This could give me for our podcast.
What up?
I'm Gizseo. That is John Magic and we are back.
We are happy to have another guest joining us on the pod.
He's more of a behind the scenes guy.
But then you know, I've been working with Ray at the Fresno what is it the to Bring the Juice podcast pre parties at the Fresno State Games, and you know, I was talking to him and I know he has a lot of stories, and I stopped him and I said, you should be on the show.
And when I told.
Him that he needed to be on the podcast, he was like, I have a lot of stories to share out.
That's what we like.
How many how many episodes do I get? How many? Is it just one? We got like two hours?
Or like, man, we're just gonna keep going.
But uh, I mean we he's kind of known for one of the members of Fresno Street Eats, but there's things you might not know about Ray Ortiz.
So he's here on the podcast. Welcome, so that's.
Going on, and welcome and thank you Jijsel Magic Man, good to be here. Thank you guys for the intro, and yeah, man, there's there's a lot of stories to share a lot of a lot of stuff that listen. I listen to your guys' podcast, and I'm happy to know that, you know, other than Mo, you know, getting fired, Like I don't think anybody's gotten fired yet, so right, Yeah, we're all right. So hopefully nothing I say here implements me in any way.
I mean, if I mean, I know you're you were telling me you're more of a behind the scenes guy. But if someone, if the city, would would try to think of where you're known for the most, I mean, my guest would be you'd be on stage during tackle truck throwdowns on the mic, you know, announcing the winners, doing a bunch of announcements on stage.
How about you just.
Saying I would say the same?
Yeah, would you say the same? How would you think? How would people know you from? Like, oh that's.
Right, yeah for sure. Well, this year I celebrated my nineteenth season working with the President Grizzlies.
Grizzlies.
Yeah so I am. I tell people that I'm the idiot running around on the microphone, you know, on the field with the microphone on right. So two thousand and five I started with the Fresnel Grizzlies as a security guard right while I was working security guard, and I worked my way up through the rank. So Derek Franks was our president of the Grizzlies, like he celebrated his twentieth year this year, and this is my nineteenth. Our officers are right across from each other. Like, so I've
come up through the rank. So if anybody sees me out there, there used to be a point where, like, you know, when we're with the Giants and we were just doing all these dope promos and like, you know, all these different things, people would be like, oh, they stopped me in grocery stores and be like, oh, like, you know, so like I was, I was a guy. I'm the the you know, on field announcer for the
Fresne Grizzlies. So if you were to ask me that, like, you know question, I would say, primarily with the Fresne Grizzlies and maybe a little deeper in the woods. I want to get on how like the street Eats idea and all that stuff came because there is a story that's rooted, you know, at the stadium on how street Eats you know, became street Eats sort.
Of Okay, So I guess we could take it from the beginning. Right. Are you originally from Presno?
Yeah, born and raised in Fresdoe. Man, I've left a couple of time times, went to school San Diego State for my first year colleages, came back, had kids early, got married early. So my son is my son is a sergeant in the Army. My daughter is an EMT for American Ambulance. So I got two grown ass kids right now. Between my fiance and I we have five actually six grandkids now. So like I've been, I've been for a little while. I've been, you know, in and
around Fresno. Grew up in Parkside. Uh, you know, Fresno.
Over but I don't even know where that's at over by Road.
It's a good thing, you don't know. But like man, growing up in the late seventies and the eighties, you know, Parkside was known for like the hub and the mecca of you know the bulldogs. Man, it was it was gang uh you know related. There was things that happening outside my door that were just like man like, it was just crazy. So you know where a lot of my fellow you know, neighbors and and kids I grew up with going to school like aren't around anymore or
you know, went the wrong way. I found music, man, I found music, and music was kind of my pathway out of that stuff, right. So I started playing music when I was early in elementary school, excelled in junior high high school, and then obviously I got recruited early into a local band that neither one of you probably know, but a lot of older people in fresdone No called the Ray Camacho Band.
When you say that you started music, was you were learning learning how to play instrument.
Don't tell anybody that I'm telling you this, but the first instrument I learned to play was a flute, and I was just like, oh man, this is a kind of a little you know, not that much.
First of all, how did that even come about?
Because you know, I tell stories about me joining band in junior high.
Well maybe it's because, like you know, when we were in elementary school and we used to have to play the fluit flutes, remember.
That was the thing.
Or whatever that's looks like a flutted Maybe, so.
It was like I'm picking the drums because that's cool.
