Aug. 8, 2019

A new food truck specializes in Tejano-style dishes.

Food Mama hit the street in mid-June, serving tacos, tostadas and rice bowls prepared by owners Joe and Yvonne Garcia with their help of their daughter, Alayna.

“It’s Tejano style with a little Cali twist,” Joe Garcia said. Yvonne was born and grew up in California, and Joe, whose family is from Texas, was born in Wisconsin.

“We’ve very in touch with our culture, though,” he said of their Mexican-American heritage.

Meat choices are ground beef, steak and shredded chicken. Entree plates come with beans and rice. Every morning, the Garcias make seasoned chips that are part of some of the entrees. They also fry tortillas for their hard-shell tacos and make cinnamon chips as a dessert item. While elote — the roasted or boiled Mexican street corn — is traditionally served on the cob, Food Mama makes it easy to eat and serves it in a cup.

The home base for the trailer is a parking lot at 11th Street and Cliff Avenue, and the Garcias set up one table in the shade of the building there. Food Mama is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every weekday except for Tuesday when it’s at Filly Flair on the west side of the Renner exit on Interstate 29.

Food Mama also is available for events and can change the menu to accommodate the gathering.

“We can do ceviche, chicken fajita salads, all sorts of things.”

The Garcias have full-time jobs doing maintenance for West Mall 7 Theaters, so Food Mama is just a way to share their love for cooking with others.

“When we moved here, I would invite friends over to eat,” Garcia said. “We love to hang out … and we’d grill out.”

Eventually, people started asking the Garcias to cater for their family gatherings and parties, and “everyone was always encouraging us to open a food truck.”

Now, they’re doing what they enjoy.

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