By Christian Coffman

FERRIDAY — Two cousins from California have brought west coast flavors to the Miss-Lou.

McMigo’s Tacos, located at 718 E.E. Wallace Boulevard in Ferriday, is serving freshly made tacos inspired by California cooking.

Open from noon to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, the stand has been open since mid-July. Taco Thursdays feature tacos for $1 each.

Raphael McCraney said food is the first thing that connects cultures.

“I may not understand what (other people) are saying, but you give me some good food and (I’ll understand),” McCraney said.

McCraney grew up in Ferriday and would hang out with his cousin, Patrick Westbrook, whenever he visited family in California during summertime.

“We lived in the same neighborhood in California too … went to school there,” McCraney said.  “From seven until I was grown, every summer I was in L.A. It was my second home; tacos were second nature to me.”

“We wanted to give people a feel of where we came from and how we eat in California,” Westbrook said.

The idea for a taco stand originates from a Mexican-Jamaican fusion that the two came up with while living in California.

Examples of the tasty meals include a grilled chicken barbecue taco, spicy Cajun crawfish taco and the Big Migo Burrito which has everything in it.

McCraney said business has been good so far.

People are reacting positively to the new business and giving them good reviews, he said.

The taco stand also offers a selection of clothing accessories, CDs and the service of creating mix tapes.

“We’re trying to bring a lot of different things, kind of like a one-stop-shop,” McCraney said.

In the future, the cousins said they want to turn the business into a sports bar.

Westbrook said the two of them are looking into getting a portable cart and have recently put on a “Back to School” event for local students.

“We’re not just a Hollywood dream: we’re going to make it happen … we’re all gas, no brakes,” McCraney said.