So like you're playing drums and like doing that, like that's that's dope, that's what's up. So you relate to this, right. But like in elementary school, like I grew up again going to John Jane Adams Elementary over on you know ninety nine right behind ups right there. It's a beautiful school now, but back then it was just like Hella hood right, so it was just crazy. Our music teacher, her name was Cynthia Tillman. God you know she's still with us, and Cynthia, if you ever listen to this,
hello and thank you. But she was like, I need a flute player. You're gonna play flute. That's just how it was.
Like.
I didn't have no choice. Yeah, it's like all right, cool, So I did that and then she ended up being my junior high teacher as well, because back then music teachers were just moving all over the place or whatever. And she's like, oh, I need a trombone player over here, so you're gonna play trombone. And I'm like, the hell's a trombone? I was like all right, but yeah, I picked up the trombone. And then later on in junior high,
I got introduced to my music mentor. His name is Dave Ruffner, who was a band instructor at Fresnol High and that's kind of where I ended up going to school. So I started taking lessons from him. He was a trombone player as well. He actually retired lives in New Orleans now, and I was just like, man, like this is this is the way to go, Like this is
you know. So he taught me. Man, he taught me so much about music, not only playing the horn, but like you know, all kinds of He was a hippie, so like we listened to Doobie Brothers, we listened to He introduced us to earth, Wind and Fire, like just a broad band of just so much music that was just like, ah, like I'm gonna I want this right. And being a horn player, it's like trombone, it's just like, man,
you have to have an ear. You gotta know what you're doing because there's no valbe, there's no button to push, there's no combination of things. It's just like all you like a slide, right, Yeah, you're just moving back and forth. And yeah, I succeeded in that, man, And at an early age, I wanted to start a band. We started a band in high school with a couple of my best friends and one of my best friends who was
my kind of music director in the band. His dad was a music director for the Ray Comacho band, right, And then you go Raycomacho dot com. You could see our website and it goes back like, you know whatever, and this band is like sixty years old, like it's it's a it's a band, like it's been around for a lot. They did USO tours, they did Vietnam, thirty eight different countries, like all this, Like there were a
Budweiser ambassador band. So it was all this stuff. So it was music that my mom and dad listened to, you know, and and so we listened to that stuff in the house. It was you know, was brought up around and then remember that part in Selena were like we don't want to play rock and roll down or whatever, you know, like the kind of that idea, you know, And it was cool, but it was I was open to all that stuff. My brother was a big influence on on that, you know side of the music and
music influence stuff. So there was a point in Rickmacho's career where they wanted to He signed with the record company out of Texas and the one stipulation they had was to bring a big band back because Ray used to do pack the Rainbow out. He used to have ten people, you know, ten person band dancers and like go go dancers and like all this stuff show, big old thing. Man, it was a big old show, amazing musicians.
So at the ripe o age of fifteen and a half, sixteen years old, I had asked my parents to get permission and to join Ray Camacho's band, so Bro. By the time I was twenty one, like I'd been done playing in bars and clubs and like all this stuff underage, Like it was just a whole different world back then, right, because you're with the band, they just let they open the door for you. You get in, right, I'm with the DJ kind of idea, and I made a career
out of it. But one thing that I learned that leads me today and still like this this very moment to my core, is that Ray Camacho himself he was a good musician, right, but he surrounded himself with great musicians. He was a businessman and he took care of the band. Everywhere we went, everything we did was paid for, meals purchased, you know, and we got paid. So it was just like I had never been in the service before, but I figured, it's like you go to all these different places.
We traveled Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, up and down California.
We played Johnny Canalis Show, which if you guys know what that is, like the Johnny Carson Show or like Tonight's show of like Mexican people in Texas and in our passo, Texas met countless endless amounts of like Mexican artists that again you know my parents related to and uh and it was it was a business man, so and I fell in love with the business side of things and the fact that like Ray modeled himself, all right, i may not be the best musician, but I'm gonna
surround myself with the best team I've got and let's go. And that's what he did. And so if you look at the grizzly stuff, if you look at the street eat stuff, if you look at Taco truck Doe down, that model is there. And and like I instill that because I'm like, I want to surround myself with them. I might not have the best ideas, but I can make a good idea better real quick.
I've always been interested with because you were telling me it's like a lot of people in the band like traveling, Right.
How does the pay work? Because how how does is it a percentage? Ray got the most.
H Yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean everybody had a different level depending on what your what your job was, right, My job was to set up the microphone stands and carry a big ass box that was like, you know, ninety pounds, you know, And so everybody got paid and depending on what the what was contracted through our record deal and through our promoter that we were going, everybody
got a little cut. And I'm telling you, like I was able to make, you know, a significant down payment on my first home with the music the money I.
