Tacos of Texas
Mando Rayo
May 5, 2026
Do’s and don’ts for celebrating Cinco de Mayo
This episode of TOT features a 2024 interview with Laura Rice on the Texas Standard.
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April 28, 2026
From Classroom to Kitchen: Building Austin’s Next Culinary Generation
Hear what Austin’s next culinary generation has to say about what it takes to build a career in hospitality today.
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April 21, 2026
Cesar Chavez allegations continue to spur examination of legacy
Mando Rayo talks to Texas Standard host David Brown about the fallout from the sexual assault allegations against labor leader Cesar Chavez.
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April 14, 2026
Tamal or Tamale? Corn husk or banana leaf? Taco Journalist Mando Rayo weighs in on the great Texas debate…Or is it Tejas?
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April 8, 2026
Healthy Without Breaking Up (with Tacos)
From cauliflower to nopales, swap in some different fillings – but make sure you keep the seasonings. The interview featured in this bonus episode of Tacos of Texas originally aired on the Texas Standard in February 2025. Tacos of Texas is made possible by listeners like you. You can support our work by making a donation […]
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March 31, 2026
Tacos of Texas wraps fifth season delving into politics, new Michelin honorees and more
The Michelin Guide ranking top places to eat was announced in October, 2025. In this bonus episode, Mando Rayo sits down with the Texas Standard to discuss the new Michelin luminaries, as well as details on how he plans to celebrate the podcast’s fifth season. The interview featured in this bonus episode of Tacos of Texas […]
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March 24, 2026
Street vendors in Texas feeling the pinch among heightened immigration anxiety
“They are doing it by selling what they know. They know their food. They know their culture.”
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March 17, 2026
New year, new do’s – and dont’s – of tacos
Taco journalist Mando Rayo shares how he feels diners can be more intentional with how they engage with the cuisine we all love. The interview in this bonus episode of Tacos of Texas was originally aired on the Texas Standard in January, 2026. Tacos of Texas is made possible by listeners like you. You can […]
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About
El Seis of the Tacos of Texas Podcast is taco journalism at its core. We open with a mom cooking en la casa amid fears of ICE, we sit down with Gina Hinojosa on why she’s ready to take down Abbott, and head into the barrios where Tejano families built Austin’s taco scene, now fighting gentrification. We close our heaviest stretch with “conflict foods”outside a detention center in Dilley, tying today’s story back to the Japanese internment camps in Texas.
But it’s a season filled with sazon as well: a taco truck gone full halal, a live taping on Black, Indigenous, and Mexican Texan history, empanadas y pupusas, fajitas in San Antonio, three generations of Baja-style women in East Austin, the Taco Bell debate, and a Migas Madness showdown to close it out. Twelve episodes, one taco at a time, we’re continuing to share the stories of Tejas.
CREDITS:
IDENTITY Productions
http://www.identity.productions
Host and Producer: Mando Rayo
Story Producer: Sharon Arteaga
Audio Mixing: Nicholas Worthen &
Ever Calderon
Creative Producer: Dennis Burnett
Host
Mando Rayo’s experience is deep-rooted in Latinx & BIPOC communities. Mando is a digital story-teller and uses his Latinx identity to inspire and build bridges through his production company, IDENTITY. From working with Laredo Taco Company, Beef Loving Texans, KLRU-TV, PBS Austin, Whataburger, Austin Film Society, People en Español y más, Mando shares stories through food, culture, documentaries and digital platforms. As an avid taco ambassador, food explorer and street ethnographers, Mando has traveled across the U.S. to uncover the tastiest tacos, from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to L.A. and New Orleans to New York City. Mando is the producer and co-author of ‘The Tacos of Texas book (UT Press) & docu-series with PBS Digital Studios and United Tacos of America TV Show on El Rey Network. Mando’s work has been featured on Bon Appetit Magazine, The Food Network, NPR, The New York Times and SXSW.
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