We recently connected with Marcos Cobos & Bianca Castillo and have shared our conversation below.

Marcos Cobos &, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we had the fortune of being able to perform our work remotely, and most of our essential needs could be met contactlessly. While this was greatly appreciated for health and safety reasons, many of our usual activities were being canceled, leaving us in search of new hobbies. We explored DIY projects, baking, walking our pup in open areas, and, most notably, food experimenting.

At some point, we came across Birria cuisine on social media. However, none of it was available in our area. Intrigued, we decided to take a chance by making it ourselves and sharing it with a few of our next-door neighbors. Around this time, many mandates to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were being lifted, and word quickly spread about two folks making delicious Birria.

Encouraged by the response, we decided to sell Birria from our garage as a hobby while covering the cost of materials. To our surprise, the support kept growing, with more and more people arriving at our garage. It reached a point where it became overwhelming.

Determined to take this venture to the next level, we hit the books, scoured the internet, and brainstormed ideas on a big whiteboard. Our efforts paid off as we developed a plan to bring our Birria cuisine to the neighborhood and the larger community. This marked the beginning of our Birria-only food truck, turning what started as a pandemic hobby into a thriving business.

Marcos Cobos &, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Many people are surprised by our story, as it doesn’t immediately explain why we own and operate a food truck. Both of us were born and raised in El Paso, a city not traditionally associated with Birria. We also both hold engineering degrees, which many consider to be secure, well-paying, and respected office careers.

The truth is, the soft skills we developed through our education and upbringing played a key role in launching our business. Growing up in El Paso, we were deeply influenced by a culture of hard work and resilience—values that shaped our mindset when facing challenges. Similarly, as engineers, we approached the opportunity we saw in our community like a problem to solve.

With Birria virtually unavailable in our area, we applied the skills we had honed in engineering: research, planning, and implementation. These tools helped us address the “problem” of bringing authentic Birria to our community. And that’s how our food truck was born.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

As we mentioned, we started by sharing to our next door neighbors and then to the community all coming out of our kitchen and garage. Now during this phase we would do small announcements that we would be having a sale every other Saturday on the Facebook group. But that was about it—no crazy marketing or sponsorships. What truly helped us build our reputation was our excitement to share the Birria cuisine with our community.

From the very beginning, we were thrilled to introduce people to the flavors and culture of Birria. We focused on ensuring that every batch we made reflected our passion and commitment to authenticity. While we now have nicer equipment, a very strong team, and more open hours, we still keep that same excitement alive. We continue to deliver the same recipe and consistent taste in every bite as when we started in the garage.

Thanks to this enthusiasm and the word of mouth from our loyal customer base, more people continue to visit our food truck, invite us to participate in events, and hire us to cater private, intimate gatherings. Sharing our love for Birria has been the foundation of our reputation and success.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After selling Birria from the garage for about 8 months and then following with about another 6 or 7 months, we had a tough decision to make. Business was going great, but our bodies were starting to feel the demand of over a year of working every single day, either as engineers or in the food truck. Not to mention we had gained an extra 50 pounds. We had to ask ourselves: do we want to take a real chance on us? Do we go all in and focus our energy on something so new? Or do we hit the pause button, stay as engineers with a nice paycheck, and possibly never come back to this adventure?

The truth is, something needed to give because at least one of three was going to fail—our jobs, our adventure, or our health. After a lot of reflection and support from each other, we decided to take the leap and focus entirely on the food truck.

Thankfully, today we are healthy, the adventure has grown into a thriving business, and while our engineering jobs had to go, we are incredibly grateful for the experience and support that allowed us to pursue our dream. It was a pivot that required courage and faith.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elbandidosuelto.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elbandidosueltotx/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elbandidosueltotx/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elbandidosuelto/