Balong

“I am extremely excited to be a part of this event! My roots and my culture is something that I’m proud of and can’t wait to share my story in dishes through the month of April!“

Justin Dauz of Balong

Balong (little boy in Ilocano) has been a food project near and dear to my heart. It’s a word of endearment that resonates with my Filipino-American upbringing. I can vividly hear my grandparents, parents, aunties & uncles scream at my cousins and I,” Eat now Balong! ” running around in the summer heat and coming back to the kitchen with a hot pot of Adobo or Kaldereta, or Igado waiting for us with a side of Warm White Rice. It was their way to show how much they care and love us & it’s now a reason why I do it for the community today. It’s to remember where I came from and what I do this for. A healing for the inner child in me through the food we put out on a plate! Know History, Know Self.

About Balong

Justin Dauz is the proud Chef-Owner of Balong. Growing up in a Filipino-American Household, Justin was always watching the matriarch of his family cooking the food of their Filipino roots and watching The Food Network every day after school. Justin had a vision that he was going to be in the kitchen somehow and was always told by the family that he had a knack for cooking. Fast forward through intensive training at culinary school, 10 years cooking in the industry, & Balong was born. Justin started his culinary career in the breakfast/brunch scene in Los Angeles working at Eggslut & Go Get Em’ Tiger for his first couple years. The line was quick, the food had to come out fast, plus the added pressure of cooking in front of a bar of people looking at you the whole time in an open kitchen type format. It was a crash course in how to cook, talk to customers, control the environment with a calm demeanor, all getting thrown at you at the same time. It was the best of times to learn and Justin cherished the opportunity of getting thrown into the fire of LA’s busy brunch renaissance of the 2010’s. After 5 years Justin shifted to casual fine dining and landed his dream working for LASA, a casual fine dining Filipino-American Restaurant striving to provide a Californian twist to our heritage’s food. Over the last decade, Justin has developed the skills necessary for menus design and executive kitchen management.