Made of playing That's right, that's what you're telling me.
Yeah, in a band, So I mean it was it was a different day back then, you know, and doing that, and I'm sure it's it's like that you know now. But as a you know, teen early twenty year old kid coming up, I'm like, yo, like this is where this is what I'm doing, Like I want to do this, you know. But then I quickly realized, you know, my roots being in Fresnel, you know, the music scene and trying to make it in Fresno for a band like
that just wasn't the deal. So I'm like, I need to get some education, I need something to fall back on, and business was at and so I utilized that idea on what I did, you know, in the band, to you know, get my degree in business and just kind of implement that and then just align myself with you know, my interests, the Grizzlies being downtown like I grew up downtown.
I grew up on full toon Mall like my mom and I used to go catch the bus from you know, from Parkside, go to downtown, go shopping, like all the Zodi's, like Arthur's toys, like J. C. Penny's, got chocks, like all those you know stories that were down there no longer exist, Like that was that was my backyard. And so when I realized I wanted to, you know, try to make Fresno better, aligning myself with the Grizzlies because that was the next big thing in downtown that that
was there, and I love that place. Man. I've been there nineteen years and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. So kind of see, so that's kind of like fast forward a little bit.
Okay.
I mean you said you started as a security guard. Did you apply?
So it's like, is that was that?
Like you're in you had a bigger plan in mind, but at the entry level just needed an Yeah.
So what happened is so you all know Mike O's and stuff. So like Mike, Mike always asked me, He's like how many Like I don't even want to see your resume, like cause like you talk about all these jobs you had, and like you know, what haven't you done?
You know, and like who don't you know? I was working for Fresle Unified at the time, right, So I had two jobs during the during the time that I started with the Grizzlies, I was working for fres Unified, and I was working for Nesle's, which was the ice cream company, and we were running a Dryers Grand ice cream here in the in the Central Valley. Uh So that job started like hello early. We gat up like four in the morning and I'd be done by like
noon whatever. And then one of my one of my buddies, was like, hey, like we need we need a campus assistant guy for for Fresle Unified. I started working in middle schools and then I landed over at Bullard High School. Ironically, uh, that's where Ray Comacho worked. Ray Comacho retired from Fresle Unified and was working as a campus security guard in his later years or whatever, and so I had an in there. So I became a campu assistant for Bullard
High School years. Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, so uh and that's kind of where we get there. So I was there. I was there, so I called, I called, I call, uh, I call people like you my students and people like you're a teacher. But I was there my last year there was two thousand and five, so like yeah, so I was there from night from two thousand and one to two thousand and one, two to two thousand.
Then I would have been there with you. Yeah, so that's crazy. So you remember Smalls, Ye remember I probably did see you.
And then that's wild.
I'll be honest with you. Like when like I never got a uniform. I just came as like we are like this. Kids thought I was a narc you know, because like I looked different and I had long hair, like it was straight up twenty one Joe Street in there. Like it was kind of it was kind of crazy.
That's cool, that's crazy.
Yeah.
Anyway, So one of my one of my coworkers there, he ran the security department at the Grizzlies, and he had been doing it for years. He's like, Hey, I need somebody like you. I need somebody that could depend on I need somebody to do some scheduling. Come check it out. It's and the way he sold me, he's like, it's a side job, it's a summer job. It'll pay your car insurance for like six months, like this literally what he said. And I was like, all right, cool,
I'm down, Like, let's go do it. And so that's when during that first year in two thousand and five, I realized, oh, man, like I had no clue that Minor League baseball was a business, right, And I'm like, who are all these people here like selling stuff and like tickets, and like how do I get Like the entertainment took over?
Right?
So I'm like I was when the when the band retired and started DJing just to stay on top of music and stuff like that. So I dj as well, and and so like I was always interested in the entertainment side of things. And he's like, oh, yeah, like this, there's an office, there's you know these and I'm like, all right, well, how do I get up there? Like what do He's like, just take the stairs. I'm like no, no, no, Like how do I work? Like what goes? And they're like, oh,
you just got to apply. So there's a department that we used to have at the Grizzlies called inside sales, basically telemarketing guys like you just get on the phone and you call whoever. Right, So at that point I had a big book of business. I would call people that I'm like hey, They're like what are you doing? Oh yeah, I'll buy tickets and so like I started my sales career there. So from the Grizzlies as an inside sales guy, I got there's a there's a level
you go up to. There's like count executive, which the next one. And then from there I went into corporate sales, so like dealing with the chances of the world with the you know, corporate partners and sponsorship and you guys all know all that stuff doing that, and then I found myself in the community relations department, you know, going out to schools, marketing our reading program, doing all those things. And then the entertainment role opened up, and I'm like, yeah,
like this is it. And for the last six seven years now, that's kind of where I've been. So all of the new upgrades and the sound system, the video board, like the cameras, like all that stuff was just my last thing I needed to do there. And we finally got all that done to bring the Grizzlies into the twenty first century with all the we got, you know, we got roads and casters and podcasts and like all kinds of stuff going out there. So yeah, that was it.
