While Softies argues that hamburgers are the perfect medium for food fusion, Darwin Wai, owner of Moom Maam Artisanal Thai Gelato, argued it’s actually ice cream.

“You can draw anything you want or imagine,” Wai said. “I can manipulate anything about the texture, flavor expression and how I want the flavor to export on my tongue after the first spoon.”

Moom Maam, California’s first Thai gelato vendor, fuses Asian flavors with local Los Angeles cuisine using gourmet Italian gelato as the base. 

Some of the Asian flavors include Thai tea and Japanese Uji Matcha. Wai also incorporates Italian-inspired gelato flavors, such as Espresso, Strawberry Balsamic and Cacio e Pepe. In a blend of the two, Moom Maam recently launched Pesto alla Thailandese, a fusion of Thai sweet basil, buttery cashews and olive oil that tastes similar to pesto sauce.

A favorite flavor of Wai’s is the Riceberry Horchata, which combines the Mexican rice drink with a rice variety native to Thailand. The melting pot of cuisines present in this scoop is representative of the culinary experiments that make Moom Maam, Moom Maam.

“The best thing about L.A. is that you can find ingredients from all over the world to play around with,” Wai said. “The origin of my ideas starts from when I walk to the markets to buy stuff and I mix-and-match the flavors.”

Expanding his food fusion empire, Wai opened a new pop-up with a savory concept, Rice Gang by Moom Maam, which uses Japanese curry rice as a base for stews inspired by global cuisines. 

One of Rice Gang’s most popular menu items is the Meat Ball, a dish serving Italian-style meatballs in Northern Thai spicy tomato sauce. The meatballs are made from Thai pork and served over sticky rice, a staple in many Asian households.

Though Wai’s two pop-ups merge flavors from across the world, he also recognizes that with food fusion, cultural appreciation can quickly turn into cultural appropriation.

“We are not limited to any kind of proper cuisine. But with food fusion like this, I have to be sure that I’m doing everything correctly and asking about cultural appropriation. I did some research to make sure I’m getting the flavor right.”  Wai said.