Standup comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias was in Chicago a few years ago when he was introduced to the Windy City’s famed fast-food joint Portillo’s.
But it wasn’t Portillo’s dripping with juicy goodness Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs with the sport peppers that excited the comedian.
It was Portillo’s famous chocolate cake.
But he didn’t order it served as a wedge on a plate: He got the chocolate cake shake and in his recounting of the experience, you could almost sense he was drooling when the girl at the counter took a thick slab of cake and tossed it into a blender.
This weekend, Iglesias will likely have flashbacks to that shake when he experiences Fluffy’s Chocolate Cake Eegee, Eegee’s limited edition drink to celebrate Iglesias’s Tucson Arena concert on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Standup comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias returns to Tucson for a show at Tucson Arena on Saturday, Oct. 5. He was here last spring at the AVA at Casino del Sol.
Eegee’s top mixologist Phil Hoover did not blend chocolate cake into the icy drink, although it is topped with chocolate brownie-like chunks made with Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate.
“It’s got more sugar in it than any of our Eegees have just to give it that chocolate cake flavor,” he cautioned.
“It’s actually really good,” said Tucson Convention Center Marketing Coordinator Stephanie Romano, who came up with the idea to collaborate with Eegee’s. “Have you had a chocolate popsicle? That’s exactly what it tastes like and it’s really good.”
This is the first time the company, which has been a Tucson staple for more than 50 years, has created a new flavor for a special event/person, said Eegee’s Creative Director Gabriel Oropeza.
Eegee’s is selling a chocolate cake Eegee in honor of standup comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias’s Tucson Arena show on Saturday, Oct. 5. The special Eegee is only available Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6.
Oropeza said he would love to do similar collaborations with other artists, but only if it “makes sense for us.”
“This makes sense for us because (Iglesias) has had our brand,” he said.
Fluffy’s Chocolate Cake Eegee will be available at all Eegee’s locations in Tucson and the Phoenix area from Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6. Proceeds from the sales will benefit the Esther Mendes Foundation, which Iglesias established in his mother’s name to support various causes including animals, education and arts in schools.
Eeegee’s created a Fluffy sticker that’s also available this weekend.
