Lucile Yaney and her husband Dr Ralph Yaney established the Inn of the Seventh Ray in 1975. Celebrated for its beautiful, magical Topanga creekside setting and a menu that is sublime but also organic and healthy, the Inn is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year. Dr Ralph passed away ten years ago, but Lucile—Lucy—is still at the helm, now working with co-owner and chef Bradley Miller. Fifty years is an amazing milestone for any restaurant, and this one has faced more than its share of extraordinary challenges, but it has endured and become an integral part not only of Topanga but of Los Angeles, drawing visitors from all over Southern California and the world. Join us for a celebration of this legendary Topanga landmark’s history. Cover design by Urs Baur
We are three-quarters of the way through a year rife with disaster and loss. Now there’s a new threat on the horizon: La Niña, a potentially disruptive weather pattern that brings the potential for drought in the west, and arctic cold to much of the rest of the country, is brewing in the Pacific.
NOAA is reporting a 71 percent chance of La Niña emerging during October and lasting at least until December. “Thereafter, La Niña is favored but chances decrease to 54 percent in December 2025—February 2026,” the most recent report states.
No one wants or needs more bad news, but at least we have a warning that La Niña may be coming. In future years, we may not. Massive cuts to NOAA have put all government-funded climate monitoring at risk, including the satellites that help track ENSO—the EL Niño Southern Oscillation, and the researchers who analyze that data and make it accessible to everyone who is potentially impacted, and when La Niña or her equally badly behaved brother, El Niño, materialize that’s all of us.
There is still a 30 percent chance that conditions will remain neutral, but for those of us who live in areas of high wildfire risk, the threat of La Niña needs to be taken seriously, while there is still time to prepare for what may be another extremely dangerous fire season.
Home hardening may not help in a situation where wildfire is driven by hundred-mile-an-hour winds, but it has been shown to protect homes and neighborhoods and limit the spread of fire in less extreme situations, and it doesn’t need to be drastic or costly. Clearing dead leaves from roofs and gutters, making sure vents are screened, and trimming vegetation to ensure that it isn’t in contact with walls or roofs, can make a difference.
The Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness has more tips: https://tcep.org/preparation-wildfire-home-property, as well as information on many other aspects of emergency preparedness, and up-to-the-minute notifications should disaster strike.
We reported in our last issue that State Parks was unlikely to allow Reel Inn owners Teddy Seraphine-Leonard and Andy Leonard to rebuild. The story, initially broken by the Wall Street Journal, generated such a large wave of protest that the state, which owns the land where the historic restaurant was located, is reportedly now reconsidering.
The road to rebuilding will be long and probably complicated, but at least the potential for that option is now back on the table. That’s welcome news for everyone who loves and misses this longtime local institution, with its cheerfully rustic decor, fresh fish, clever fish puns, and storied history.
We’re celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of another quintessentially Topanga restaurant in this issue, the Inn of the Seventh Ray. The Inn weathered the Palisades Fire, but suffered, like so many local businesses during the lengthy closure of Topanga Canyon Blvd. Despite that challenge, this much-loved local institution continues to serve not just food but a little bit of magic, romance and the true spirit of the canyon.
The autumnal equinox arrives September 22, bringing us one step closer to the end of what is arguably one of the most challenging years in Topanga’s history. As we turn our thoughts towards the final quarter of the year here at TNT we are beginning to assemble our annual list of books by local authors. If you are an author or know an author, or have a book to recommend that would interest our readers please let us know.
One of Topanga’s fall traditions is the annual Halloween carnival at Topanga Elementary School. This year, there’s a new group of parents chairing the event. They tell us that they would welcome photos, stories, and information on the history of the event, and we would be happy to share all of those things with them and with our readers: at hello@topanganewtimes.com.
Fall brings peak fire season, but it also brings vivid sunsets and clear starry nights. The beaches and trailheads will be quiet again, the summer crowds gone. Halloween is coming, and Thanksgiving. Cooler weather will be here soon, and even with the threat of La Niña looming, there remains the hope of rain—with any luck, the gentle, healing kind—enough of it to ensure a peaceful and safe season for us all and for the mountains we love.
Stay safe, be well. Happy autumn.
