According to an article from Oregon Live, Chef Justin Dauz aims to debut Balong’s first brick-and-mortar at 2850 SE 82nd Avenue #27 inside the Fubonn Shopping Center.
Balong’s GoFundMe campaign tells us more: “With an Early Spring March/April opening target date, Balong humbly asks for help from its community. While the bones of the space have so much potential, it still needs a lot of love and a makeover before Balong can truly serve its community.”
“Founded in late 2022 by chef Justin Dauz, Balong is a Filipino-American concept specializing in Filipino-American bread & cuisine. Balong is a word of endearment meaning, “little boy,” in Ilocano, one of the many languages of the Philippines, and it is something my nanay (what my family called our grandma) used to call me growing up. Uttered to call the kids to the dinner table or when the sun would start to set, you could hear the care and affection as nanay would wrangle us home saying,” Eat Now Balong!”
“This project started as a love letter to my upbringing & a reminder of what food has always meant to me: it connects me to my roots & affirms in me how fun and healing cooking for others can be. Balong’s food is inspired by my Fil-Am background growing up eating home cooking by my nanay along with American fast food growing up in California.”
“In the past two years, Balong has become especially known for fresh homemade pan de sal (a classic Filipino bread roll) and breakfast sandwiches with well-considered Fil-Am flavors. Balong has hosted community gatherings in local cafes, bars, and event spaces across Portland, garnering an incredibly loyal and local fan base while also collaborating with local peers such as Baon Kainan, Kalesa, Makulit, Magna Kusina, & Cadejo.”
