SoCal pizzerias donate pies to first responders, fire victims

More than two dozen of Los Angeles’ top pizzerias gathered in Chinatown to make, donate, and deliver pizzas to those in need. 

The inaugural event of the "LA Pizza Alliance," was hosted by Tommy Brockert, owner of LaSorted’s Pizza.

"Basically it’s 25 pizzerias that all came together in Chinatown to make pizzas for those in need — first responders, families — you name it," Brockert said.

Held both inside and outside LaSorted’s Pizza on Broadway, the event focused on supporting those impacted by the recent wildfires.

"It’s a tough time right now, and a lot of people are scared," Brockert said. "But we’re here — people are here for you, to feed you, to say hello, to give you a hug, and that’s what we’re doing here — to remind people how special Los Angeles is and what we’re capable of when we all come together."

Some of the participating restaurants included Apollonia’s, South Bay Pizza, Triple Beam Pizza, Hot Tongue Pizza, Little Dynamite, Ozzy’s Apizza, Sunday Gravy and The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills.

Volunteers picked up and delivered the fresh pies all across Los Angeles County throughout the night. LAFD firefighters at Station 12 in Highland Park were extremely grateful for the surprise delivery. Many of them haven’t been home since the wildfires broke out last week.

"It’s nice because you can kind of see how much the community cares, and we never really expect a thank you for anything," said firefighter Adrian Beigh-Gacad.

Fellow firefighter Justin Moore agreed. "It feels great — we all love what we do and we’re a very passionate bunch…we don’t do it for what we get back from the community, but it’s absolutely — it means a lot to us."

By the end of the night, the pizzerias made and distributed 230 pizzas — 1840 slices to anyone who wanted them, no questions asked.

"We don’t need to quantify what’s going on, we don’t need to hear a story about what you’ve been through over the last 10 days — we’ve all been through a lot," said David Turkell of Turk’s Pizza Party. "We love this city - Tommy and I are both from Los Angeles, we grew up in Los Angeles, and we want people to get a taste of the Los Angeles that we know, that we grew up in, that we’re really proud to be a part of."

Future events may be organized if there’s a need.

People could order pizzas for themselves or others using the online form.


 

WildfiresFood and Drink