Meet Gerardo Arreola of Huevones Elevated Mexican Café
Gerardo and his mother Elia
I can’t say exactly why--maybe it was those magical words, “griddled cheese tacos,” or maybe it was the photos of beautiful coffee drinks--
but I suspected there was something very special about Huevones Elevated Mexican Cafe. I reached out to them for an interview. Sure enough, the food, the passion, and even the back-story of this family-run business exceeded all my expectations.
Robert and I were lucky enough to catch their dinner menu this past Thursday, and we were absolutely blown away. We highly recommend the Mexican Poutine and our favorite, the Vampiritos griddled cheese tacos (with pasture-raised local steak). I loved how the cheese didn’t overpower the meat but, instead, enhanced the flavors and added texture. The sauces and toppings balanced perfectly, and the tortillas...well, I could write a whole post about their buttermilk tortillas. For me, the tortilla is everything. The filling can be top-notch but if the tortilla is wrong, it ruins the whole taco. Huevones gets everything right. Everything.
I chatted with owner Gerardo Arreola, a self-described “American-born Mexican all throughout.” He operates the truck with his wife Mekayla, father Miguel, and mother Elia, who makes all the sauces and salsas from scratch. Together, through the bonds of family and tradition, they create some of the most delicious food you’ll ever get from a truck; here is what Gerardo had to say:
What made you decide to start a food truck?
Chocolate Latté
First, you need to understand how much our culture revolves around food. For us growing up, everything revolved around the food, no matter the occasion. It’s something that is deeply engraved into us. My parents grew up in an extremely rural area in Mexico before making their big move to the US. They grew up eating ingredients that, today, are a luxury. Pasture-raised beef, fresh milk, fresh cheese, and organic everything! They really grew up eating the best the land had to offer and when they made the move here, it was a major culture shock, especially with food. My whole life I was lucky enough to be raised eating organic food. We were early on the whole Whole Foods trend. So much so that my dad has been a butcher for them for the last 25+ years. We have all dreamed of one day opening a restaurant. It’s been a dream that’s now come true. We now have a great little trailer and we’re pumping out great food we are proud of each and every day. It’s a great starting point for us.
What made you decide to start a food truck?
Mexican Poutine: Sofrito hash, cheese, beans & steak over hand-cut fries.
First, you need to understand how much our culture revolves around food. For us growing up, everything revolved around the food, no matter the occasion. It’s something that is deeply engraved into us. My parents grew up in an extremely rural area in Mexico before making their big move to the US. They grew up eating ingredients that, today, are a luxury. Pasture-raised beef, fresh milk, fresh cheese, and organic everything! They really grew up eating the best the land had to offer and when they made the move here, it was a major culture shock, especially with food. My whole life I was lucky enough to be raised eating organic food. We were early on the whole Whole Foods trend. So much so that my dad has been a butcher for them for the last 25+ years. We have all dreamed of one day opening a restaurant. It’s been a dream that’s now come true. We now have a great little trailer and we’re pumping out great food we are proud of each and every day. It’s a great starting point for us.
How did you come up with the concept for the menu?
The Truck: Huevones Elevated Mexican Café
The idea mostly came from my dad. As a young man he grew up working at kitchens and when I was growing up it was a tradition for us to go out to breakfast after a long bike ride. He always wanted to start a breakfast place, so when the idea came to open up a food truck we decided on just that! Now, we’re really just doing it all. Why limit ourselves?
The name came from a group text I had with my family while trying to decide. I wanted to pick something that everyone would feel connected to and for some reason, I threw out Huevones and it really stuck. Huevones is a play on words. Huevónmeaning lazy and huevos, meaning eggs or big cajones. We are definitely not lazy, but for those that are feeling a bit lazy in the morning, we’ll get you up and running.
How long has your truck been in business?
This is our third week in business and we are doing great! People really seem to appreciate quality food. It’s simple...we use quality ingredients, and we prep it all with love.
Tell me about the food and drink you serve?
Vampiritos: Pasture-raised steak taco with griddled cheese, on a homemade buttermilk tortilla.
Absolutely. We serve tacos for both breakfast and dinner. We make our own buttermilk tortillas and we use organic beans, organic flour, and free-range eggs. For our dinner menu, we typically use pasture-raised local beef and have been very happy with [its] quality and tenderness.
We also specialize in coffee. Our coffee menu features a mocha cinnamon latte which tastes a lot like Abuelita hot chocolate. Something we grew up having in Mexico. We also offer a Cafe de Olla Latte. It’s special and it’s our Mexican version of a Chai latte. We use an in-house made syrup made with star anise, cinnamon, orange peel, clove, and brown sugar. It’s delicious! We have a full espresso bar and are working on creating new drinks all the time.
What have been your biggest obstacles so far?
We’ve had trouble ingraining ourselves with locals because it’s such a close community but at the end of the day, that’s what we love most about this city. There’s a great culture of local help and community-oriented families. It’s very refreshing and we are looking to carry that mentality forward!
Couldn’t agree more about the Springs community! We predict amazing things for this new truck on the block and just know they will be welcomed with open arms.
You too can stalk Huevones Café, and get schedule updates by following their Instagram: @huevonescafe
