When you think of the gay men of West Hollywood, your first thought might not be dessert.
Matt Wilson and Joe Serpico want to change that. Their business, Bug & Bear’s Cannoli, is bringing Italian confections made with love to Los Angeles.
Named after the husbands’ nicknames for each other, they’re planning to bring their farmer’s market favorites to their “pop n’ pop” owned brick-and-mortar cafè in West Hollywood (7990-7992 Santa Monica Blvd).
They’re also one of eight teams competing on Season 19 of Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race, hosted by Tyler Florence, on Food Network and HBO Max. The couple will compete for $50,000 on this season’s savory vs. sweet battle.
The brand is built on the couple’s love story and family recipes passed down for seven generations from Joe’s Sicilian great-grandmother. They have a memorable cannoli trailer you may have seen at WeHo Pride, which was designed by the legendary mid-century artist SHAG.
Their cafe was also designed by SHAG with glowing paw-print floors, a mossy canopy, and a ceiling that shifts from daytime sky at the entrance to dusk in the back. Their menu will feature their heirloom cannoli, fried lasagna, zeppole, pizza roll calzones, espresso and matcha drinks, cannoli-making classes, and even wine & beer after 8 pm.
The couple took some time to talk to the LA Blade about their business, relationship, and queer representation on reality television.
So much of your brand is about your relationship; how did you two meet?
Matt: I went to a local bar on a Monday night to play pool, and Joe was sitting across the room. The second I saw him, I froze. I remember thinking, “That’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.” I worked up the courage to walk over and say hello… then completely chickened out and went back to my pool table. A few minutes later, Joe turned around and looked at me, and my arm shot straight up into what I can only describe as a really dorky Forrest Gump “Lieutenant Dan!” wave.
Joe: He still doesn’t live that wave down. I was actually there waiting for a date, and this random guy across the bar throws up this frantic wave like he’s flagging down a plane. I couldn’t help but laugh. It broke the ice before we’d even spoken a word.
Matt: That gave me the courage to walk back over. We started talking, and that’s when I found out he was waiting for someone else. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I gave him my number, started walking away, then turned back and asked, “Can I kiss you?”
Joe: We kissed, he walked out, and my actual date showed up a few minutes later. I’ll be honest — I spent the whole date thinking about Matt. Not long after, I got up and left.
Matt: The very next night we had our first official date at Casa Vega. We’ve been together every day since.
Joe: Looking back, it’s amazing that one awkward wave, one kiss, and one leap of faith led to a life together, Bug & Bear, and everything that’s happened since.
Your company is the nicknames you have for each other; where did those come from?
Joe: I’ve called Matt “Love Bug” since the very beginning of our relationship. What I didn’t know at the time was that his mom used to call him that when he was growing up — nobody had called him that since he was a kid. The first time I said it, something just clicked for both of us.
Matt: I remember thinking, “I’m going to marry this man.” I’ve always called Joe “Baby Bear.” It just fit him perfectly. Over time, “Love Bug” naturally became “Bug,” and “Baby Bear” became “Bear.”
Joe: When we started the business, we never even considered another name. Bug & Bear wasn’t something we came up with for branding — it was already who we were. The business simply became an extension of our relationship.
Matt Wilson on The Great Food Truck Race
Speaking of your relationship, what is it like working together?
Matt: People ask us that all the time! We spend almost every waking hour together, and we genuinely love it.
Joe: We’re very different in the best ways. I handle a lot of the finance and operations side; Matt leads on brand and story, and we’ve learned to trust each other completely in our lanes. Building Bug & Bear together has made our relationship stronger, because we’ve had to learn how to communicate through the stressful moments just as much as the exciting ones.
Matt: At the end of the day, we still make each other laugh, and I think that’s incredibly important.
Speaking of important things, why are cannolis important to you?
Matt: Cannolis represent home to us. They’re more than a dessert — they’re how Joe’s Sicilian family showed love, and when he taught me his great-grandmother’s recipe, it became something we could build a life around together.
Joe: Every cannoli we make is a reminder that food has a way of bringing people together, no matter where they come from. We always say we’re not really in the cannoli business — we’re in the business of creating moments and memories.
Can you tell me a bit more about your great-grandmother?
Joe: The recipe comes from my Sicilian great-grandmother, and honoring that has always mattered to us. We haven’t tried to reinvent it, because it’s already incredible. Instead, we built a brand around respecting that tradition while giving ourselves permission to have fun with flavors and presentation.