And so like I've kind of played that role, and now you know, COVID changed everything, you know, and I hate bringing COVID up, but like it was crazy. So we all lost our jobs. Honestly, I took a vacation for twenty twenty because, like I'd worked so much doing so many things up into that point. I'm like, I'm cool,
Like I'm just gonna chill for a year. And then you know, the street eats scene came knocking, because by then we were doing events with food trucks, you know, here and there, and we're doing that, you know, Mike caught word that we're losing our jobs. And he's like, hey, I need help, you know, come over here. And it took Mike a little bit, but he got He finally convinced me, and I was like, yeah, like let's roll.
But the idea of like the Taco truck throw down, like all that stuff happened, you know at chick Chancey Park with the Grizzlies. So working with Mike Cars, working with Sam, working with you know, like Dorian, you know, Castro and all those guys, like it's just like it's been a blessing done some dope ash stuff ship over the years and like again like I've had some great ideas, but you know, taking a good idea and of an event and just making it better, it's kind of just
been where we're at. So it's kind of it's kind of like, you know, fast forward into some you know, some some other stuff. But yeah, that's that's where it's at.
Were you kind of sticking with the audio entertainment side of it with the Fresnel Streets Taco truck throw down or or were you like an equal partner, you know, creating what turned out to be the biggest thing in town.
No, yeah, for sure, so we we we definitely would do that. So y'all know, for the you that know Mike Oz and know Sam Hanson, like, you know Mike Oz, even though he has a you know, ossigator last name, you know, he still you know, he looks white. Sam looks like Edgar Allan Poe. So when they started throw down, those those guys created the idea started throwing down right around I don't know, maybe two thousand and nine or so,
eight or nine. I came around because we started growing and we needed more trucks, and Mike and Sam walking up to a you know, like an authentic Mexican taco truck. So they thought they were like the health department, right, so there is like and so they needed somebody that was bilingual, that could talk you know, the you know, saw the idea to them. And again that's when we started getting the Lagantas of the world, you know, Chewy's tacos, the you know, like all the like authentic you know
taco people and kind of doing that. So yeah, I I I initially at the exception didn't necessarily have a hand in it, but again taking a good idea and making it and now you know, that thing doesn't rock without me. So like we still go out, we still canvas, We still you know, talk to talk and walk the walk. So part of the entertainment side of things. You know that one of our bigenty seventeen when we had It'm on Ayala and DJ Quick, like that idea like came to me and I was just like, bro, like this
was it was. It started a whole idea, a revolution that you know that necessarily wasn't being done at least locally here. And I you know, when you guys as you guys don't be seeing on the team on the stage over there, I was just like looking at that crowd, I saw young people next to dudes, and hats next to dudes and do rags and I'm just like, if
that isn't Fresno, I don't know what is right. And if you grew up listening to DJ Quick, more than likely your parents grew up listening to Ayala and that bridge right there. So I took a heavy interest in invested interest in booking the talent and kind of doing all that stuff for the early you know, mid years of Taco Truck do down.
So yeah, it's just while that like the life experiences is, you know, it gives you the skills that you use you know in your today life from you talking to the Taco truck people because of your sales experience, and then the entertainment side of putting these concerts together.
I know you were telling me when we were at Fresno State.
Yeah, that which I love when you told me this because as a DJ like man, it makes sense with your band and performing life, you knew like you knew what to bring, like we need this kind of speakers. This is the what you know, you were bringing the right things because that's what you would have wanted if you were performing for sure.
