By GABRIELLA BOCK | Reporter
As record-breaking temperatures scorched Los Angeles County for the last two weekends in a row, Rodolfo Barrientos’ Palisadian-favored taco truck, Gracias Señor, was working hard to earn new fans at the DTLA Tacolandia food festival.
On Saturday, June 17, the black, Dia de los Muertos-themed truck—often seen serving hungry lunch goers at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Carey Street—was busy preparing for its festival debut among some of LA’s finest taquerias.
With highs peaking in the mid-80s, many of the event’s attendees avoided the heat in shaded “cool zones,” equipped with misting stations, while others just drank themselves to insouciance.
Those people were later spotted teetering toward the exit with sunburnt faces.
But despite the region’s warnings, the workday––for Barrientos––must go on.
And after a wily editor volunteered my not-so-skilled taco making services, the workday for me had only just begun.
When I arrived on scene, Barrientos had just been awarded the $1,000 grand prize for Outstanding Tabasco Taco, an accomplishment that brought the 27-year-old restaurant entrepreneur a surging line of over 30 hungry diners desperate to try the best new fish taco in LA.
As I pulled on my baseball cap and stepped up into the mobile kitchen, I was greeted warmly by three cooks who were working together in fine tune.
After a brief introduction, Barrientos placed me at the sauce station where I would be finishing each taco with the final touches of tartar and hot sauce before sending it on its way to the order window.
With freshly battered tilapia sizzling in hot oil and blue corn tortillas cooking on the grill behind me, I soon found myself feeling envious of those pie-eyed patrons with the sunburnt noses.
And I was just the sauce girl.
Standing over the stove, battering and frying the fish, was Barrientos’ mother, who told the Palisadian-Post that she would do anything to help out her son, which means even cooking 1,500 servings of fish during a Southern California heatwave.
“She’s been supporting since day one,” Barrientos said. “I really couldn’t have done any of this without her or my team, which is why I will be using some of the prize money to take them out for a nice, well-deserved meal.”
For the next hour, the five of us persevered through three separate dinner rushes, with each rush larger than the one before. There were no complaints or any of the frazzled yelling you might encounter in a larger kitchen.
But don’t be fooled, food trucking is not for the faint of heart.
The truck’s kitchen is about the size of a walk-in-closet and ventilation is pretty much non-existent. So in case you’ve ever wondered why those hot yoga classes were never fused with French cooking lessons, I’ll just tell you this: hot weather and hot kitchen appliances don’t mix well.
Yet, despite the sweltering heat, the Gracias Señor crew kept their cool as they graciously fed their customers. With each taco sauced and slid toward that tiny window, I gained a newfound respect for the people who work tirelessly to achieve their dreams on four wheels.
“Some days can be more challenging than others,” Barrientos told the Post. “Sometimes I’ll wish for a larger kitchen or a restaurant that I don’t have to worry about breaking down.
But until then, I’m just happy to have a great team and a community that continues to build up our brand.”
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