In Texas, the significance of a taco goes far beyond the food itself — a taco is filled with history and culture.
Taco journalist Mando Rayo has built an empire exploring the stories behind the tacos and those who make them.
Rayo has written numerous taco-centered books and co-hosted the TV series United Tacos of America on the El Rey network, all under his production company, IDENTITY Productions.
The fourth season of Rayo’s Tacos of Texas podcast, produced at KUT/KUTX Studios in Austin, was released last month.
The season explores everything from the history of vaqueros and their influence on breakfast tacos to folklore in Mexican cooking.
It features conversations with a taco influencer who has built a following as the internet’s tío, a recent James Beard award-winning chef from the Rio Grande Valley, and even with San Antonio’s own Taco Poet.
“It’s a big mix of things,” Rayo said. “I think the common thread is everybody’s got that entrepreneurial spirit and they’re doing it their own way and in different ways.”
For Rayo, taco journalism has become more than just eating and writing about tacos across the state.
“It represents your identity and your culture — you can’t really separate those two,” he said. “We start with the food, the tacos … then we dig into the different issues around the food, getting into the culture of the people and those making our food.”
Rayo said the Tacos of Texas podcast allows chefs and taquerias to share their own personal journeys about connecting to their roots.
“We need to pass the mic. We need to allow people to tell their own stories, in their own ways.”
Click here to listen to episodes of the podcast.
Listen to the program below to hear about how Mixtli’s Rico Torres from San Antonio went from chef to historian.
