Tacos of Texas

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October 11, 2022

Las Jefecitas: using comida to sustain immigrant households.

By: Mando Rayo

Many immigrants have leveraged the delicious cuisines of their países as a means of income and work when they first arrive in the United States. Even before setting up a taco truck or even a brick and mortar, we see vendedoras earning their income by selling tacos out of their hieleritas in grocery store parking lots or wherever they know they’ll find foot traffic. In this episode we explore what motivates these women to leave their kitchens and go out into these parking lots. We discuss these informal economies and how they look in today’s digital age. We also spend time at La Mujer Obrera and Cafe Mayapán to see how the organization supports immigrant and indigenous women by training and employing them.


Episodes

October 27, 2026

Austin Taco History: Tacos, Tejanos, and the Fight against Gentrification

Recorded live at Tamale House East, we hear from Mexican and Tejano families that built Austin’s food scene.

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October 20, 2026

Conflict Foods: How food and a detention center affect a small town in Texas   

This episode is about conflict foods and what happens when the stress of having children and families detained in a detention center and the role food plays for these families.

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October 13, 2026

Baja Style Tacos, in Texas?

Cristina Everett joins us from Ensenada ATX, the Baja-style food truck her family built on East 12th Street.

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October 6, 2026

Did Taco Bell steal the Taco?

“Yo Quiero Taco Bell”? We explore the roots of a beloved fast food chain that many have come to know and love.

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September 29, 2026

Taco Cousins: Empanadas, Pupusas y más!

From empanadas to pupusas and beyond! We explore the various cultural interpretations on handheld, masa-filled magic.

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September 22, 2026

San Antonio’s Fajita Lounge Showdown

Come with us to San Antonio for the annual Fajita Lounge Showdown, folk! Hear from competitors and Aaron Peña, the mastermind behind the competition.

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September 15, 2026

Black & Indigenous Mexicans: A coming together on food, untold history and rich identities at the Texas Table

Explore how Black, Indigenous, and Mexican histories connect through identity, food, migration in this live-taped episode.

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September 8, 2026

Halal Tacos: A Mexican, a Muslim and a Rancher walk into a taqueria

In today’s episode of Tacos of Texas, we’re talking halal tacos. Yeah, you heard that right. We sit down with chef Jon Escamilla of Vecinos Tacos, the East Austin truck that went full halal and one of his most loyal regulars, Imad Ahmed, the customer who walked up one day and asked the question that […]

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