Today on the show, we start a series of episodes collectively called: Taco Truck Training. These episodes will cover some of the hidden benefits of working in the taco truck so many years ago. In this case, unintended benefits that helped me get out of a particular situation that, perhaps, may have turned out differently had it not been for the taco truck. On this episode, we go back to 1988. On that summer night in which I was involved in a “Quarters” match. I was up against a legend who was kn...
Jan 15, 2019•25 min•Season 2Ep. 7
On this, the first episode of 2019, we talk about chile. No, not the country of Chile, though Santiago - the capital - is a lovely place to visit. So, why do I love chile so much? Today we dive deeper into this question. In doing so, I tell you a little bit more about my personality, my perspective, and my home! I grew up eating chile. I can't tell you exactly when it was that I took my first bite and my mouth felt the fire. All I know is that I cannot remember a time when I did not likechile. C...
Jan 01, 2019•22 min•Season 2Ep. 6
It that time of year! If you look around you, almost everywhere you go, you will see festive lights, crowds gathering at Christmas parks, packed ice rinks and, of course, tons of suckers, I mean, people at shopping malls. Yes, the holiday season is in full swing! But there is another season that is in full swing. A type of activity that involves tons of minutes of prep time. Perhaps tons of pair of hands and definitely tons of love, graciousness and tons of gratitude. The season I'm referring to...
Dec 18, 2018•21 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Today on the show I want to share with you my take on Lengua. Not that many people, at least in America, are familiar with this tender type of meat. Especially on a taco. Lengua translates to tongue. It's beef tongue. I'm going to tell you a little bit about this meat. I'm also going to tell you a bit about how this meat and the many steps to ultimately get it into a taco used to drive me nuts. And how one day, that task went from dreaded to a moment which got me closer to my mother. How on one ...
Dec 04, 2018•20 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Some time ago, I took a vow not to insert ads into our episodes. I feel it's essential to tell a story without breaks, especially commercial breaks. Instead, we invite you to visit our site and check out the merchandise we offer to support the show. https://tenthousandtacos.com Thank you for listening, and thank you for your support! Isidro
Nov 20, 2018•2 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Chile Rellenos is a very popular dish in Mexico. It's also a favorite of mine, but for a reason, you may not expect. Today on the show, we talk about the some of the hidden steps a chile poblano goes through to then become a Chile Relleno. The transformation of this chili pepper is fascinating to me. It starts as a pure chile pepper. It gets called up – sort of - “You're up” It’s your turn. This is its wake up call! It then gets throwing into an oven or over some heat – most likely a skillet or ...
Nov 06, 2018•23 min•Season 2Ep. 2
You ever come up to a taco truck and stare at the menu? And before long you just don’t know what to order because everything you see looks so freakin good! The power to choose the right one becomes very difficult. “The Paradox of Choice” the concept of “Why more is less” and how too many choice, at times, can leave us motionless in our ability to choose. It actually slows us down. It’s something we do every single day. We do it from the moment we wake up, to as we go on about our day and finally...
Oct 23, 2018•22 min•Season 2Ep. 1
On today’s bonus episode 2, we take trip down to southern California. Ontario California to be exact. Here, we are hosted by Israel Miranda, the owner of The Taco Man. He runs two locations in the outskirts of Los Angeles (east of LA) – in what is locally referred to as the Inland Empire. He also operates a thriving and efficient catering service out of the Ontario site. We sit down with Israel and discuss a variety of topics. We start out with why and how he got the “The Taco Man” name. He has ...
Sep 21, 2018•53 min
On this bonus episode we check-in to let you know - while we are working on season 2 - we'll be providing updates both for the podcast as well as my personal life. This update is a personal one. I've decided to no longer field calls from recruiters or employers seeking to fill an EHS position. EHS stands for Environmental Health and Safety, which is what I did for the past 12 years. After getting a call from a perspective employer in which she said, "We've decided to go with the other candidate"...
Sep 04, 2018•11 min
At some point or another, we’ve all had to face a bully. For my parents, that happened early on in their journey to break into the TACO TRUCK business. But first I tell you a bit about a recent trip I took to Southern California. A special trip to visit a few taquerias. But more importantly, I visited the person who’s father started the company which built our taco truck. During that visit I was reminded of the time we got back from Los Angeles with our new truck and it was then this bully tried...
