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It is located east of Cesar Chávez Street in Boyle Heights Mario Christerna opens his pizzeria in the neighborhood where he was born and raised. (Courtesy Jakob Layman) Photo: Courtesy
When in the city of Los Angeles, the massive health crisis generated by COVID – 19 threatened to overflow again, masterchef Mario Christerna defied the pandemic and opened his “Brooklyn Avenue Pizza Company” pizzeria in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. The overwhelming response from the community has moved him to tears.
“I was not afraid. For me, fear does not exist. These are times to resist and adapt “, He says.
Mario Christerna pleased with the response from the Boyle Heights community. (Courtesy Jakob Lsyman) Two months after the opening in November, still with the restrictions imposed by the Los Angeles County authorities for To prevent the spread of the virus, the mastercherf Christerna is very happy with the response of the community in which he was born and raised.
“My skin is see how our people have responded. The band, as I call my community, has come to try the pizzas made by the work team where we are all one family. ”
The OG (Original gang) pizza, one of the favorites. (Courtesy Jakob Layman) Mario who has more than 10 years as a chef, he says that before the coronavirus he was already building the premises to establish the pizzeria, at the bottom of The Paramount, his restaurant and concert hall that had to be closed temporarily due to the contingency sanitary.
“ When finished building the pizzeria, I said you have to open with everything and a pandemic. People need to eat, why not? This is my neighborhood. We have to survive and here we are ”
When he opened his business, the city of Los Angeles only let him serve his pizzas at outdoor tables for a week. Then in late November, authorities issued another lockdown order that banned restaurants from serving food at outdoor tables. “We are only selling food to take away or home delivery,” he says.
Mario is very proud to be a native of the Boyle Heights community, and to open his pizzeria in his neighborhood. “I was born in the General Hospital. I grew up in the Wyvernwood Gardens apartments which are between Olympic and 8th streets in Boyle Heights. My mother Norma was a cashier at the Fines Market, which is now the Ramírez liquor store. ”
The love for cooking comes to him precisely from his mother who was from Tamaulipas, Mexico and He grew up in the Huasteca Potosina; and his grandmother, originally from Veracruz. His grandfather was from Monterrey.
“My kitchen is influenced by all the love I have for them, but I have influences from everywhere. My stepfather is Cuban; and I have lived in Spain. ”
In his business “Brooklyn Avenue Pizza Company” offers a wide variety, but among his favorites is the Pecadora pizza. “I put it like that because it has pineapple, and many say that pineapple doesn’t go with pizza, but I love it; and that is why I say that I am a sinner. So I decided to put “Sinful” on the pizza with pineapple. ”
The masterchef talks that all the ingredients of the pizzas are prepared at home, in an artisanal way.
When he lies down in his bed at night, he confesses that he feels like crying, moved by the community’s response to his pizzeria, still in the midst of an upturn in cases and deaths from COVID.
“AND or I want to tell you that the pandemic has affected us all, but we are in this together; and together we are going to get ahead and we have to stay strong and be flexible ”.
He named his pizzeria “Brooklyn Avenue Pizza Company” because before César Chávez, the street above the one found was called Brooklyn Avenue; and sits atop the historic Paramount Building that once housed the Jewish Bakers’ Union.
The pizzeria “Brooklyn Avenue Pizza Company” is located at: 2700 E. César Chávez Avenue. Los Angeles California. 90033. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday open from 11 am to 9 pm; and on Fridays and Saturdays of 11 am to 10 pm Closed on Mondays.
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