With these three powers combined, Long Beach. Come Monday, Oct. 27, Due Fiori will host two of Long Beach’s most respected popups: Chef Jairo Bogarín’s Hamburgers Nice and Waldo’s Pizza, which just so happens to be the popup darling of Fiori’s head chef, Waldo Stout.
“When Gianna and I opened Due Fiori, we knew we wanted it to be a community space as well as a great neighborhood restaurant,” said Due Fiori co-owner Daniel Flores, who opened the space with his partner in life and business, Gianna Johns, earlier this year. “Since we are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, we thought it would be a great opportunity to do some fun activations of the space, and we couldn’t think of a better inaugural event than our two good friends. Jairo and Waldo had been wanting to team up on something for years, but with how busy everyone is, it’s taken until now for it to finally happen.”
The Warhol-Basquiat inspiration behind the artwork advertising Waldo’s Pizza and Hamburgers Nice collaboration at Due Fiori. Artwork on right by Gianna Johns.
Inspired by the famed Michael Halsband-shot, double-portrait of artists Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat pictured side-by-side and wearing Everlast boxing trunks and boxing gloves—it was a symbol of both their fierce competitiveness and even deeper friendship—it made Daniel think, “‘PIZZA vs BURGER,’ in block letters. So Gianna came up with some awesome artwork, and basically that was it. It’s not a competition per se, but there might be some friendly bragging rights over who sells out first.”
For pizza lovers, the return of Chef Waldo making his classic pies is a win.
Waldo has a culinary pedigree like no other. From L.A. legends like Bestia and Bavel… To Long Beach staples like Little Coyote (for which he created the dough that was promptly stolen by its former owners and proclaimed as their own) and Naples gem Marlena under the dough-creation of Chef Michael Ryan… Waldo has had his hands directly involved in making some of the region’s best food.
And that is what made Waldo’s Pizza so damn popular amid Long Beach’s wildly strong pizza game.
What to expect from the Waldo’s Pizza x Hamburgers Nice collab at Due Fiori.
Chef Jairo is keeping his cards close to his chest for this one. (The point is to, indeed, build hype and one can expect that he’ll be playing with a pizza burger of some sort.) But Chef Waldo? He has laid out his pizza-centric plan. He will be serving up some of his classic Waldo’s Pizza pies—not the focaccia-based pizzas he’s been doing for Due Fiori—as well as the special of the night: a Hamburgers Nice chorizo pizza.
“Jairo is getting me the chorizo that he uses for his chorizo bureghr and I’ll be making this specialty pie for that day only,” Chef Waldo said. “I’ll have a sesame seed crust—kind of an ode to a burger bun—with tomato sauce, mozzarella, scallions, egg, and that chorizo.”
Additionally, what goes best with burgers and pizza? Beer. And Due Fiori will have some local brews on hand, including those from Ambitious Ales, ISM, and more.
“And, of course, I’ll be spinning vinyl as DJ Danimal,” Daniel said—and that, my friends, is how it is done.
The Waldo’s Pizza and Hamburgers Nice collaboration will take place at Due Fiori, located at E. 4th St, on Monday, Oct. 27 from 6PM to 10PM. All ages are welcome.
