David Rodriguez
David Rodriguez, chef/owner of the Melted food cart and Taco Local catering, which operates out of a retrofitted bus, is opening a brick and mortar restaurant to be called Taco Local.
Rodriguez has signed a lease for the space at 811 Williamson St., most recently home to Underground Butcher, which closed in December.
“These are the tacos I make when I have people over,” says Rodriguez. The Taco Local concept grew out of his vending the Melted menu at the Eaux Claires music festival. “They asked me if I knew anyone who did tacos,” says Rodriguez, who’d catered a taco menu at his sister’s wedding. He replied that he did tacos — “and it turned into a great thing.”
Rodriguez, who has been concentrating on catering, found tacos were very popular, with bookings for weddings and corporate lunch gigs 2-3 times a week.
The Willy street space “seemed like a natural fit,” says Rodriguez. “It has stone walls and wood beams and it’s a 100-year-old-plus building.”
Rodriguez likes to keep his tacos simple, with slow cooked meats, steak, and veggie options: “I don’t do any more than four ingredients in a taco. I just want to make really good tacos in a place where I’d like to hang out and eat. Boom.”
His plans include highlighting other Latin American and Spanish foods. Taco Local will be open as a cafe in the morning “for strong Latin coffee and a breakfast torta or taco,” says Rodriguez. Lunch will be primarily tacos, counter-service, but he’s hoping dinner can have some higher-end menu items and servers for sit-down dining.
Before Rodriguez bought the Melted grilled cheese cart, he worked in restaurants for 20 years. Giuseppe Gargano, who ran Peppino’s, was an inspiration: “I loved the way he ran his business,” says Rodriguez. “It was kind of like a big family. He started that bug in me, that I wanted to do my own thing.”
Rodriguez is hoping that the Willy Street location will open in June.
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