And beyond Taco check dot down the events that we do at the stadium, you know, like on the grizzly side, we do a fellowship Christian knight, you know, a Christian fellowship night, and like you know Christian artists. You know, they're they're they're they're artists too, you know. And like every year we always get the compliment and be like yo, like they they're writers, right, you guys seen writers. We
want this, we need this. And I'm like listen, guys, like we got comparable things over there, whatever, Like I and I have to tell them like I used to be a musician. I used to travel. They're like, oh, okay, you kind of know what you talk about, And yeah,
it's exactly right. If if I rolled up and I wanted this or I wanted that, Like I'm like, I might not have your brand or whatever that you're working with, but we got comparable things here and and I kind of speak their language for to say right and and
so making them comfortable. And we've gotten so many compliments from all of the band's management, from you know, logistics to set up to they're coming to play a baseball stadium, you know, so it's just not like you're not going to have like a green room or normal, but we transform all that stuff. But then when it comes to the audio and visual stuff, they're like, hey, this is
first class. Like you guys did pretty good. And that's just kind of again, like you said, from the experience that I have and being like, well, what I want or what would I what would I like to have or what would I like to see and kind of
doing that and sharing that. You know, if I talked to Drek, when I talked to Derek about what the Grizzlies about, like you know, you know, microphones, or he's like, I don't know what you're saying, Like I'm just just like I'm just telling talk to me like I'm a third grader, you know, And I'm like he's like, I trust you. Just do whatever you need to do, you know.
So so that that is cool and and that's a big, big compliment to you know, our staff over there, you know, getting stuff done, working with partners and then making that making that venue jump because if you know, we all know, if the artists are cool and and they're you know, they're they're well taken care of, and more likely they're gonna come back and we're gonna have a good experience and we're gonna have a great show.
You know.
You're still with the Grizzlies right now.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, So I'm still on payroll for the Grizzlies. We still do some you know, some contracting things, much like kind of Sam is as well, you know, on the digital side of things and marketing. So yeah, there's days where I have to represent both companies, much like I did today, and I've been doing kind of all day but throw down time, you know, like I put on my Grizzly hat, I'll put on My Street
Eats hat and kind of just work together. But both of those ideas and concepts man live within each other one way or another.
For sure.
If you go to the Grizzlies game, you see advertisement in advertisement, sponsorship stuff on the for the food truck side of things from President Street Eats. But it's something that you know, we're not gonna forget where we came from.
So when you were you brought that you were a DJ, Like, did you ever DJ clubs around town during your DJ days?
It was your DJ name?
No, I don't have one, so that that's the thing. It was just DJ Ray makes sense right, but no, so, and it's funny that you asked that because so the the original I'll say, the original DJ eight oh eight is my cousin. His name is Robert Belmonte. Yeah I know, yeah so uh so Like and when I say the original, like the eight eight, there's eight o eight now oh wait wait, I know you know the one now, so eight o eight. Uh, you know he's my cousin. He's
my older cousin. So when I started DJing, like he would spind on vinyl right and uh he would go to uh Chiketo's to like uh Akapunco to the clubs that like don't even exist anymore. And I barely remember because I was like not of age to kind of you know, be in that and stuff. So to answer your question, no, unless it was like a very specific event or a private event whatever, I did it because
I love music. I did it because I like, you know, having speakers and like setting shit up at the house like my ur cary O get set up at the house is in top notch, and we just I just do it because it has to have fun. So as people started like, oh, like you should can you DJ my party or can you DJ my wedding? I was like, yeah, I guess you know, like I didn't do it for money or like a career. And so every time I go do I'm actually doing a wedding this weekend, Like
I'm leaving here going to Kingsburg to do rehearsals. I have a wedding this weekend Saturday for a long time friend of mine, his daughter's getting married. And that's what I do. So I say I'm a great selector of music when it comes to DJ and just kind of feel the crowd. But it's really my voice and my experience on the microphone to get somebody up and you know, jumping and doing that stuff and get them excited about what's happening around us. You know that that does that.
So never get any clubs, but you know a lot of private events, a lot of wedding and lot of things like that.
So what role do you play now when it comes to the Taco Choke throw down?
Uh?
Yeah, So on the so Fresne Street Eats, I'm the VP of Operations for Fresnel Street Eats officially and then I am also the entertainment manager for the Fresno Grizzlies. So those are my official two titles.
Are you the ones that book the artist?
Yes? Yeah. So we work in conjunction with a couple of other people and promoters that we that we work with and you know, getting the nitty gritty and the you know down when it comes to doing all that stuff.
So we do that. So on the entertainment side of things for when the Grizzlies are in season, I'm also the on field MC, so I just kind of go and teach you know, the the new people and our new staff every day, like how to play balloon smash relay with the big ass you know, six foot yellow bear, and then like teach them how to talk to people, teach them how to get you know, like, hey, if this person is too drunk, had too many you know, talk cans from Tioga, like maybe not get them on
the field because they're a little bit wild, you know, and just kind of do all those things. Plus the time that I've had there, Like there's so many season ticket holders there that just like they just like if I'm not there, They're just like where's Ray, Like, you know, so like interacting with them, Tom stories like it's it's a whole extended family over there that that that happens.
