With the grand opening of his Tacos El Capitan on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 67-year-old Sabas Arenas Gonzalez, of Umatilla, has fulfilled a nearly 20-year-old dream — owning his own taco truck.
The truck operates in the parking lot beside Java Junkies, 1510 Sixth St. Through an interpreter, Gonzalez said he plans to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
Joel Escamilla-Barajas, a client relationships consultant with Banner Bank in Umatilla, served as Gonzalez’s interpreter, although Gonzalez speaks enough English to interact with customers.
“So I was like, ‘Well, that’s pretty awesome,’” Escamilla-Barajas said. “So then we got all the information that was required. We set him up with an account, and the more we talked, the more I felt like he needed some help. So I told him, ‘Hey, if you don’t mind, let me put you on social media.’”
Escamilla-Barajas said he enjoys helping small businesses.
“Any help they can get is more than amazing for them,” he said. “Whether it starts off in a taco truck, next thing you know, they may be in a restaurant. It all starts somewhere.”
Tacos El Capitan’s menu features tacos (including hard shells), quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, carne asadas, desserts and more. Drinks include Fanta, Coca-Cola and fruit-flavored coconut drinks. Gonzalez said he also makes personalized fruit drinks. However, his specialties are enchiladas and burritos.
“So he’s saying his enchiladas are something that he would recommend (to) customers,” Escamilla-Barajas said for Gonzalez.” Once they try (them), they’ll want more. They’ll keep coming back.”
For his dishes, Gonzalez offers shrimp, chicken, pork and beef, including beef tongue and cheek. He said his prices are comparable to or maybe even lower than local Mexican restaurants.
He’s still working on a children’s and takeaway menu and securing a card reader for credit/debit card payments. However, he expected to have the latter just days after opening. For call-in orders, call 458-219-1589.
Cooking experience
Gonzalez learned to cook nearly 30 years ago while living in Nayarit, Mexico, along the Pacific Coast. He then spent about 20 years cooking in taco trucks and stands in Salem and Eugene except for the period he and his family ran the Gonzalez Restaurant in Oregon’s capital city. He said it was a popular establishment until road construction so affected the customer base he could no longer pay the building’s rent, forcing him to close.
After moving to Umatilla seven years ago, he worked in various Hermiston taco trucks, spending several years as the lead cook in one. However, working with other people’s recipes just wasn’t fulfilling.
“So he says that the reason he primarily did it (open his truck) is because as his own owner, he can make sure that his food is to the quality that he likes,” Escamilla-Barajas said. “When he worked for other truck taco trucks, he would try and make his own recipes, but they wouldn’t allow it. So having his own would allow him to go out of his way to make sure he can create new foods.”
Gonzalez added that his family has also pushed him to be his own boss.
“The reason he’s doing it is because he ultimately had told his kids that he wants to start a food truck but was too afraid to start,” Escamilla-Barajas explained. “And after finally realizing like ‘Hey, it’s time,’ his kids are finally pushing him, and he’s on the road to becoming his own boss and having his own taco truck.
“He said it’s been about 20 years that he’s had this dream. Now that he has his kids over here, and they’re all having families, it’s motivated him even more to get his name out there and make sure that he can provide for all his kids and for himself, as well.”
Friends and family
Gonzalez got the truck from a friend in Hermiston. He said the friend let him take it over and helped him ensure it was up to standards. In return, the two will split the profits. Although Gonzalez didn’t have to buy a truck, he said he still spent about $12,000 to prepare it for use.
“He says it is quite expensive to start up a business, but slowly but surely, he’s getting all set up and making sure everything is up to date,” Escamilla-Barajas said. “So he said the $12,000 was only just to fix it, (which) doesn’t include the things he had to buy to make signs and stuff like that.”
Another of Gonzalez’s friends also helps in the venture by prepping the truck’s meat, while his daughter, Magdalena, 20, helps him by taking orders and dealing with customers.
Gonzalez believes that with the help of friends and family, his service and recipes will set his truck apart from the others.
“He said his service quality is going to be very good,” Escamilla-Barajas said. “He expects the service to be quick, and his personalized ingredients are something that will also separate him from the other taco trucks just because he did live in Nayarit. … So he has about eight to 10 years working in Mexico, getting his own ingredients, making his own personalized recipes and getting his own recipes out there. And he likes to try new things with his ingredients to make sure that they’re to perfection.”
Confidence in his food
Gonzalez said he understands business may be slow at first, but he’s confident that when people eat his authentic Mexican food, they will love it.
“He said people will be satisfied with the taste, that it’s unique, that it’s very authentic, and that the people who have come earlier today have been very happy about trying his food and how good it was,” Escamilla-Barajas said. “But he likes to mess with his ingredients and make sure it’s just right to the point that he likes it. Since he’s an authentic Mexican cook, he knows all the different spices and all that good stuff to mix and come up with his ideal recipes.”
Gonzalez said he’s excited to finally fulfill his dream and to ensure customer satisfaction even if it means taking criticism.
“Just because he likes the positive feedback, he wants even the negative feedback, to make his food better and make sure it’s cooked to perfection,” Escamilla-Barajas said. “He wants to make sure that each customer who comes to his taco truck is satisfied and willing to come back.
“He’s thanking God for giving him this opportunity. And hopefully, with the praise of God, his business will boom. He wants to make sure that each customer who comes in and orders his food leaves with a smile, and that the food was up to their standard or even better.”