Aug 07, 2018•26 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Have you ever dreamed of winning the lottery? Well, on this episode, I’m going to tell you of a time I was in a conversation with an ex-coworker where the subject was just that. Winning the lottery and my perspective of what it means to me to have won the lottery. To win the lottery one has to be extremely lucky. What is luck? It is success or failure brought not by one’s actions but by chance. My parents meeting one another, them making children (having us) and eventually migrating us to the US...
Jul 24, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Today’s episode, Isidro tells us something many people do not know about him. He is a huge OAKLAND RAIDERS fan. Those who know him wont be surprised he’s a big RAIDERS fan. But even those close to him may not know the real reason he is a RAIDERS fan. Isidro tells us how he initially became a big fan and how getting ridiculed at a young age sent him on a mission to find out as much as he could about the RAIDERS. In doing so, Isidro found things about the late owner AL DAVIS that made him a fond f...
Jul 10, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 24
In today’s episode of 10,000 Tacos, Isidro takes us to a time where he and his dad went to a World Cup game. The year was 1994. It was a special time because - not only was he celebrating his dad’s birthday - he also was in attendance while the US National Team was up against one of the best soccer clubs in the world – Brazil National Team. All this on the 4thof July. One of the biggest surprises of that day was not that the US team almost beat the Brazilians but the fact that Isidro’s dad and h...
Jun 26, 2018•24 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Today on this episode of 10,000 Tacos, Isidro concludes his story about how he got caught in a big lie and how not even the taco truck could have saved him from that embarrassment. His then partner was adamant about finding out why there were others telling her he was out in a limo instead of the taco truck. She did not want to believe them but then the evidence was too good to ignore. As the old saying goes, “things happen for a reason” - this is an example of that. As luck would have it, some ...
Jun 12, 2018•22 min•Season 1Ep. 22
On today’s show, Isidro takes us back to the time he was caught in a little lie – it was actually a big lie. He takes us back to a time he thought the taco truck was going to help him cover up for that lie. On this part 1, Isidro talks about a time he made plans with his then special friend only to skip out on her as he and his brother (the wing-man) rode around in a limousine through the busy cruising streets of San Jose. He then used the excuse of saying there was an emergency which lead to he...
Jun 05, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 21
On today’s show, Isidro takes us back to the time his sister started driving. Recall in a previous episode – Trust the Tortilla -, he told us of a time when his sister would take the neighborhood kids to school in a car though she was too young to legally drive. In this episode, Isidro sits down with his folks to ask them how his sister came to drive. What were the circumstances that lead them (his parents) to allow his sister to drive a car at such a young age? This is a tale of why his mom nee...
May 22, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 20
We do not break our episodes with ads. We feel it's important to tell a story without breaks, especially commercial breaks. Instead, we invite you to visit our site and check out our merchandise we offer in order to help support the show. https://tenthousandtacos.com Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! Isidro
May 08, 2018•3 min
On today’s episode Isidro talks a little about parenting, specifically a time when his parents helped him, at the ripe old age of 31, set up his own apartment. The lesson he learned was not to be so quick to judge people when it comes to how and what parents will do for their children. Isidro talks about how some of his childhood teachers would, at times, criticize the way his parents were raising their children. Saying that his parents were not there for them (because of the business). Isidro t...
Apr 24, 2018•22 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Today on the show, Isidro starts by asking what are the hidden ingredients in every great taco? Though it may be hidden by all sort of toppings on a taco, it’s not the meat. It also isn’t the seasoning or the blended ingredients in the salsa. And though all those things are important, it is not what he is referring to. Con confianza! Which translates to "WithTrust!" Isidro asks if that has ever been considered when ordering these great eats. He points out - in fact - it is trust that allows you ...
Apr 09, 2018•17 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Today on the show, Isidro talks about what he refers to “Tacos that I used to know.” When he thinks of them, a little sadness ensues because he knows he will never get to taste those tacos again. Isidro tells us a little more why he hated selling tacos as a kid and some of the reasons for that odium. Although he’ll never get to taste them again, he does not regret it. He reminds us how regret, if not handled properly, can lead to anger and how that anger could infect your well being. Tacos make ...
Mar 27, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 16
On this episode, Isidro sits down to have a good conversation with a fellow podcaster – Rob Gokee, the host of Tacocity Podcast – Rob shares a little bit of his journey as well as some personal stories while growing up in Los Angeles. They both agree, this conversation could have lasted a whole week! This is part of a crossover episode where Isidro also joins Rob on his podcast. To get the other episode, please follow this link: https://goo.gl/ZKNQDe - You can also find his podcast on his site: ...
