StormBurger Verified listing

StormBurger has opened its first Long Beach location inside the former Church’s at Cherry Avenue and South Street on the Northside. And, particularly if you aren’t privy to their spirit and concept, it feels like another chain-like space moving into a neighborhood wrought with corporate food and stereotypes from outsiders. But the Storm Burger family is, well, anything but corporate.

Chef John Herndon—partnered with founding Inglewood-based Chef Myron Moore, who acts as the space’s director of operations—headed the once-phenomenal Umami Burger. With it, he brings a sense of ownership about the L.A. landscape, L.A. food, and how everyone in the region—no matter where they’re from—deserves clean, quality food.

“I am a firm believer that everyone in a community deserves to know where their food came from, how it is made,” Chef John said. “Those kids in there?” he asked, pointing toward the food truck they have outside in the interim. “Long Beach kids, often cooking for the first time, learning how to clean and slice vegetables. We’re proud that they’re learning about what they put in their bodies.”

Food with details that matter in the long run. Like house-made ranch. Buns with ingredients you know from Cadoro, an Inglewood-based bakery that has been around for generations (and you can find them at places like Modica’s in DTLB). A chuck, brisket, and steak trim mixture for patties from third-generation butcher Rocker Bros. in Inglewood.

In other words, it is a pure win for North Long Beach.

Written and photos by Brian Addison.

For Brian Addison's full feature on StormBurger, click here.