Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Thornell.
Hi Eric, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2020, when the world as we knew it was in a tailspin, my family & I got involved in the food truck business. I had formerly traveled about 1/2 of the year in software sales that impacted the beef industry. With the world closed, my day-to-day life changed dramatically! It would have been very easy to curl up and let the days roll by, but something pulled on our hearts to pick our heads up and do something! In that uncertain time, we found comfort and fulfillment by becoming involved within our community through food and relationships. Whether it was a public school, neighborhood, business, or someone’s birthday, we brought people a unique and personalized experience through a mobile food/taco truck. The small personalized party became a cornerstone of our business, giving people a reason to come together and smile. We had the honor of assisting community leaders & responders with food during the Texas Winter Storm of 2021. We helped local breweries keep their doors open during the pandemic by providing an on-site food source. The personal relationships that our mobile food trucks brought my family allowed us to partner with other community leaders to form a residential grocery delivery service in Central Texas, and all of this sprang from a little taco truck business. Our mobile food trucks have provided my family and me with so much joy and, more importantly, allowed us to bring more joy and comfort to our community. We couldn‘t imagine our life without the business we grew and loved, so we dug in, put our heads down, and pushed forward when life handed us an unexpected change. We have no doubt this new adventure will carry us through an uncertain time in our life again and provide an immeasurable amount of joy as this crazy #tacolife always has! We hope you join us on this journey and be part of our family!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always struggles and opportunities; we experienced our fair share. Whether it was bad business partners or learning new and constantly changing food safety guidelines, we ran the gamut. It was a lot of on-the-job training and baptism by fire, which forced us to learn quickly and significantly benefited in the long run.
As you know, we’re big fans of El Hombre Taco. What can you tell our readers who might not be as familiar with the brand?
- Our mission: Bringing folks together through food and community.
At Hombre Tacos, our signature tacos start with the best quality Texas Beef and locally sourced fresh ingredients! Our bold flavors are created with authentic spices & ingredients, then kicked up with a Texafied Twist! We specialize in private event catering, such as corporate lunches or dinners, weddings, birthdays, graduations, and any celebration. Our ability to “personalize “ a menu or food truck/catering experience based on the type of event or setting sets us apart from others. We’ve been very proud to be part of events such as the Austin Marathon & Two Step Inn and have partnered and collaborated with local businesses such as Yeti, Bare Performance Nutrition, and Yee Yee Apparel. We’ve also been fortunate enough to travel the U.S. doing backstage catering for the band NOFX. We are thrilled anytime we get to partner with another local business through philanthropy or a particular cause. It’s the reason we got started in this business after all.
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
Reach out to others who’ve been there and have the experience. They can be a great resource.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elhombretaco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elhombretaco?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/takavron.salazar
