‘Authentic’: Charlotte taco truck owner took the vendor torch from his dad

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — They say you are what you eat. For a vendor in uptown Charlotte, serving authentic tacos is his way of carrying on a family legacy.

Quite simply, food is the vehicle for flavor.

“So the name of our business is Taqueria el Flacko,” said Nason Gonzalez-Grimaldo. “We specialize in Tijuana-style tacos. So carne asada, adobada, pastor, chorizo.”

Every taco gives him a chance to share his culture in a delicious way. That’s the meat of the matter at Tacos El Flacko . Obviously, the pun is well-intended.

“You’d be surprised how many people haven’t had an authentic taco in the city,” said Gonzales-Grimaldo, who works alongside his sister Mara.

In the truck, a photo of their father is a constant reminder that with great food comes great responsibility. Their culinary treasure has been passed along for generations.

“You see my shirt; this is my dad’s logo that he had back in the day,” he says.

His father Cesar owned and operated Taqueria Los Tres Portrillos from the early 2000s to 2011.

“He was one of the first taco trucks, food trucks in general, here in the city,” Gonzalez-Grimaldo told Queen City News.

He learned a lot about the taqueria business from his dad and his mom, Maria. Nason also acquired a taste for talking to customers about his cuisine.

“And that’s just something that I enjoy doing is explaining what a true taco is and seeing their reaction to it,” he says.

In 2022, the 23-year-old took the family torch and opened Tacos El Flacko. His work ethic is a product of his parents.

“Yeah, at an early age I would see them work. I would see my dad and my mom try to go after this dream,” he remembers. “I would go to sleep, my parents were still working getting ready for the weekend, and I would get up and they were still working getting ready.”

Before he even gets to his taco truck, Nason works a full day in the underground utility industry.

Now, it’s his turn at the window of opportunity.

“So that’s going to be our al pastor, and this is going to be carne asada,” he said, showing us a sample of what he prepared.

Nason is a native Charlottean and a first generation Mexican American.

“My parents immigrated from Mexico to the United States,” said Gonzalez-Grimaldo. “I was thankfully born here in United States. I say thankfully because I have all these opportunities that are presented to me, but I’m happily Mexican American.”

He gave us the skinny on the business name “Flacko,” which means “thin.”

“So, my parents, that’s just the nickname they gave,” he explained. “A lot of Mexican households are accustomed to giving their kids like nicknames: Gordo, Flaco.”

The nickname stuck and so did his passion for the food business. His menu takes customers on cultural road trip.

“We mainly work uptown, so we see a lot of different kinds of people,” said Gonzalez-Grimaldo. “And just being able to show them an authentic take on a Mexican food is just every special to us and that’s just what we want to do.”

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