A lemonade stand for grown-ups: This one serves matcha on a Los Feliz street corner

On a recent Friday morning in Los Feliz, Matteo Chizzola set up his matcha-lemonade stand, something he’s been faithfully doing on weekends for the past year.

A bowl of fresh lemons sat on a citrus-themed tablecloth, a patio umbrella with tassels provided shade in the intense heat, and a vibrant green and white sign emblazoned with “Matteo’s Matcha” drew the attention of passersby.

Several cars stopped to honk hello at Chizzola on the corner of Franklin Avenue and Talmadge Street, just west of the entrance to the century-old Shakespeare Bridge. Locals walking by bought milky matcha drinks and mint matcha lemonades from the 27-year-old.

Some customers see the stall as a "third space" for community connection.

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Jean Trinh

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LAist

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“I think a lot of the appeal — at least as far as people have told me — is they come to Matteo's Matcha not only to get the product and because of it being $5, but also because they like to come talk to me,” Chizzola said. “Not to toot my own horn in any way, but it is a conversational neighborhood lemonade stand where I've developed relationships with these people.”

Haley McDonald, a loyal customer for the past 10 months, often walks there with her dogs.

“It's nice to see a familiar face when I come, and it's a good start to my day,” McDonald said. “It makes L.A. feel a lot smaller."

Sophie Stedman and Mary-Dudley Berry, friends of Chizzola’s who have become loyal customers, have Matteo’s Matcha stickers on the back of their phones. Stedman usually grabs a matcha lemonade before heading to a local pool.

“Matteo’s Matcha stand is my third space," she said. "It’s the best. We love it.”

Chizzola makes drinks by mixing matcha powder with cold water in a cocktail shaker, and then vigorously shakes it to aerate and prevent clumps.

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Jean Trinh

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LAist

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Last year, Chizzola, an actor who also works in production and event catering, came up with the idea of running a stand in his neighborhood after a dry spell in gigs.

“There was one morning when I woke up super late because I wasn't working, and I was just like, 'I need a job, like I don't have money and structure,'” he said.

He'd been making drinks for friends and threw out the idea of opening his own lemonade stand, partly joking. His best friend told him it was a genius idea, so he ran with it.

He makes his drinks by mixing matcha powder (imported from Nishio in Japan) with cold water in a cocktail shaker, and then vigorously shakes it to aerate and prevent clumps, a method he learned as a customer at the nearby matcha cafe Kettl.

Depending on what’s in season, he’ll punch up his lemonade with blood orange, cherry, opal basil, or cucumber, which he buys from the beloved Schaner Farms stand at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. Chizzola first heard about the farm’s stellar produce from chefs at the restaurants he previously worked at: Gjelina in Venice and Lulu at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.

Typically, Chizzola sells 25 to 40 drinks a day, and makes a few hundred bucks a weekend. While he mostly sticks to his Los Feliz location, his matcha stand has taken him to Skyduster Beer in downtown L.A. for the World Cup, a baby shower and estate sale. In September, Matteo’s Matcha made it into an Alo and Vogue commercial featuring model Amelia Gray in New York.

Depending on what’s in season, Chizzola punches up his lemonade with blood orange, cherry, opal basil, or cucumber.

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Jean Trinh

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LAist

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He isn’t sure where he’s going to take his business, or if he wants to be known as “the matcha guy.” Chizzola’s been dreaming up different ideas of opening more stands or even bottling his lemonade one day, but he also wants to act and work in production.

“I would love to keep doing this, but it's definitely taken a physical toll on me already,” said Chizzola. “I've been doing it with the sun beating down on me for 12 hours a week, and I want to keep doing it, but I don't know if I have the consistency in me or if I want it to be a pop-up situation.”

If anything, he knows the stall brings him joy.

“Matteo's Matcha has allowed me to wake up with a smile on my face most mornings, which is incredibly important to me,” he said.