{"id":418072,"date":"2026-07-30T14:43:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/418072\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T14:43:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T14:43:08","slug":"business-beat-bungalow-kitchen-announces-future-grand-reopening-party-charity-fundraiser-press-telegram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/418072\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Beat: Bungalow Kitchen announces future grand reopening party, charity fundraiser \u2013 Press Telegram"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bungalow Kitchen, in the 2nd & PCH shopping center, will celebrate a grand reopening party with drinks and appetizers \u2014 though we don\u2019t know when.<\/p>\n

The evening, which does not yet have a date, will also be a charity fundraiser, with ticket sales open to the general public, said Brent Bolthouse, founder of The Bungalow Hospitality Group and Bolthouse Productions. The evening promises to offer a \u201cFull House\u201d of new drinks, food, art and other surprises.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the evening\u2019s special guest, Bolthouse said, will be actor, musician and producer John Stamos, best known for playing Jesse Katsopolis on the iconic 1980s and \u201990s television sitcom \u201cFull House,\u201d as well as its Netflix sequel, \u201cFuller House.\u201d Stamos grew up in the restaurant industry \u2013 working for his father\u2019s eateries in Southern California.<\/p>\n

Bungalow Kitchen, meanwhile, opened at the 2nd & PCH shopping center on March 4, 2021, with chef Michael Mina. But he left a couple of years later, so the Bungalow stopped serving food and rebranded as a bar and lounge in May 2023.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

John Stamos \u2014 shown here at \u201cNetflix Is A Joke Festival Presents: The Roast of Kevin Hart \u201d on May 10 at The Kia Forum \u2014 will be a special guest during the Bungalow Kitchen\u2019s reopening party and fundraiser. The date for that party has not yet been announced. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin\/Getty Images for Netflix)\n<\/p>\n

\"Eric<\/p>\n

Eric Samaniego, shown here in the kitchen at Michael’s on Naples, is the new chef at the soon-to-reopen Bungalow Kitchen. (Photo by Jo Murray)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 2<\/p>\n

John Stamos \u2014 shown here at \u201cNetflix Is A Joke Festival Presents: The Roast of Kevin Hart \u201d on May 10 at The Kia Forum \u2014 will be a special guest during the Bungalow Kitchen\u2019s reopening party and fundraiser. The date for that party has not yet been announced. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin\/Getty Images for Netflix)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

That concept, however, closed earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Bolthouse declined to provide details about why the lounge concept closed.<\/p>\n

But there had been neighborhood complaints about noise and other concerns, according city officials. And some people referred to the place as a club \u2014 which Bolthouse denied.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was never a club,\u201d he said recently. \u201cWe were always a bar lounge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made a conscious choice,\u201d Bolthouse added, \u201cthat (the lounge) wasn\u2019t the direction we wanted to go as a company.\u201d<\/p>\n

So now Bolthouse plans to reopen again as Bungalow Kitchen \u2014 leveraging the million-dollar kitchen and the talent of chef Eric Samaniego.<\/p>\n

\u201cThird time is the charm,\u201d Bolthouse said while driving on a family road trip to Colorado.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s not yet known when the Bungalow will reopen, it shouldn\u2019t take too long, since they are already working rearranging the business and Samaniego is on site.<\/p>\n

New art on display will run the gamut, from garage sale finds to works secured from museums.<\/p>\n

Drink menus will include low-alcohol options, mocktails and cocktails. The menu will be French inspired.<\/p>\n

For the past 25 years, Bolthouse has used organic, regenerative, sustainable foods at his businesses: fries cooked in tallow, unprocessed foods, filtered water. Diners leave feeling full \u2014 but with no food hangover.<\/p>\n

Bar Becky closing<\/p>\n

Bar Becky \u2014 founded by chef Johnathan Benvenuti, the runner-up on season 22 of \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen\u201d \u2014 created the restaurant as a tribute to his mother, Becky. His brother, Anthony Benvenuti, served as general manager.<\/p>\n

But the brothers had some issues over the rent agreement with the landlord at Long Beach Exchange, where Bar Becky is located. After being unable to resolve those issues, they announced on Instagram earlier this month that Bar Becky would close.<\/p>\n

Its final night was Saturday, July 25.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe kitchen staff at Bar Becky is hard at work on the restaurant\u2019s final night on Saturday, July 25. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette\/SCNG)<\/p>\n

My husband and I, along with another couple, were fortunate enough to score a table on closing night.<\/p>\n

All Saturday, I kept thinking about their mom\u2019s famous maple roasted carrots with toasted almonds and burrata. So many other menu items also came to mind.<\/p>\n

The Benvenuti brothers must have sensed their foodie fans would want one last taste on the final night.\u00a0Their solution was serving a prix fixe menu, including many of the recipes we had grown to love.<\/p>\n

It was absolutely brilliant.<\/p>\n

They served five courses family-style, with two options for each \u2014 for a total of 10 of their best offerings. We ordered all 10 and shared, so we could enjoy every one of our favorites. It was a beautiful way to close the book on Bar Becky and to dream what\u2019s next for the brothers.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m hoping for a venue that can truly appreciate the talents this family brings to our dining.<\/p>\n

\u201cLong Beach, what a ride,\u201d the brothers wrote in a note that was displayed on the final menu. \u201cWe never expected the incredible outpouring of support we\u2019ve received over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, things didn\u2019t end exactly as we planned,\u201d they added, \u201cbut we are deeply proud of what we built together. None of this happens without you. Words cannot express our gratitude. But this isn\u2019t a permanent goodbye. See you again soon. We hope you feel mom in here tonight the same way we did every night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colossus opens for dining<\/p>\n

Pastry chef and baker Kristin Colazas Rodriguez, who owns Colossus Bakery, always \u201cdreamt of one day opening a caf\u00e9 of her own, where the pastries were made fresh daily and changed with the seasons,\u201d according to the eatery\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Her dream came true on Friday, July 25, when Colossus Bakery, 4716 Second St., in Long Beach, expanded to include a full dining room.<\/p>\n

\"ColossusColossus Bakery, in Long Beach, now offers full breakfast\/lunch and dinner menus, including a BLT, shown here. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette\/SCNG)<\/p>\n

The bakery is now open to the public for table service, with a full breakfast\/lunch menu and a dinner menu.<\/p>\n

I scored a reservation for opening day lunch on Friday, and I had a \u201ctwo napkin\u201d BLT. Colossus Bakery has set the standard for truly delicious bread.<\/p>\n

The space is large and once it\u2019s fully outfitted, it will be easier to hear.<\/p>\n

Kitty Morgan, a classmate of mine from Rogers Middle School, was once the deputy managing editor for features at the San Francisco Chronicle. She told me a decade ago about the amazing food at a place called Octavia \u2014 especially their bread.\u00a0 Well, as it turns out, around that time, Kristen was honing her skills there.<\/p>\n

Colossus Bakery is from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bungalow Kitchen, in the 2nd & PCH shopping center, will celebrate a grand reopening party with drinks and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":418073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,8132,3739,131,133,132,137,3738],"class_list":["post-418072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-grunion-business-beat","tag-grunion-news","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-the-grunion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}