In the Pinoy stronghold of Carson, a son of Filipino immigrants is fusing his culture's flavors with his American upbringing in what might be one of the most euphoric comfort foods to enter L.A.'s vibrant culinary scene since Kogi gave us the Korean BBQ taco.
This small mom-pop-and-son shop is easy to miss along Carson Boulevard. The front signs to the restaurant that say "Bahay Kainan" are from a previous era, back when Beth and Guillermo Ferido once served Filipino and Chinese food.
Today, only a weathered banner by the front door hints at the blissful Mexican-American-Filipino fusion that their first-generation, Carson-born-and-raised son, Gilbert, now hosts. It's called BaBoys.
While mom and pop continue running Bahay Kainan as strictly a catering service, Gilbert, who grew up working with his parents and continues through this day, went to culinary school four years ago and decided to create his own menu. BaBoy's means pork in Tagalog, but is also a fun play on "Bad Boys." The signature item and creation, his Lumpia Burger, gives you the first notion of where this menu is headed.