My journey with the Chubby cactus taco truck began 6 months ago when the owner Ricardo reached out to me on Instagram. He was just as much a foodie as I am, and our conversation quickly went in depth about all the great food options we have in the 417 area. We continued talked about all the normal things a couple guys would talk about when first meeting, how to cook the best al pastor! Over the last few months I have gotten to know Ricardo and learn about his passion for providing fresh Mexican street food to the masses here in southwest Missouri. I have seen how dedicated to the trade he is and how much he enjoys giving back to the community that gives so much to him.
If you have found yourself at the intersection of Sunshine and Fort, you have probably seen the bright green trailer sitting in the parking lot that has a line 20 people deep, all patiently waiting their turn to order some delicious Mexican food that is prepared to order by Ricardo himself. The menu they have put together isn’t huge, which in my eyes is great because less is more in my opinion. He is offering a range of tacos, quesadillas, burritos and mini quesadillas, with your option of chicken baja, carne asada, veggie baja or beef barbacoa. All of these have the option to add onion, cheese and cilantro, as well as two sauces. I was able to sit down with Ricardo for a short interview about the 417's love affair with the Chubby Cactus Taco Truck.
BD: Can you give some background on the Chubby Cactus taco truck, how you started it?
Ricardo: It all started on Easter Sunday 2019. I was at Nathaniel Green park with my whole family and they were asking when and why we haven’t opened it, when we’ve always wanted to. My father had an older roofing trailer, my parents built the frame of the trailer on and were never really using it. So, we took the leap and put what little money we had saved and went for it!
BD: What made you want to get into the food truck business?
Ricardo: A love and passion for food and cooking! I remember not too long ago when we would spend crazy amounts of money on professional chefs’ knives and my family would be like, holy cow, when they would find out the price of the knife, I think then they would start to understand how much passion I put into it.
BD: Of all the great items you offer, which is your favorite from the menu?
Ricardo: I would have to say the carne asada tacos with the fried cheese! It’s a beautiful process of creating the marinade, all the way to the tortilla and the cheese being fried together right before it goes out the window!
BD: You sell out every time you’re open, how do you plan/purchase for that much traffic?
Ricardo: We just kind of eyeball it and wing it in a way. Every pop up, we must make more and more each time. Each pop-up keeps bringing in more and more people and we keep selling out! So, after each pop up sells out we would buy double the amount we did last time, then triple the amount and we would just continue to sell out again and again, its nuts! I give it all to God, because sometimes I wonder where all the people come from!
BD: You have mentioned before that you grew up in Mexico, are there any recipes or traditions that you use in your cooking today from your life in Mexico?
Ricardo: For me it’s the whole experience of going to the open markets and seeing the fresh products and being nothing less than inspired, it stuck in my mind permanently. Also, from going to my grandmother’s ranch in Mexico for weekend dinners. I would see get to see and cook all the ingredients from the market with all my aunts. My wife also grew up close to her grandmother and was always in the kitchen learning from a young age.
BD: Who comes up with your menu items and recipes?
Ricardo: My wife is the mad scientist behind all the spices and flavoring the dishes. No joke, I will spend hours, even days hunting down fresh spices and chilies! When it comes to most of the menu items, it’s a mixture of both our minds coming together and adding our touch to authentic Mexican street food from our memories, and flavor combinations of things we had growing up.
BD: How does your family incorporate into the taco truck?
Ricardo: We get to drag our children with us to different grocery stores at random hours of the night and day! Our two little girls have grown so accustomed to the lifestyle that they have fallen in love with it! From helping us get the fresh produce to now learning by heart what we use, the preparation times, and the fact that it can take up to two days to find all the product and supplies for a pop up, it definitely takes the whole family working together to make something beautiful like we’ve created.
BD: You fund raise for different organizations in the 417 area, at points donating your entire days profit. How has the community reacted to how much you are willing to help?
Ricardo: I was always raised with my mother telling us, the "bible says to give with your right hand, without the left-hand pondering on it". I took that to heart, and I love supporting people that have a passion for what they do. I know a lot of people that have small businesses, and they all need that kind of support, it keeps that fire under our feet. Most of all, I love helping the community because it takes a village to raise a child. All our customers have seen that and have given us nothing but love and support in return. We will never forget them for that.
BD: What does the future hold for the Chubby Cactus Taco truck? Any big plans in store?
Ricardo: We are currently working on purchasing a larger, drivable food truck to be able to move around and fill the gap and demand we have. We are excited for the fast growth, even as scary as it is. We know it’s nothing but a blessing and were very humbled for that. We’re kind of letting our customers shape our business, because at the end of the day that’s who we do it for!
Ricardo Hernandez and his family, owner and operators of Chubby Cactus Taco Truck
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