BEHIND THE B-ROLL ONLINE

A desire to bring taco trucks together from across the valley was the vision behind Mike Osegueda’s now colossal event. The first Taco Truck Throwdown was in August of 2011, fast forward to 2022 and the event has more than tripled in size. “We originally wanted to get the best taco truck in each city from around the valley and bring them together in one place, that place being Chuckchansi Park,” Osegueda said. “ We wanted to see who had the best taco truck in the Valley.” Osegueda is the founder and president of Fresno Street Eats which hosts the event each year. After allowing only one truck from 7 cities to enter the first Taco Truck Throwdown, only 7 trucks were showcased. It was then that Osegueda quickly realized the need to allow more than one truck from each city to enter the contest. “ We quickly learned that we needed a lot more trucks, that model was cool but we dropped the one truck from each city and now have all kinds of trucks from all kinds of cities,” Osegueda said. About two dozen businesses now compete each year for the trophy and title of having the best tacos in the valley. Over 10,000 people show up each year to the event which features more than just tacos. Attendees can now also experience a michelada throwdown which is a Mexican drink made with beer, lime juice, assorted sauces (often chili-based), spices, and chili peppers. Aside from food and drinks that may make your taste buds explode, you will also find many other different types of vendors. Art centered around tacos, hats from Michoacan, and thrifted clothing was also available for locals to take home. For many people, Taco Truck Throwdown has become a tradition that they attend each year. When Jazzie from hennabyjazzie isn’t a vendor at the event she enjoys coming to experience the live music and tacos. “It’s really chill but alive, and I like that,” Jazzie said. Art centered around tacos, hats from Michoacan, and thrifted clothing was also available for locals to take home. “It’s really chill but alive, and I like that,” Jazzie said. As Jazzie enjoys a bite of her tacos in hand, she mentions who she believes has the best tacos at Taco Truck Throwdown who is also last year’s winner. “We love Taco Pinto, as you can see they have a long ass line, but we go and get their food all the time,” Jazzie said. Musical guests also help bring out a larger crowd and this year Bone Thugs and Harmony headlined the event. Brianna Hernandez returned to Taco Truck Throwdown for the second time to see one of her long-time favorite groups perform. “I’m so stoked, I’ve been listening to them since I was in first grade, I love them,” Hernandez said. “Last year Genuwine performed and that was also amazing.” For Hernandez, the most important part of Taco Truck Throwdown is the tacos. When you ask many people at the event what makes a taco stand out, Hernandez says it’s the tortilla. “It’s the base of it all, nobody wants to pick up a taco and it falls apart, at that point you don’t even want it anymore,” Hernandez said. Justin Torrez who is involved in the development of Fresno Street Eats enjoys how the event brings the community together. “I like that it shows us as a foodie capital in California…it showcases a lot of our local talent and vendors, making sure that small local businesses are taken care of as well,” Torrez said. From the first bite of a taco to the last second of voting that day, locals cast their votes through QR codes that are posted on each truck. At the end of the evening, one lucky business owner is brought up to the stage, a moment Osegueda describes as one of his favorite parts of the event. “My favorite moment that is unique to me because I get to do this every year is when we bring the trucks up to the stage, and when they figure out they have won that’s just a really special moment,” Osegueda said. Torrez hopes the perception of taco trucks and food trucks continues to change as what once was a rarity has now become extremely popular. “Gone are the days that your family’s small business or your dreams are an outlier, now you get to be a center point through this event…We look forward to the continued support of our community,” Torrez said. Full website story here