Orange County woman who cooked for FDNY personnel after 9/11 will speak on the ‘Power of One’
The events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the acts of heroism that followed may be captured in American history books, but they will forever be living memories for those who witnessed the national tragedy and its aftermath.
And one Tustin resident — who’d visited the World Trade Centers in August 2001 and was so moved by the resilience of first responders following 9/11 she sold her restaurant and spent the next two years feeding firefighters on the front line — is on a mission to make sure America never forgets.
Janet “Angie” Kardashian will share her experiences and pieces from her personal memorabilia collection of items gifted to her by grateful FDNY personnel during a Sept. 8 talk at the Costa Mesa Historical Society.
The 72-year-old Jet Blue flight attendant recalled in an interview Thursday the chain of events leading up to her momentous decision in 2002 to leave her life, home and business in Orange County and head to New York City with little more than a desire to serve.
Shortly after the tragedy, a local fireman had come into her restaurant — Angie’s Cuisine Italiano, where customers’ insistence on calling her Angie over 22 years of business transmogrified into the name she now calls herself — and started talking about how Orange County stations were sending personnel to Ground Zero.
Kardashian explained she’d taken a trip to the Big Apple and had visited the World Trade Center towers, posing for a photo at the South Tower Observation Deck, just 30 days before the attacks.
“I looked at him and said, ‘Oh my God, I wish I could do something,’ and he looked at me and said, ‘You can cook, can’t you?’ she said. “When he said that my whole world stopped.”
Spiritual in nature, Kardashian went home and prayed about it and swears, to this day, a voice spoke to her from somewhere deep inside, confirming that was what she was meant to do. The very next day, she told her employees she was leaving the business and going to New York to cook for firefighters.
Serendipity took over from there as things almost magically fell into place, not only in the course of her relocation, but as she went on to prepare and serve meals to 103 fire companies in all five boroughs and moving from one living situation to the next.
“Everything just happened — I sold my restaurant, and I got people to move into my house in California while I was gone,” Kardashian described Thursday. “I went to New York with a suitcase in my hands and not much else. I moved 13 times in two years, because I was subletting. But 13 times, I had a place to move into.”
Many of the firehouse meals the Orange County restaurateur whipped up were special occasions, as Kardashian passed out song lyrics and engaged personnel in comical renderings of “Macarena,” “Mack the Knife” or “That’s Amore.”
Others were more somber occasions as firefighters, still in shock from the day’s unthinkable work, ate in silence. But they all seemed to appreciate the effort.
“Many of them said to me it took away their sadness and gave them some moment to not think about the horrific tragedy and the things they saw,” Kardashian said. “But it brought me a whole lot more — my life is forever changed.”
In 2004, the FDNY Honor Legion presented the philanthropic chef with a medal designed to recognize individuals who have “rendered service to the Fire Department of the city of New York and has merited gratitude and recognition for those services.”
The honor is just one object Kardashian now displays when she shares her story in presentations before local organizations and at her website, acalltoserve.com.
Kardashian’s upcoming appearance at the Costa Mesa Historical Society — titled “The Power of One” — is particularly timely, as it will arrive nearly 23 years to the day of the 9/11 attacks, according to Mikelle Fish, vice president of programs.
“The power of what one person can do is the theme of her talk. Her being just one person, she asked what she could do,” Fish said Thursday. “She will have a ton of memorabilia, so we’ll have the discussion in our larger room.”
Fish, who happened to be celebrating her 30th birthday in Colorado on the day of the attacks, recalled the gravity of the moment and how a nation came together in a rare moment of shared pain.
It’s a moment in history that might be lost on younger generations, who were either too young or not yet born in 2001, but one that remains etched in the hearts and minds of older Americans everywhere and deserves to be memorialized, Fish said.
As for Kardashian, two decades has done little to erase the memories of that time and place. If anything, the passage of time has only deepened the Tustin flight attendant’s mission to keep the flame of memory burning bright.
“I’m continuing to try to tell people to never forget what happened on this day, so all those people didn’t die in vain. I promised firemen I would never let people forget — it’s my goal in life,” she said.
“I call [my presentation] the Power of One, because it was just me going out there and doing what I did. I’m not asking anyone to go 3,000 miles and cook for thousands of firemen. But maybe, in the grocery store, help your neighbor.
“One thing you do for one person can make a difference.”
Janet “Angie” Kardashian will speak on “The Power of One,” Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. as part of the Costa Mesa Historical Society’s Speaker’s Series. The event is free, but attendees are encouraged to reserve seats by calling (949) 631-5918 or visiting costamesahistory.org.
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