If you’ve been craving fresh and traditional Mexican food, Rebozos can help with that. The vibrant red food truck serves up birria tacos, carnitas, flautas, tostadas, tortas and churros to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Indalecio Marroquin and his wife Teresa Medina have been running a family-owned and operated food truck for over five years.
Aside from running the truck, Marroquin and Medina are also restaurant owners. You’ll find the Rebozos Taqueria restaurant tucked away on Rogers Road near Dufferin in Toronto. For Marroquin, starting a food truck was a way to expand business, attract new customers and take on a new adventure.
Marroquin refers to himself as a chef and hard worker; something you’ll easily observe the moment you walk up to order. You’ll find Marroquin happily grilling up carnitas, flautas and birria tacos as his wife Teresa Medina greets customers and takes orders.
A typical day of food truck prep begins around 11 a.m.
Marroquin starts by cooking fresh pork, chicken and birria for the tacos. Once the meat is prepped, Marroquin begins chopping up toppings for each dish. Preparation takes about an hour before Marroquin is ready to open at noon.
Marroquin was determined to serve what he considers authentic Mexican food without any modern twists or cuisine fusions. The toppings are simple and traditional; onion, cilantro, lettuce and medium or hot sauce. The heart and soul of each dish is in the meat. Whether you’re chomping down on a chicken tostada or biting into a carnita, Rebozos meat is flavourful and rich.
If you wanted to try a Rebozos specialty, birria taco orders have been booming lately. Marroquin spends hours each day cooking birria and the accompanying beef broth, over anything else on the menu.
But if you ask Marroquin about his favourite dish, he’d tell you about his love for carnitas.
“In my 16 years of cooking and working with food, I’ve always loved carnitas. Sometimes food can get boring or repetitive, but I’ll never be bored of carnitas,” said Marroquin.
To be a successful food truck owner, Marroquin says you need to be passionate about cooking; something his mother taught him growing up. “My mother was a very nice cook. I used to watch on the sidelines while she cooked. Because I love to eat, I started to prepare everything myself. My mother taught me how to make a mole sauce and two kinds of stews.”
Marroquin continues, “At the end of the day, if I get home tired and can’t find something good to eat, I’ll still start cooking for myself, my son or my wife. Even after a busy day it’s what I love to do. I don’t mind working a sweat in the kitchen. Now with the food truck, I get to be cooking outside and with the people. It’s the best thing. Rain or shine, I still love it.”
Photos by Victoria Malawi.
