Southern California Man Charged With Setting Fire to Pizzeria Mozza

On Tuesday, a Sylmar man was arrested and charged with arson for setting fire to Nancy Silverton’s Mozzaplex. Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza and Mozza 2 Go were both damaged on May 30, as peaceful protests against police violence and looting took place across the country. Osteria Mozza was mostly undamaged.

The Los Angeles Times reports that suspect Mario Ernesto Alvarado could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The U.S. Attorney’s office allege that Alvarado entered the building, poured flammable liquid onto the ground, and started the fire which prosecutors say caused more than $500,000 in damage. Alvarado was arrested on July 16, and posted $25,000 bail for release.

In other news:

• OC Register critic Brad Johnson is now including a COVID-19 comfort ranking in his restaurant reviews.
• Hatchet Hall started turning its patio into a backyard boil every weekend, a la South Carolina style. This low country boil is similar to Louisiana’s but with less spice, consumed by hand, and leave a delicious mess.

• The Los Angeles Times profiled family-owned Long Beach bakery Getting Caked, which opened in February this year.
• Orange County officials are helping restaurants get reimbursed up to $1,000. That’s if owners spent that much for employee personal protective gear like masks and hand sanitizer. The program is called Safe Dine OC, and can expense these costs from all the way back to March, according to NBC-4.
• LAist writer and recent LA transplant Virali Dave found homestyle Indian food at Pasadena’s Namaste Spiceland.
• Cafe Tropical will host a Saturday collaboration with Korean pop-up Perilla, Radburger, Sunset Culture’s kombucha, pastry from May Provisions and The Silverlake Lounge. The event showcases collaborative boxes available for preorder on Tock or by calling 716-982-5038. A portion of the profits support LA’s undocumented worker nonprofit, Not Us Without You.
• Grand Central Market’s fried chicken maker Lucky Bird wants to give a local free fried chicken, every week, for one year. They’ve got the details on their Instagram page.

• Man charged with arson for setting fire at Pizzeria Mozza during George Floyd protests [LAT]