Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizzeth & Francisco Estrada.
Our food truck journey began with our move from Mexico City to San Antonio. Francisco, a federal crime lawyer and a food enthusiast had always dreamt of working in a kitchen. When transferring his credentials to practice meant he’d be forced to retake the majority of the course work the decision was made. In order to support his family, he decidedly told his wife, “if necessary I will sell tacos in a corner, and they’ll have my heart and soul in them. Don’t worry we’ll make it!”
Lizzeth, a Chef & Interior Designer was all in with the change of pace and possibility of a better quality of life for their children. The truck opened in a corner beside the established Theory Coffee. Slowly, but surely, the wonderful people of our new home gave us a chance to share our family flavors. They made us the honor of recommending us to family and friends, and our community grew. Our “Flavor Corner”, as we’ve come to affectionately call it, has brought together a community of friends that in the three years of our operation have truly transformed into a family. In order to give back to the community that has so graciously welcomed us, we are thrilled to partner with a number of nonprofit organizations, donating our food and labor. We took initiative in the wake of the pandemic last year and offered our tacos and chilaquiles to healthcare providers. At a time when opened restaurants and cafeterias were scarce, we truly felt the need to give back a little of the many blessings the local community had given us, and are happy to have been able to now extend that aid to shelters, the elderly, and the homeless in our community. Texas has opened its heart and taste buds to our humble food forever inspired by our family and the streets of Mexico. When you have the best clients in the world, you are always motivated to serve the best we have every day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It certainly hasn’t all been smooth sailing or driving for that matter. For Fransisco learning to drive the trailer took some getting used to. While many Texans are born knowing how to drive one, we can assure you that Mexico City has no space for the wide turns of a trailer on its streets. At the opening, we had still only been living in the USA for eight months, so that’s new business owners in a new country, with no family to act as support and a language barrier. Francisco however, is a firm believer that kindness and good food are a universal language. After all, a smile has no pronunciation or verb conjectures. With his family in mind, there was no language or trailer steering that would stop him. One of the hardest challenges we had to face early on was to go out all prepped in the morning only to have sold a few dollars by closing. After which, Lizzeth would go to her second job in order to feed our family and support both the trailer and the dream. It was taxing to come back home to reassemble everything for service the following morning, but we always did so with the faith that tomorrow would be better than the day before. The long hours we knew are a reality for every small business owner, but the gratification of seeing it all payout is the best motivation. The pandemic hasn’t left us unscathed, from one day to the next the streets were deserted. We had to adapt quickly to continue to serve the community throughout the uncertainty. To stay open, we adopted a new menu, began offering family packs, and even ventured into deliveries. When personal losses and loss of secondary means of income struck, staying strong and the unwavering support of our amazing community became more essential than ever and are the reason we are here today.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Naco Mexican Eatery?
Open for lunch and breakfast, Naco is a Mexican food truck serving generational family recipes prepared with traditional methods. Our specialties, chilaquiles, tortas, tacos, and salsas have all been developed from those same recipes, and have joined the ranks as heirloom recipes. We take great pride in serving high-quality Mexican food from scratch and all-natural ingredients. A pride that carries onto our flavor enhancing products such as our, Chicharron de Chile Salsa and Almond Mole. Both of which are soon to be available to purchase online for you to enjoy at home. We look forward to customizing the catering menus for events of any size, whether it’ll be a corporate function or a private celebration, and have food delivery services available.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Cooking good food runs through the blood of both our families. For Francisco, being from Mexico City, and spending his summers in Oaxtepec he grew up with the true foodie experience of enjoying the foods from the fragrant Mexican markers smelling of fresh flowers, herbs, and roasted salsas. There you could have a huitlacoche quesadilla with epazote, have some chicharron gorditas, and wash it all down with some horchata or agua de jamaica. He always left room, however, for his grandmother’s homemade mole and chicken, fluffy red rice, and the freshest corn tortillas. Lizzeth, rooted in the Texas border, meant that gearing up for the holidays would be spent in her grandmother’s kitchen preparing the deer hunted within the ranch. From tamales to braising the deer and baking for hours in a brick oven, the kitchen was kept busy as they would all take turns to keep the flames burning through the night. Spirits ran high and unforgettable. “The smell of mesquite logs in the fire smells like family gatherings when our grandparents were here, and all cousins of all ages will make the piñata from a clay pot, decorated with colorful shiny paper, to break it on Dec. 24th at midnight”.
Pricing:
- Chilaquiles Plates $8+
- Keto Cheese crust taco $7+
- Tortas $8+
- Tacos de Chilaquiles $4.50 +
Contact Info:
- Email: info@nacomexican.com
- Website: www.nacomexican.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nacomexican/
- Facebook: @nacomexican
Image Credits
Stacy Cabrera Amanda Spencer
