Attention Texans: You Can Now Get Real Handmade Kolaches in Los Angeles

Ask anyone from Texas about the things they miss from their home state, and you’ll get an answer that’s usually several minutes long. Among the litany is always Tex-Mex food, ubiquitous breakfast tacos, and quality barbecue, but somewhere in there you’re bound to hear about the kolache. If you’re not familiar, that’s okay: It’s a Texas thing, at least by way of a bunch of old Czech immigrants. And up until now, it’s been all but impossible to consistently find them in Los Angeles.

For those unfamiliar: Kolaches are essentially lightly baked balls of pastry dough often filled (at least in Texas) with savory ingredients like sausage, cheese, eggs, or all three. There are sweet kolaches as well, but for Texas purposes they are most commonly thought of as a savory on-the-go bite, served commonly at doughnut shops, takeaway stands, and even gas stations.

Now they’re coming to Los Angeles thanks to brothers Mark and James Morales, who call themselves Morning Boys. The catering-only outfit has mostly been working the backlot and movie studio circuit, but is starting to branch out with private orders and drop-offs at different spots around town.

For example, you should be able to find Morning Boys kolaches at Hi Lo Liquor in Culver City on Thursdays, and next week they’ll be popping up at Cafe Demitasse in Little Tokyo as well.

The move to jump into kolaches is a prescient one, considering publications like Smithsonian Mag have for years been calling the regional pastry favorite “the next big thing.” Until now, the closest available option was at SK Donuts (though they reportedly stopped selling them last year) and the chain Kolache Factory, which operates one West Coast location in Tustin.

If all goes well, the Morning Boys team will be expanding their coffee shop presence in the coming weeks and months. They’re also actively shopping for a dedicated space on the Eastside or Downtown, and hope to open before the end of the year.

• Behold the Kolache, an Old World Pastry With Texas Pride [E]