So during the off season not so much. You know, Street Eats just take it over, you know, a lot of our worlds and a lot of our time, but working in conjunction with the Grizzlies, like it's kind of where it's at. So it's just a it's a crazy blend of of both companies, but one that I'm really proud of.
So as of late, you know, I've been seeing you a lot for our events for the Fresnel State Pregames Boulevard. Yeah, we're at the Bulldog Boulevard and are you out there representing as Fresnel Street Eats. Yeah, so the setup with you know, the carpet, the stage, the big screen TV. Is that all?
Is that your?
Is that you guys?
Yeah? Everything, but the carpet is ours.
Okay, that's set up man, you guys there yet? Yeah, so setup is nice.
So again blending, blending my experience and like Fresnel Street Eats, like you want food, Chucks, we got you, You want any we got you. You know, we work with a collective of DJs what y'all know, you know, Burns and bro Te and you know all those dudes that you know that that represent you guys as well too, So like they were our initial collective and they were actually the collective that we put on for throw Down like year one, and they were like over the moon when we asked him to do that.
You know.
But you know, the old the older I get, the more I recognize that there's somebody behind me that is just doing what we did, you know, ten, fifteen, twenty years ago. Sure, And that's that's that's the passion that I have of like in the food industry, like looking at the master chef who Tangxi's I've told him many of the times. I'm like, bro, like you you're doing it.
Like true, three years ago he went through his things and and did certain things, you know, stuff like that kind of like you know, kind of like like DJ Hectic, you know. DJ Hectick is like I see him sometimes and the stories that I know about him, it's like Forrest Gump a little bit. You know, He's always into
something and something's happened to him in his life. That's kind And I feel the same way, like I can sit here and tell your story after story, you'll get bored about things that have happened in my life like oh yeah I was well yeah I did that, or like yeah, you know I met the so and so and so whatever. But if you don't do anything with it, like what do you what are you really doing?
Right?
So pass that on, pass that education. Teach the next person, because I'm tired, you know, like I'm tired of like, you know, twenty years next year at the Grizzlies, Like I don't know if these needs are gonna you know, hold up anymore, running around up and down those stairs anymore. But I love it, like and and you know, there's always a saying that, you know, if you find something you love, like, don't ever stop doing it.
Yeah.
Yeah, we always say that us being in this.
In this industry, Yeah for sure.
Yeah and so uh and so yeah. So it's uh, you know, teaching those new people coming up and doing that stuff like it just it it's passionate and and it kind of keeps me driving.
Is there is there something that you want to do I don't know, elaborate aning moore on you know the spreads on street eats taking it into a different direction, or is there any plans or you know, something that maybe you're cooking up or ideas that might be in the works.
Yeah. Man, it's all about evolving. It's all about you know, getting that you know, customer retention and like really like four years ago, this company didn't exist, right, and people still had a stigma outside of Taco Truck Go Down that like eating food off of a of a truck.
It was like dirty, yeah exactly, like they would call.
Them roach coaches that are doing that. And man, that education has been going on since we started throw Down.
Like I'm not going to name any names, but there was some city officials that came at us even before cultural appropriation was the cultural was a thing, right, and we were ready for it, like we were gunning for it because like you know, again Sam and Mike, you know, being the face of this stuff, there came a point where I'm like, they're like, nah, we got to make Ray the face of this because we're talking about taco
trucks from here. He could back it up, Like, we got shirts made this year that says a taco truck was invented in this in Central California. And to a point, that's true. Man, we're the add capital of the world. Yeah, people out there like every day working in the fields and there's people out there every day feeding them and
they're in pickup trucks. And that's where the idea of a of a taco truck ended up because you'd have you know, my mom used to wrap up big flowery tortillas with ground beef and potatoes and chili in there, and like that was a taco, but some people that's a burrito. So like what do you do, Like, you know, it's a hot dog, a sandwich or not. You know, it's just like uh, and so that that idea, my my dad and my brother, you know, worked in the fields.
Like when I was this cool story when I was born, Uh, my parents became friends with one of the radio hosts on KGS. Kg h T is a Mexican radio station here, and like they announced my birth on the radio because they were friends. And everybody that was working with my dad and my brother were making fun of my brother because they're like, oh, you're not the baby anymore. They
don't love you, you know, like whatever. And my two sisters and my brother, you know, so there's two of us and U. But like they they I grew up in that, you know, so like and so that life experience, turning it around and making it a whole you know, business and company or something. But it's it's innovation every day.
