Diego Argoti's pasta pop-ups are elusive. The irreverent, gender-bending chef typically advertises his pasta events with suggestive flyers just a day or two in advance, roams the alleys and parking lots of Los Angeles late into the night, and then disappears again.
But not on Thanksgiving.
Without a doubt, the former Poltergeist chef can be found on Thanksgiving Day handing out free bowls of leftover-inspired noodle soups with mashed potatoes, turkey, and cranberry sauce with XO. It's their way of giving back to the city and giving anyone who needs a place to go to enjoy a hot meal, and appreciate the holidays again.
Argoti preferred to spend Thanksgiving in the kitchen long before cooking dishes of altruism, although it was to avoid the day, not to celebrate it.
“It was a very sad moment,” he said. “The only thing I cared about was working and having fun.”
Argoti is serving to-go ramen bowls during its annual Thanksgiving event in 2024.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
But in 2017 he was invited to a fellow chef's home, where he and other cooks prepared the most extravagant meal imaginable: turducken roll, squash stuffed with macaroni and cheese, a green bean casserole topped with croissant dough, turkey gravy with sweetbreads, and hearts drizzled over hachiya persimmons. It was Argoti's sign that he can and should get really weird with it.
The following year, while in the Bavel kitchen, one of Argoti's co-workers mentioned that he had no one to spend Thanksgiving with. So Argoti invited him over and he spent the holidays pushing the limits again. They stuffed a whole pineapple into the carcass of an al pastor-inspired turkey and hung it over a rack on a basketball court. They prepared a steamed cabbage roll with layers of sourdough filling, pumpkin puree, roasted turnips, and mushroom sauce. Argoti invited his parents and felt like he was finally getting into the Thanksgiving routine.
“It was a very lavish, over-the-top dinner, and a way to redeem myself,” he said. “It was the first time I took a day off from cooking for Thanksgiving… it became us cooking more [as a family]and be more united.”
Then the pandemic arrived.
Her friends and family weren't gathering, but Argoti realized that a sidewalk pop-up could be the perfect platform to provide a social solution.
“I realized that there were resources for people who had no shelter or food, but there were no services or resources for people who could have all the money in the world and be well-off, but who were lonely, depressed and lonely,” said Argoti, who struggled with depression and substance abuse for years. “At least you could have your friends or go visit your family that you miss. And now [due to COVID] “That was out of the equation.”
Argoti's Thanksgiving Leftover Ramen with Turkey, Gravy, Pumpkin Spice Noodles, and Crispy Chili with Cranberry Sauce in 2024.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
He set up portable burners in the parking lot of Echo Park's Button Mash, the arcade that would house Argoti's acclaimed but closed Poltergeist restaurant, dishing out Thanksgiving-inspired ramen and other comforting and whimsical creations. The following year he did it again, with more than double the interest.
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Argoti is soliciting pre-orders via direct messages on Estrano's Instagram account in the week leading up to Thanksgiving. Now approaching his fifth iteration of the pop-up, he has made friends and recognizes regular guests over the years. Some are people who can't get home to their out-of-town families, some are nurses working the night shift, others work in the service industry and head out to feed others during the holidays. Sometimes a whole family shows up together simply because they don't feel like cooking.
Argoti doesn't judge any guest's situation, as long as you follow the rules: one bowl of soup per person, order via DM, and schedule pickup time.
One year, Argoti said, he emailed a national grocery chain to request a donation of two turkeys. A “really degrading” corporate response told him his efforts would be better spent donating to charities rather than cooking for the community. He continued anyway.
Argoti does not accept payments for the soups, although some donors have sent $100 to support the cause and help pay for the ingredients. Prepare your treat for 24 to 48 hours: roast the turkeys, carve the meat, and boil the bones in cauldrons of broth that simmer for a full day.
Side dishes of mashed potatoes and gravy at Argoti's 2024 Thanksgiving pop-up.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Last year, Argoti appeared in the kitchen of Skyduster Beer's upcoming Silver Lake brewery, where the chef plans to appear again this year. She confit turkey legs, prepared the mashed potato topping, and brewed a potion in a large vat of lemongrass-heavy tom kha gai for a vegan option.
On the counter was fresh pumpkin pasta tinged with spices, boiled to order based on pickup times, just as you would at a full restaurant. Sometimes his friends would show up to help cook, and his mother, who is usually present in the kitchen each year, would help supervise the soup delivery. Solitary diners and groups of friends gathered outside the kitchen.
For a chef whose event brochures often feature obscene images, such as an avocado with a gag or Hello Kitty flipping the bird, it's a surprisingly wholesome affair. And it comes only one day a year.
