In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, we reached out to our creators serving dishes from across Latin America to share a little bit about where they’re from, why they decided to open a food truck, and asked them what their favorite dish is. We believe food is best enjoyed when we understand the context of where it’s from and the stories behind the people who make it. Make sure to check out our Hispanic Heritage Month food recommendations too!
Nory Hanson, owner and chef of Yo Soy Ceviche, started her business in 2018. Her mom is from Piura, a city in northwestern Peru located north of the Sechura desert on the Piura river. Her favorite dish is ceviche, as the business’s name might suggest. “I started with selling small cups of ceviche for $5 and my path led me to be able to get a truck,” Hanson says, “but I really hope to have a storefront people can visit one day.” Ceviche is a dish that originated in Peru that consists of fish marinated in a bath of lime juice. The dish is often served with onions and fresh herbs. What sets Hanson’s ceviche apart is her unique approach to ceviche with the introduction of kimchi ceviche, citrus salmon, and even ceviche yuca fries.
Cocina Danzon is owned and operated by Luis Acosta. His family is from Veracruz, Mexico. His favorite dish is Mole. “We wanted to be able to share our food in a variety of different locations,” says Acosta, “and reach different communities of the Bay Area (whether through a private event or large market or festival) – something we would not be able to do with a brick and mortar.” His menu features pork belly arepas, yuca fries, five-spice fried chicken, and cachapas.
Sergio Albornoz, owner of Cochinita, is from Merida, Yucatán. As such, the food truck focuses on food from the Yucatán peninsula, which has Mayan roots, and fuses them with flavors from California.His favorite Mexican food is panuchos, fried handmade tortillas stuffed with refried black beans. You can eat them with meat on top but his favorite way is to add a hard boiled egg, tomato sauce, and some hot sauce.
“My inspiration to start a food truck starts from my love of food and the nostalgia cooking food from Yucatán brings me,” says Albornoz, “I grew up watching and helping my grandma and mom in the kitchen and fell in love with the connection and memories food forms between people. I always found comfort (and a job!) in the food industry but it’s a different feeling when you can’t cook from the heart. Being able to recreate dishes that bring Yucatán closer to me and being able to share it not only with friends and family but with my community, is something I always knew I wanted to do. Having a food truck lets me share a piece of me and my culture through food and I love what I do!”
Jesus Varguez, owner of Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine, is also from the Yucatán peninsula. He creates dishes from home that are difficult to find in the Bay Area. His al pastor isn’t bright red like the kind you usually find here, instead it’s dark black thanks to the deep charring of the salsa’s ingredients. He’s also one of the few chefs in the entire Bay Area serving x-ni-pec a Mayan salsa made with pickled onions, habaneros, and citrus juice. He decided to open a food truck to share the flavors of the Yucatán with the Bay Area.
Pedro Albornoz’s family is from Mérida, Yucatán. He was inspired to start a food truck because he had trouble finding food from the Yucatán he found authentic in the Bay Area. His favorite dish is salbutes de relleno negro, a filling that is traditionally made with charred tortillas, dark chiles, sour orange juice, and spices.
There’s a lot of talk about tacos going on in this list, and it’s making us hungry. Head over to our Ultimate Bay Area Taco Guide to find your new favorite taco spot.
