Burt Bakman’s passion project, SLAB, will soon open at Westfield Topanga, according to the shopping center’s website. This will be the third outpost for the beloved BBQ joint, as Bakman and the h.wood Group are also gearing up to debut the concept’s Pasadena outpost at 812 South Arroyo Parkway.
Like many food stories, especially those involving the timeless cuisine that is barbecue, SLAB was born of Bakman’s desire for pit perfection. The Israel-born Bakman wanted to be a master of the craft, a dream actualized after a singular trip to the Lone Star State. And he became just that.
“…Bakman built a reputation from his skill at the smoker and an obsessive Instagram following among LA’s notoriously fickle foodies,” explains the SLAB site.
For months on end, Bakman stealthily slung “smoked brisket, hot links, and other barbecue essentials” from his San Fernando backyard, until he and the h.wood Group’s Brian Toll — a regular at Bakman’s backyard BBQ boogie — conceived SLAB.
“The team agreed that whatever was to come would not only have to be dedicated to the best quality brisket and ribs but would need to be faithful to the elbow-rubbing charm of Bakman’s backyard barbecue.”
That was in 2015. Three years later, SLAB would land its first brick-and-mortar on West Third Street, a strip of land no stranger to foot traffic and food lovers. Now, the burgeoning BBQ concept is multiplying throughout LA, offering up a confident menu that seems uninterested in competition and solely concerned with quality.
Stay tuned for what’s next!
