyler Wells splitting his time between the restaurant and the Ecology Center.