Mar 13, 2018•44 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this episode Isidro talks about how his dad would use the following phrase to deal with the harsh rhetoric from people telling him things like, “GO BACK TO MEXICO!” or “IF YOU DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH, THEN YOU SHOULDN’T BE IN THIS COUNTRY!” The phrase he’d use was, “NO ME CHINGLES!” – which, if you speak Spanish, can be easily construed as a “bad” phrase. “Don’t mess with me” – But to Isidro’s father, and later for the rest of his family, the phrase simply meant, “Don’t English Me!” – For those w...
Feb 27, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Today’s episode Isidro describes what he referred to his parents having a whole lot of “Ganas” – recall in the very first episode– which is popularly known today as GRIT. What is it? How do you know if you have it? He gives us a few examples of what it is as well as a personal tale told to him by his good friend who grew up in the same side of town as Isidro did. “The excuses that we put in front of ourselves to talk ourselves out of doing something, those excuses, are feeding the force that goe...
Feb 13, 2018•16 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Today’s episode concludes this 3 part series of how Isidro’s dad became one of the “Baddest Taqueros” who roamed this earth. Isidro best describes why his dad was a badass taquero by telling us his father was always “GAME”. Being up to doing what ever it takes to get the job done is what Isidro describes as being GAME. Isidro takes us on an exciting and a bit of an emotional journey by giving us a couple of examples of why his father was always “GAME”. Taquote: “ When you make great tacos, you g...
Jan 30, 2018•18 min•Season 1Ep. 12
On this second part of “The Baddest Taquero”, Isidro describes how his dad was a taco truck pioneer. Isidro talks a little bit about how his father set himself apart from the rest of the taqueros of his time. How a price point of $1.25 for a big taco was a brilliant idea, from a marketing perspective! While others were offering a small taco, Isidro’s father got customers to come in with a competitive price. Once they came in, they were hooked! Isidro also mentions how by listening, his dad corre...
Jan 16, 2018•17 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Today we talk about the person who literally drove the truck! Isidro’s father - the person who Isidro considers the “Baddest Taquero” who roamed this earth. In this episode, Isidro tells us about why he gets emotional when talking about his dad as well as what his folks went through on the initial day of operating their first food truck. The intentions, persistence and the difference a turn can make. Taquote: “Make today better than yesterday” Reach out! If you have a spot to recommend, a taco s...
Jan 02, 2018•12 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Today we dive into some of the operations within the wheels of his parent’s taco truck and all the work that went into making it run smoothly. It’s not an easy task to run a taco truck and Isidro’s parents did it every day, 7days a week. Hours of prep along with early mornings and late nights were a testament to how devoted his family was to run the truck correctly. If you think your chores growing up were tedious, listen to Isidro’s story! It’s a great lesson to remind us to surround ourselves ...
Dec 19, 2017•15 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The vehicle in which Isidro and his family served up amazing food with a strong personal connection wasn’t just your normal truck. For that, we dedicate today’s episode to La Chiquita, the special taco truck. He walks us through the truck and breaks down how they managed to cook and put out so much good food in a small cozy space. Once his family purchased the truck they began a way of life they felt good about and that they wanted to commit to every day. To keep that level of connection with th...
Dec 05, 2017•19 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In today’s episode we get an “inside-the-shell” look at Isidro’s family and how they founded, cultivated, and operated a successful taco truck business. Isidro’s mom was the CEO of their family and used her resources and experiences of farm life as one of 17 children to create a fruitful business for the family. Before modern-day electronics people actually needed to know information in order to guide them to make decisions. Isidro's mom was like the Google of humans, she seemed to have all the ...
Nov 21, 2017•13 min•Season 1Ep. 7
This episode features a first in the world of 10,000 Tacos — our very first guest! We welcome David, visiting from Melbourne, Australia. David grew up in Scotland, where Mexican restaurants are few and far between and where their “Taco Tuesday” consists of a hard-shelled boxed taco and salsa out of a jar. David is traveling through the Bay Area on vacation and Isidro scooped him up for the podcast to share a foreigner’s perspective on tacos. David describes tasting carne asada, the fresh tortill...
Nov 07, 2017•18 min•Season 1Ep. 6