Man.
We got some amazing people that make amazing food on these taco trucks or these food trucks in general. You know, chefs that have you know, that just share their passion, right and so they want to do that and so evolving them and helping all these businesses. Like right in the middle of throwdown, we were getting calls from people that were like, you guys are the reason we're starting the taco truck like because of throw down, because of what you guys are doing is what we're doing. And
we're like oh shit, like that's deep. Yeah, and that's like impactful because like we inspire these people to start a business. They saw it and it's hard. It's freaking hard working on the food truck. Like I don't care what anybody says, like we don't have them. And the number one thing like like I was at I was at Albertoz today, like I stopped get some lunch and the girls saw my shoit. She's like, oh my god,
you work for friends with streetings. I was like yeah, I got to follow you guys and it was like a celebrity right, And I was like and to my point, like people might not recognize me for what I do today or what I do with street ets, and that's the whole point. And she was like where you guys at, Like do you have any trunk or trees coming? Like she was all about it. She like pulled out the Instagram and she was like this one. I was like, yeah, yeah,
She's like Almona go on Saturday. And I'm like, cool, I got one, right, Like that's happened to me multiple times the draft throughs, which is kind of weird, but but like always trying to you know, put the trucks up on the next level of you know, bringing them up to you know space. We're not just people that book events or create events. We help them build their business. So we bring them in, we do one on one
consultings with them. If there's anybody out there listening this wants to do a food truck, we have pop up vendors that go from pop up vending to get into a truck into brick and mortars to restaurants and vice versa. Man Like, we're just everything that we've gained and experience over the last few years running this company. We just want to share it so that you know, people know what's up and how to do things, you know, and how to do them correctly.
Yeah, how does that work?
That's one thing I didn't understand about Fresno Streets because you don't actually own those trucks. Those people are their own businesses, right, Yeah, so you just help them find locations.
Is that what it is?
Yeah? So the way it started, and you know, in its inception was Michael Os was like doing little meetups him working for the Fresno b and then working for Y'allhoos Sports back in the day. And like I think he's told you this. It's just like you know, finding little events like tyoga or you know whatever, other breweries or you know, different spots like hey, we need a
food truck. And back then we really wasn't a lot of food trucks around, right, so when we started doing these little events, it was kind of cool, and then it evolved into right now, I think we have a little over one hundred and twelve different food trucks that we work with on a daily basis or at least are on our on our repertoire. And the best way to explain this is like we are like food truck brokers.
So Gizo, you said like, hey, I want taco truck, a pizza Chuck, and I want some cinnamon rolls for my birthday party. Yeah, can you get that? I'd be like, yep, we got.
You, Okay. So like we we do kind of like the middleman.
Yeah, we're the one stop shop for food trucks. So like events come to us and and magic that's how like we got involved with you know, Bulldog Sports Properties, which is how we created Bulldog Boulevard few years ago where there one of their directors came to us and they're like, I want to do this, and he pretty much explained taco truck door down in a nutshell yeah, And I'm like, yeah, we could do that. And he's like, what do you mean, Like what do you like? I
don't what do you mean you could do that? And I'm like, yeah, we have food trucks, we have entertainment, we have DJs, we have video wall, we have He's like, why haven't we done this before? Here we are now and three years later, we're still we're still rocking it. So and finding those strategic partners, you know, is beneficial to all of us. Like we make a little bit of money on it. You know, we're for profit business.
I'm not going to try to hide that. We make money, you know, working with and conjunction with and setting up our food trucks for success. But at the same time, we throw our own events, you know, like Taco truck dough down as yes, like you know, you know we did a joon show, you know, a couple of Christmases ago that was widely successful, you know, and kind of doing those things, but having those resources and those connections. It's just it's just it's it's imperative and it's it's
super important to kind of do that. So food truck brokers just kind of like what we are.
I mean, it's been it's been good for the city, man, just to see other people outside of like you know, like our circle of people, our industry, to actually know about it.
It's like, oh shit, you know about Fresno Street. You know what I'm saying.
And it's just cool to hear like random people know about it and to see it grown and to see it on flyers that they're going to be somewhere.
It's just it's been dope to see. It's been good for the city.
Yeah, every time we go to an event, it seems like it's always a different truck. How many if you would estimate how many food trucks are you guys working.
