COVER STORY

from The Argonaut Newspaper - October 13, 2022

ARTS & EVENTS

Tacos with Danny Trejo

Legendary actor and entrepreneur celebrates national day with fans

By Kamala Kirk

In celebration of National Taco Day last Tuesday (Oct. 4), Trejo’s Tacos Santa Monica and Downtown Santa Monica hosted a Taco Crawl with local restaurants in Santa Monica. Participating restaurants included Tocaya Modern Mexican Santa Monica, Lanea, Socalo, Cabo Cantina Santa Monica, Jameson’s Pub, Blue Plate Taco, and Trejo’s Tacos Santa Monica. Trejo’s Tacos fans were also in for a special treat when they had the opportunity to meet legendary actor and entrepreneur, Danny Trejo, who kicked off the Taco Crawl at his Santa Monica restaurant. “We’ve been thinking about doing some sort of event in Santa Monica since we opened in 2020, but of course that thing called the pandemic happened,” Trejo said. “So when National Taco Day rolled around this year, it felt like the perfect opportunity to finally get the community together and celebrate one of the best holidays of the year. I really enjoyed getting connected with our neighboring restaurants who are doing great things here in Santa Monica. I always love meeting everyone from the area that comes in, especially for our events. People bring their relatives, boyfriends, girlfriends, buddies— you name it. It’s an inclusive Los Angeles community for everyone to enjoy good times over good food, and that makes me happy. You’ll find me at my locations often walking around to each table to say hello.” Trejo, whose impressive entertainment career includes over 200 movie credits with roles in iconic films such as “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” “Desperado” and “Machete,” is also a successful entrepreneur with multiple businesses including Trejo’s Cerveza, Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts, as well as Trejo’s Tacos, which has several locations across LA. “Trejo’s Tacos has something for everyone, including gluten-free and vegan/vegetarian options,” Trejo said. “Believe it or not, one of my favorite tacos on the menu is our roasted cauliflower taco, which was rated as one of the best by LA Times a few years back. We’re in the process of opening another Trejo’s Tacos location at HALO Downtown LA and we’re very excited to be serving DTLA coming this November 2022. Also, we’re working on our second cookbook filled with more of our favorite recipes.” Signed copies of Trejo’s first cookbook, “Trejo’s Tacos: Recipes and Stories from L.A.: A Cookbook” are currently available on his website. The book highlights 75 easy-tomake recipes like succulent carnitas, vegan cauliflower tacos, and cinnamon-sugar lowrider donuts. It also features stunning photographs that pay homage to Trejo’s hometown from his favorite dining spots to his favorite characters. Born to Mexican-American parents in the Echo Park neighborhood, Trejo grew up in LA and enjoys being a part of the communities where Trejo’s Tacos are located, including Santa Monica. “I’ve always loved this part of LA,” Trejo said. “I actually used to live nearby this area and would frequent Muscle Beach. With the other Trejo’s restaurants near Hollywood, I wanted to spread the love to the Westside. As a lifelong Angeleno, I have a passion for working with local business owners. At Trejo’s Tacos, we believe it’s important to collaborate and create something unexpected and amazing, even if it’s only for a short time.”