Label
LA PALMA CHICKEN PIE SHOP
1955
Donated by the Hasselbarth family in memory of
Otto Hasselbarth, 2016; donation made possible with a generous gift from Anonymous
Otto and Antje Hasselbarth had owned La Palma Chicken Pie Shop for nearly 40 years until Otto’s passing in 2015. The Hasselbarths immigrated from Germany to Anaheim and took over the restaurant in 1977, attracting customers from all walks of life with their chicken pot pies and what some people considered to be the best German chocolate cake in the entire world. Some locals claim that the 1950s neon La Palma chicken is just as iconic and important to Anaheim’s skyline as Disneyland’s Matterhorn Mountain. Although the new owners did not want to maintain the aesthetic of La Palma Chicken Pie Shop, MONA’s preservation team is honored to keep Otto’s legacy alive.
“On July 15, 2015 our lives were forever changed when The Lord called this man home. Otto Hasselbarth was the hardest working man I had ever met. The restaurant and bakery, we called ‘the shop,’ came first before anything or anybody. The shop was his baby—his absolute pride and joy. He started his days at 4am and ended at 8pm, Monday–Saturday. Sunday was a day of rest. Since calling the restaurant his in 1977, this hard-working German immigrant dedicated his whole life to the Chicken Pie Shop. A man full of compassion, at the end of the night, he fed the homeless in the town. His heart was gold. I miss him every single day and I will continue to do so until we meet again. This man is Otto Hasselbarth and I proudly call him my dad. This is for you Dad!!!” — Beccy Hasselbarth