El Grito Taqueria was formed in 2015 with a childhood friend who had just moved home from his travels abroad. I was in between jobs and looking to start something creative but with no real set plan. My friend had just spent the last 10 years traveling internationally and cooking his way through Southeast Asia, South America and Mexico.
We would always connect on his visits home that were few and far between. He would cook me food, we’d listen to his extensive worldly record collection and reminisce on the good times we shared as well as everything we missed in between.
I always knew that he could cook, since some of the best meals I’ve had were cooked by him. When he reached out about starting something up we really had no idea what type of business we wanted to do. He cooked me a Baja style fish taco and I said, “We’re starting a food truck.” His food, my creative vision.
He has all of these great records from his time in Argentina, cover artwork with slab style typography, bold colors and 60’s design aesthetics. So I had a visual start, and it grew based on my colorful upbringing. Some of my fondest memories as a kid are of my father listening to Smokey Robinson shinning the rims on his lowrider pickup truck. My father is a product of East LA, and the 1960s Chicano movement molded him into the man that molded me. I am a direct reflection of my father and I wanted El Grito to be a direct reflection of me. The branding, the feel, the music, the experience, El Grito is 100% me. It wasn’t just about the food experience, but about transporting someone into the world we created.
In addition to designing/building the food cart and food truck, I handled daily operations, all branding, marketing and project management, client/vendor communication, staffing, scheduling, finances, etc. Please see below for examples of my creative direction.
Visit www.elgritotaqueria.com
