Les Sisters' Southern Kitchen & BBQ

When Clara Huling, Roda Hadi, and Willie Stanford opened a small café in Chatsworth in 1986, none of them could possibly have predicted the bright future of their venture.  For them, it was an adventure; an attempt to realize lifelong dreams.  Each brought to the table a special talent.  At the time, Roda was a master Cajun chef, and ran the seafood bar at the popular Fireside Inn in Encino.  Willie was the owner-operator of Our Place, a very popular bar and gathering place in Northridge.  Clara’s mother owned a restaurant in Yuma where Clara learned the trade as a young girl.  They got together and decided to try it, but each agreed to keep their “day jobs.” The first year was a trying experience, but after a few rave reviews from the likes of Elmer Dills, the LA Times, and Valley News, they survived.  Meanwhile, due to personal setbacks and illness, Roda and Willie had to leave the fledgling business, and Clara had to go it alone.  She briefly turned the restaurant management over to another team, but in the end, she had to reassume the helm.  That’s when fate stepped in and administered a devastating blow.  Clara succumbed suddenly to a stroke in June 1992, and Les Sisters’ was devastated.  That’s when Kevin, Clara’s son, stepped up and took charge of the restaurant.  With the support of a loyal staff (especially Susan Warner, our head server), and loving customers, we rode out the storm and thrived . . . until the earthquake of 1994.  We rebuilt, reopened, and regained our customer’s support.  But, there is more.   The next year, we were victimized by a fire, and were once again sidelined.  After a few setbacks with building codes, we were able to reopen in a scant three weeks and there were our clients waiting, clamoring to have another go at our unique menu.