You just said like one twenty, right, Yeah, we work with on our roster, we have about one hundred a little over one hundred and twelve if I correct, If if I count them correctly, we have about sixty to seventy of those that we work with on a daily basis, seven days a week. So and you're looking at the guy that schedules all of them.
So man, it's like.
Hurting like four hundred like kindergartens like sometimes cause it's just like, yeah, you never know what's going to happen, right, So like flat tire, my battery die, my generator went out, my mama sick, my thumb hurts, my food foul all over the fleet and fest so like there's so many things that happened in this world that is just like we're I have to beyond like twenty four to seven. You know, my fiance, she she loves it and hates it because she's just like here always on your phone.
I'm like yeah, but it's like, you know, we got event, Like we're a nocturnal event, you know, like hapen at night time. We go to dinner, like majority of our things, we're at the breweries. We're you know, doing this like this week has just been crazy and I'm glad it's almost over, but like gearing up to throw down. It's just a whole no whole other event. So yeah, we have we have that many and then sometimes you know, we people are always like well you need to try
this truck or we need to do this truck. And it's just like, you know, we have a lot of taco trucks and that's not a good thing or a bad thing. But you know, like I was, I was, I tell people like, oh, We're gonna start a taco truck, and I'm like, yo, like can you make Chinese food? Because like, if you make Chinese food, like I'll put you to work every day.
Yeah, you know, because like some variety. Yeah, we need to do that.
Well. The reason why I bring it up and you know, on how many have you tried food from every truck.
That you guys have worked with?
Unfortunately? Yeah, fortunately, unfortunate, unfortunately and unfortunately, Yes there are a few that I that I still get to get to. But but but a good majority of our trucks you know that we do that. And and I'll be honest, like we pride ourselves on having uh some of the best trucks that make the best food around.
Yeah, there's some great stuff. So I'm not going to ask you a favorite truck.
I'm not.
I'm not because you know, but I was, like, work a lot, but you being from the five five nine, how about just your favorite spots in town, like restaurants stuff like where if you had a friend from out of town visit where just just some of your favorites telling them to go.
Man, So, uh, you know, I share the same same like as Mike does. Like I love pizza, Like I could eat pizza every day, you know, just different varieties of it.
What's your spot is? Pizza is one of my favorites and like.
There you know the owners of uh you know of Partini's over there and uh, same people as a oh man kipping my name, but the Pardin family there, so Unessa's by Wilberd Park's Pizza. We're just talking about this yesterday, like slices and like what we could get winter Richies, and it was I.
Was just gonna say, like I mean I could go, I could go Richie, this is great.
I got two thirty. Yeah, but you know, like some days it's just like come on anyways. But yeah, so pizza is always good.
Man.
We're fans of the Chico's, you know, like the old me and Ed's debate on whether you're like I'm a fan of me and it's classic combo.
I was never.
Growing up man.
Yeah, so it's there, but like, man, like you know growing up where I did you know Al's Cafe. You know that's a classic out there on ninety nine on the other side of Olive, And uh, you know we we today, I think just because of the business that I'm in, Like I don't really eat out a lot. You know this when comes to you, right, yeah, like all that too, but like you know, and then like again, my fiance like she likes she likes one of our our ti trucks called Penta Zapp and Dan that makes
some good ass food. Like it's just good ass.
Food I've never tried. I love typhood and I haven't tried that.
Yeah, yeah it is good man. They just got some uh some pork belly that they make. It's just fantastic. So like we do that, but like I just like start cooking like at home, like just making like we had steaks and potatoes yesterday stuff. So yeah, I mean it is. But when we do go out, like it's just very selective on where we go.
Man.
You know, uh, five hundred Club on the weekends. They got some prime rib. It's good. But like you know, we get out to you know, try all the new stuff and the new things, but it's.
The hidden gems.
It's different, man, is different. Yeah, you can you can find some really good stuff in the corner that you wouldn't expect, and then you know, you got all your all your normal spots as well too, So it's fun exploring.
I guess if you would, man, Well, it's it's been cool hearing the behind the scenes that there's people that don't know you know, like you said, Mike and Sam are like sometimes the faces and and you're like a big part of Fresno.
Cool shit happening.
Oh yeah, it was good to talk to you on the pod and can't wait to hang with you this Saturday for.
The Fresno State game. Yeah for sure, So we'll be there again for this weekend.
Yeah. Man, I appreciate your time and thank you guys for doing this. Keep doing it. I mean I listen whenever new episode comes out, and I appreciate you guys this time. Man, it's been cool.
Sure anything else on your air, man, I guess until next time?
Right, Yeah, let's do it.
This could give me fire podcasts