Mando Rayo

In this episode, we spend 24-hours with Houston-based pitmaster Eduardo Ortiz (and his tortilla pressing mother!) to learn his process for creating some of Houston’s best-smoked carne. As we follow his masterful smoking process, we’ll learn how he learned his trade, how Eddie O’s first pop-ups were received, and what it takes to be Texas pitmaster in the clutch city, Houston, Texas.

Beneath the city’s trendy surface, Austin’s undersung “Taco Mile” (located up north on Rundberg Ln.) is serving up some of the most authentic tacos in the area. In this episode, we’ll examine how this hidden gem of a taco scene reflects Austin’s segregationist history, changing demographics, and the plight of immigrants in Texas’ capital city. Guests include Laura Toledo, owner, and operator of Taqueria Ceibas, Greg Casar, Austin City Council Member, Representative for Austin’s District Four, and Jose Carrasco, Director of the Family Resource Center at Austin’s Dobie Middle School.

Located in the heart of San Antonio, UTSA’s academic library boasts one of the oldest, most comprehensive collections of historic Mexican cookbooks in the world (many of which are over a century old). In this episode, we’ll explore what these archaic texts teach us about Mexico’s rich culinary history and how its dishes are prepared today. We’ll talk with Rico Torres, a James Beard-nominated chef who’s built a career off of recreating these age-old recipes at his uber-popular restaurant, Mixtli and Steph Noell, the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Special Collection’s Librarian.

Some taco trucks are colorful, some hand-written and painted, and others are inspired by the food they make. In this episode, we’ll capture the most creative taco trucks, the inspiration, and stories behind the art, and eat along the way. Guests include muralist, Ernesto “Cheche” Hernandez (El Paso) and Reyna and Mariza Vasquez, Veracruz All Natural (Austin).

Tacos aren’t just delicious — they’re also big bucks! In this episode, we break down the numbers behind America’s favorite food. We’ll crunch the numbers to answer such burning questions as how much money does your average Texan spend on Tacos per year? How much does it cost to run a taco truck? And exactly how much of the state’s economy relies on Mexican food? Guests include the owner of Dallas-based Trompo! Taqueria owner Luis Olvera, Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) Vice President Kelsey Erickson Streufert, and Director of Hispanic Research at the Pew Research Center Mark Hugo Lopez.

Since the turn of the century, the taco has become a staple of American cuisine, one on par with sushi and pizza. And yet misinformation about the dish (and Mexican food in general) still runs rampant in the United States. For example, did you know that the misconception that taco trucks are somehow dirtier or less sanitary than other operations can be traced back to bigotry against the first Latina entrepreneurs who sold street food in San Antonio in the 1800s? In this episode, we take a deep dive into the long and messy history of Mexican Food misinformation and how that misinformation continues still today. Guests include Dr. Mary Beltrán, of the University of Texas at Austin and Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark of, the University of Texas at San Antonio.

2020 is the taco’s time to shine — and it’s the Chicanos, Latinx, Chingonas behind it all. In this episode, we’ll check in with the entrepreneurs who are behind some of Texas’s hottest food trends. We’ll also examine the ways in which these taqueros are working together to keep traditions alive and the culture as strong as ever. Guests include Emiliano Marentes – Elemi (El Paso), Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria (Austin) and Victoria Elizondo, Cochinita & Co (Houston).

Using the Disco, (a cooking apparatus whose origins are often attributed to the camaraderie between Mexican and Chinese rail workers in the early 20th century), we’ll trace how traditions and cultures intersect, and what effects that cultural fusion has on subsequent generations for years. We’ll explore the connections and history of the Chinese and Mexican roots of their own versions of the disco. Guests include Dr. Guillermina Gina Nunez-Mchiri, UT El Paso (El Paso), and Francisco “Paco” Wong (El Paso).

Birria de Res has arrived in Texas and it seems nobody can get enough of this red hot taco trend but don’t tell that to the goat birria die-hards. In this episode, we dissect the Birria trend, beef, and goat, from its century-old roots in central Mexico to its newfound popularity as Texas’s latest taco trend. We’ll also learn how Tejanos are adapting the dish for brisket-hungry local palates. Guest include Josh Palacio, El Remedio (San Antonio) and Chris Morrill, Taco Shop El Paso (El Paso).

It’s 2021 and we’re still pivoting through the pandemic. In this episode, we check in on Texas taquerias and chefs to see how they’ve adapted to an uncertain industry and what steps they’re taking to keep their operations above water. We’ll also take a look at how the pandemic affected both eaters’ dining habits and the local hospitality industry as a whole. Guests include Carlos Acosta, Rosarito Austin, and Norma Martinez, Texas Public Radio