Back in March, we sat down with Carlos Caudillo, owner of Tacos al Vapor, to reflect on how he went from working three jobs to starting a well-loved food truck. His story truly exemplifies the American Dream.
Carlos and Martha Caudillo met in their hometown in Guanajuato and were married at 18 years old. When Martha was expecting their first child, Carlos realized he needed a better way to support his growing family. Jobs in their hometown paid very little and weren’t enough to survive, but Carlos had uncles working in the Quad Cities and heard about the opportunities here. He arrived in the U.S. when he was just 19 years old and worked several jobs at once: at Tyson (formerly IBP), in landscaping and in a restaurant. A year after settling in the area, he sent for his wife and baby girl, and his family was reunited.
Food kept them connected with their roots. “Martha and I loved making food for our own parties and family gatherings,” said Carlos. “People started asking us to cook for their parties as well.” The couple eventually brought a taco cart back from Mexico to take their authentic steamed tacos to the next level. After seeing the positive response from their friends, they made plans to buy a food truck to serve tacos at Mercado on Fifth. Carlos enrolled in the Food Sanitation Management class at Black Hawk College and received a Minority Equipment grant from the SBDC to put their logo on the truck.
“Things went so well for us the first season that we bought a bigger truck the following year without taking out any loans,” said Carlos. “We would like to thank each person who has eaten our tacos and to Mercado and the Ontiveros family for their support of our dreams. Our family plans to continue to grow Tacos al Vapor and open a small taqueria in the near future.”
Now that would be truly amazing!