This story was originally published by The LA Local on Feb. 10, 2026.
Two Latinos who run an Argentine empanada place in South L.A. helped build part of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime set.
One of most striking moments of Sunday’s record-breaking halftime show was when Bad Bunny dropped into his casita, catching the family inside completely off guard. It was the first time anyone got to see inside the iconic set that first made an appearance last summer in his Puerto Rico residency.
The inside of the Super Bowl casita feels so much like a real loving, Latino home because it was brought to life by a real Latino couple. Argentine production designers Federico Laboreau and Maximiliano Pizzi have been taking Hollywood by storm for years, designing sets for film, television and major live performances. They can now add Bad Bunny’s casita to their portfolio.
The couple also own Fuegos, a speakeasy-style wine-bar and eatery in the Exposition Park neighborhood of South L.A. that makes empanadas, sandwiches and asado.
The couple started out in Buenos Aires and Mexico City, where they worked on shows like “Project Runway Latin America” and “Mexico’s Next Top Model” before moving to Los Angeles in 2013. Since then they’ve built careers in TV and commercials, working for clients such as Disney, Amazon and T-Mobile.
Laboreau told The LA Local that he first heard about the Bad Bunny project in late November, with the design process taking place between December and mid-January.
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A colleague who was working as a line producer on the halftime show initially reached out to him without sharing details.
“She wasn’t telling me anything,” Laboreau said, explaining that he had to sign multiple nondisclosure agreements before learning more. “She just told me, ‘Block those days — it’s going to be huge.’”
After his portfolio was approved by Bad Bunny’s team and the NFL, Laboreau learned he would be designing the casita, specifically its interior.
“For me, it was huge,” he said. “The casita is a big part of his tour, but nobody shows the inside. And I was like, ‘What the f—-?! I’m going to be doing the inside of the casita? It’s going to be the first time people are going to be seeing it and it’s going to be for the Super Bowl?!’”
For diehard Bad Bunny fans, the casita is instantly recognizable, echoing La Casita stage from his “No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí” residency, a now-permanent fixture in his visual iconography that at the Super Bowl attracted celebrity guests like Cardi B, Jessica Alba and Pedro Pascal.
Laboreau said the significance of the moment didn’t fully sink in at first. “I didn’t really have the perspective of how big it was going to be,” he said, adding that it became clearer once rehearsals began and he saw the scale of the halftime show production.
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Laboreau worked with Bad Bunny’s creative team and international directors to design the interior as a familiar, lived-in space inspired by abuelita homes across Latin America.
“They told me, ‘This is the outside of the casita, you need to design what’s happening inside, but it needs to feel like an abuelita house,’” he said.
That led him to draw from shared cultural fixtures that as an Argentine, Laboreau feels he shares with the Puerto Rican powerhouse.
“We all have very similar things — religious images, artificial flowers, sewing kits inside and old cookie cans.”
Despite the scale of the production, Laboreau described the process as unexpectedly smooth. “I was expecting it to be more intense,” he said. “But the process was super nice. Everything was flowing.”
The biggest challenge, he added, was working within union and safety requirements while maintaining a distinctly Latin American aesthetic.
Elements of Laboreau’s personal style are visible throughout the set. “You can see my personal style because I’m an old lady,” he said, laughing. “I’m a pink lady. I’m a cat lady.”
He said the creative team ultimately encouraged those touches. “They let me put pink everywhere,” he said. “There are a lot of details that represent myself, and also represent abuelitas around Latin America.”
That old-school style also carries over to Fuegos, the Argentine restaurant Laboreau runs with his partner, Pizzi, in South Los Angeles.
They launched the business during Hollywood slowdowns as a way to generate income while staying connected to their culture.
Although Laboreau has worked on larger-budget projects for major studios and platforms, he said the casita stood out for its emotional weight.
“This one was more meaningful,” he said. “Not just because it’s the Super Bowl or Benito, but because of the message.”
That message, he said, resonated deeply given the current political climate and his experience as a Latino immigrant.
“It felt like the Latino community getting together to show America that we are here,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere. We’re here to bring love, community and happiness.”
Laboreau also met Bad Bunny during rehearsals and filming. He described the artist as professional and focused, despite a packed schedule that included touring and preparing for the Grammys.
“He showed up on set, on time,” Laboreau said. “He delivered everything. He was amazing.”
Looking back, Laboreau said, the casita was one of the most meaningful experiences in his career.
“Other projects are nice portfolio projects, but this one meant a lot, not just because it’s the Super Bowl or Benito or the casita, but because of the message,” he explained. “It felt like I was showing to America that the Latino community has magic, has love — and that we can do whatever we want.”
