Since the summer of 2016, Mis Tacones' Abram Bañuelos and Carlos Reynoso have been rolling out their signature vegan asada, cilantro lime, and al pastor tacos for special events for organizations like T.G.B. Portland, PICA, TBA, Queer Rock Camp PDX, and the vegan grocer Food Fight.
Last month, the pop-upâs partners (in business and in life) launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise the initial $50,000 they think it will take to open either a brand new food cart or even a 30-seat brick-and-mortar somewhere in Southeast.
Bañuelos, a 10-year cooking veteran who currently works at OMSIâs Theory, and Reynoso, a Central City Concern counselor and full-time PSU student, say that whatever form the new Mis Tacones takes, its real aim is to make their new home a safe gathering space for all Portlanders.
âCulture and family is very important to us,â Reynoso says. âOur Mexican roots and queerness are a huge part of Mis Taconesâs identity. Embracing who we are is important because we are a safe space and we want our guests to be comfortable when theyâre at Mis Tacones. Portland has a beautiful and diverse POC and queer community and everyone is so supportive of each other.â
Should they secure the funds, Reynoso says that the new Mis Tacones will serve its original roster of vegan tacos, and will expand the menu to include vegan tortas, tamales, pazoles, and chilaquiles. They plan, he says, is to stay open from 10 am to 9 pm during weekdays and 9 am to midnight on weekends, and if that all works out, it will stay open until 3 am on summer weekends to appeal to the party crowd.
âWe want to be the go-to taqueria at night,â says Reynoso.
Reynoso says that he and Bañuelos want to honor the organizations that helped them during their salad days by using the space as an incubator for other up-and-comers.
âThe vegan community has been very supportive of us here and we are extremely grateful for that,â Reynoso says. âWe want to use our space to help other local queer and POC businesses by sharing our kitchen and allowing space for community events.â
If youâre interested in getting a taste of whatâs to come, follow Mis Tacones social media feeds to see where itâll be popping up. And make sure you get there early, as the pop-ups tends to sell out of tacos pretty quickly.