Moss Landing cafe The Power Plant aims to reopen months after a kitchen fire.

It's been a rough year for Moss Landing. In January, during a catastrophic fire at Vistra's battery energy storage facility, the community was evacuated and Highway 1 was closed. In those early days of disaster, the normally bustling parking lot of The Power Plant, a cafe and store with gifts, tropical plants and gardening supplies, served as a place for press conferences and emergency updates. 

The Moss Landing gathering place reopened, even as some restaurateurs opted to close, and it quickly got busy again. But after a particularly busy day in May, when orders just kept coming, a fire started overnight, says employee Gracie Urban. The microwave seemed to have been overtaxed and when an employee arrived early on Sunday, May 11 to open, smoke was billowing out. 

While the fire was contained, the smoke damage turned out to be severe; "everything had to be taken out," Urban says. That included the impressive plant display, which was mostly saved and continues doing OK under shade and with continued attention and watering. (It took six people six hours to move all the plants outside, Urban says.) 

Remodeling has been a slower road than expected. According to a June 7 update posted on The Power Plant website, "One month in, and we are still working with insurance companies to get started on the cleanup and repairs. Hoping we can be open in early July!"

That is still the status as of mid-July, according to owner Sally Russell. A massive cleanup is done, the remodel is underway and then painting is next—all while she is still awaiting a determination from insurance on how much will be covered. 

"The smoke damage was pervasive throughout the entire business," Russell says. "It's crazy how much work is involved."

When that work is done and The Power Plant does reopen—Russell is reluctant to give a date—the menu and cafe side will be the same as what customers remember from before the fire. 

The larger retail side of the business will have a "totally different" look and feel, Urban says, with more seating and less merchandise space. They hope to add a bar that will serve beer and wine, as well as light bites. "It's exciting," Urban says. "We are excited to reopen." 

(Urban says employees have kept up with each other and try to meet up once a week during the closure, keeping their excitement up to reopen, whenever that is ready to happen.)

During the ongoing closure, hours for The Power Plant's mobile trailer outpost at Ryan Ranch in Monterey have been extended from 7:30am-4pm Monday-Friday. 

The cafe has already been through hard times—it first opened in 2020, during the pandemic, and has built a loyal following. The aftermath of the battery fire was no exception; Urban says that if anything, business was even busier afterwards. Maybe the same will be true of the next disaster recovery.