Matt: That’s why we like to say we’re “Traditionally Untraditional.” We want people to experience something rooted in family history while still feeling fresh, creative, and uniquely Los Angeles.
Any secrets for good Italian cooking for LA residents?
Joe: Don’t rush it. Whether it’s cannoli cream, Sunday sauce, or fresh pasta, great Italian cooking is about patience and quality ingredients. My great-grandmother never overcomplicated anything — she just used great ingredients and let them shine.
Matt: Food made with love really does taste different.
Bug & Bear Cannoli’s team members, Joey and Dina, as seen on The Great Food Truck Race, Season 19.
What was it like starring together on Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race?
Joe: Surreal is the right word. One day you’re serving customers at a farmers market, and the next you’re racing across the country with cameras following you everywhere. It pushed us in ways we never expected.
Matt: But it also reminded us why we started Bug & Bear in the first place. We wanted people to experience not just our cannolis, but who we are. Watching people fall in love with our food and our story has been incredibly rewarding.
How do you think LGBTQ visibility is important on reality television?
Matt: Representation matters most when it feels authentic. Joe and I never went into the show thinking we had to represent every LGBTQ couple. We simply wanted to be ourselves.
Joe: We happen to be two husbands building a business together and chasing a dream. If a young LGBTQ person watches and thinks, “That could be me someday,” that’s incredibly meaningful to us. We hope people see that love, hard work, and family are universal.
Opening up a new dessert spot sounds exciting. How has that been going?
Joe: It’s incredibly exciting because it’s no longer just a dream — we’re officially pulling permits and getting ready to begin construction. I’ve been heads-down on the operational side, making sure everything lines up before we open the doors.
Matt: The café has become much bigger than just opening a dessert shop. We want it to be an experience. From the outside, it’ll have the same playful SHAG-inspired spirit as our trailer, but when you walk inside, it’ll feel like you’ve stepped into the whimsical world where Bug and Bear actually live. Our hope is that people don’t just come for dessert — they come for a place that feels warm, welcoming, and full of joy.
Why did you choose West Hollywood?
Matt: West Hollywood has always felt like home. It’s creative, diverse, welcoming, and full of people who appreciate unique small businesses.
Joe: As a married gay couple, it felt meaningful to open our first café in a community that has celebrated LGBTQ people for generations. We also love that people actually walk around here — we wanted to be part of the neighborhood, not just another place people drive past. We can’t wait to become a place where neighbors stop in for coffee, dessert, or simply to say hello.
How do you think we can keep West Hollywood LGBTQ?
Joe: Continue showing up for one another. Support LGBTQ-owned businesses. Go to local events. Celebrate queer artists and entrepreneurs. Protect the spaces that make West Hollywood feel like West Hollywood.
Matt: Community doesn’t happen by accident. It’s something we all create together, and we’re incredibly grateful to now be a small part of that community ourselves.
The Bug & Bear team in West Hollywood
What was it like partnering with SHAG for the design of both your trailer and the shop?
Matt: It’s honestly been a dream. We’ve admired Josh’s work for years because his art captures this timeless, playful version of Southern California that feels both nostalgic and optimistic.
Joe: When we started imagining Bug & Bear, we kept coming back to that feeling. Working with Josh has been incredibly collaborative because he understands we’re not just designing a café — we’re creating a world. We want guests to feel like they’ve stepped inside the home of Bug and Bear.
How did that relationship start?
Matt: Long before Bug & Bear existed, I worked at the SHAG Store in West Hollywood. That’s where I got to know Josh, and over the years we became friends. I’d always admired his work, not just because it’s iconic Southern California art, but because it creates a feeling of joy, nostalgia, and escapism.
Joe: When Matt and I started Bug & Bear, Josh believed in what we were creating and wanted to be part of the journey from the very beginning. He designed our logo, then brought our food trailer to life, and now he’s helping us create the world of our first café.
We’re incredibly lucky and grateful to have his support — his artwork has become such an important part of Bug & Bear because it perfectly captures the whimsical, playful, welcoming feeling we want every guest to experience. His art doesn’t just decorate our business. It helps tell our story.
You can see their run on The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network and HBOMax. You can also keep up with their cafe and pop-up locations on their Instagram
Dining and Cooking