photos courtesy of Enrique Guerrero
Two new food trucks are open in Santa Fe from Chef Enrique Guerrero, owner of the very popular burger and sandwich spot Bang Bite Filling Station. The trucks, already parked next to Bang Bite are located at 492 West Water Street in Santa Fe.
Xochitl, named after Guerrero’s great grandmother, will focuses on the flavors and dishes from the south of Mexico, to include regional offerings from Oaxaca, where Guerrero grew up, as well as Chiapas and the Yucatan.
Don’t expect to find tacos or burritos at Xochitl, Guerrero is emphatic that they won’t be anywhere on the menu. However, customers can look forward to inspired and distinctive dishes like chalupas, memelas, tlayudas, panuchos, torta sandwiches and cazuelitas or “little bowls,” that are filled with quinoa, white or brown rice, and your choice of meat or vegetables. I’ve got my eye on the “Pambazo Chilango,” a chorizo, roasted potato and asadero cheese filled fried torta.
Swine and Bird, Guerrero’s third truck, was inspired by his love for fried chicken, and will offer classics from the South. Expect to find Guerrero’s own fried chicken, hush puppies, biscuit sandwiches, fried okra, a pork belly and cornmeal waffle topped with a fried egg, cheesy grits and more.
In addition to Swine and Bird and Xochitl, Guerrero has plans for several more food trucks and envisions operating a total of five to seven by next spring. “The idea is to have all of the food trucks producing the same quality of product as Bang Bite,” he says. Guerrero will call the smorgasbord of trucks “The Filling Station.”
Even in the midst of his new ventures, Guerrero continues to plan an ambitious series of food truck experiments, to include a ramen and a health food option. Guerrero also envisions a wood-fired oven pizza truck and paying tribute to his most recent obsessions, is considering a Filipino, Thai and Indonesian fusion truck.
Speaking about his inspiration for the new trucks, Guerrero says, “I base my menus on the memories that I have. I’ve been lucky enough that I have traveled and tasted great food all over.” He plans to do some more traveling in 2018, for the “benefit of his belly and business.”
In the meantime, Guerrero asks that his customers be patient while he works through all the inevitable glitches, saying, “We’re trying to find the right people for the food trucks…I want to have great cooks who understand food.”
Be sure to check Bang Bite’s Facebook page in the weeks to come as Guerrero and his team offer some recipes from Xochitl and Swine and Bird.
